Paragraph 14:28–30
In Greek, this paragraph (14:28–30) begins with a conjunction that many versions, such as the Revised Standard Version, translate as “For.” It introduces an example that illustrates what Jesus said in the previous paragraph. Jesus taught that becoming his disciple was a serious commitment. The illustration shows that a person should think carefully about the difficulties and cost before making such a serious commitment.
The Berean Standard Bible does not translate this connection explicitly. In some languages you may need to make the connection more explicit. This may be done in different ways. For example:
But don’t begin until you count the cost. For who would begin construction of a building…? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
⌊You must think first about this before you become my disciple. Just as…⌋
14:28
Which of you, wishing to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost to see if he has the resources to complete it?: In Greek, verse 14:28 is a single rhetorical question, as in the Berean Standard Bible. Another way to translate this is:
For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? (Revised Standard Version)
The function of the rhetorical question is to emphasize that of course someone would estimate the cost before starting to build a tower. He would never start building a tower without knowing if he had enough money to finish it.
The New International Version and New Living Translation (2004) translate this question in two parts: an introductory statement and a shorter rhetorical question. Other ways to translate this verse are:
• With a combination of statements and rhetorical questions. For example:
Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. What is the first thing you will do? Won’t you sit down and figure out how much it will cost and if you have enough money to pay for it? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
For example, if one of you wants to build a tower, what will you do? You will surely sit down first to figure out how much that would cost. You need to know if you have enough money to complete it.
• As one or more statements. For example:
If one of you is planning to build a tower, you sit down first and figure out what it will cost, to see if you have enough money to finish the job. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Suppose you want to build a tower. You would first sit down and figure out what it costs. Then you would see if you have enough money to finish it. (God’s Word)
14:28a
tower: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tower may refer here to a tall observation tower from which men guarded a vineyard. But the parable implies a large, expensive building, so it may be better to translate in a general way. In languages that do not have a word for tower, here is another way to translate this term:
high building/house
See how you translated this word in 13:4a.
14:28b
sit down: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as sit down implies here that the person will take the time to make a careful estimate. In some languages it may not be necessary to make the sitting posture explicit. For example:
he will first carefully estimate
-or-
he will take the time to estimate
count the cost: The phrase count the cost means to calculate or compute how much money something will cost. The man would add up the cost of the different building materials he would use and the wages of the men who would work for him.
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