Translation commentary on Luke 11:37

Exegesis:

en de tō lalēsai ‘after his speaking,’ or, ‘after he had spoken,’ because of the aorist tense of lalēsai.

Pharisaios ‘a Pharisee,’ cf. on 5.17.

hopōs aristēsē par’ autō lit. ‘that he would lunch with him,’ i.e. in his home.

aristaō, ‘to have a meal,’ ‘to lunch.’

eiselthōn de anepesen ‘after going in, i.e. into the house, he sat at table.’

anapiptō ‘to lie down,’ ‘to take one’s place at the table.’

Translation:

To dine with him, or ‘to lunch (or, ‘eat at noon,’ ‘take the midday meal’) with him (or, at his house).’ Several versions do not indicate the time of day, “to eat with him” (Good News Translation), ‘to come to his house to eat’ (Toraja-Sa’dan). Cf. also “to eat with” in 7.36.

Went in. If the house has not been referred to already in what precedes, one may have to do so here, ‘entered his house’ (Bahasa Indonesia).

Sat at table, cf. 7.36.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:37

Section 11:37–54

Jesus criticized the Pharisees and the teachers of the law

In this section, a Pharisee invited Jesus to his house for a meal. The Pharisee was surprised that Jesus did not ritually wash his hands before he ate. Jesus then criticized the Pharisees because they carefully observed outward rituals but neglected true devotion to God. He specifically warned the Pharisees about three ways in which they displeased God. He then directed three additional warnings to the teachers of the law.

Some other headings for this section are:

Jesus’ Criticism of the Religious Leaders

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 23:1–36 and Mark 12:38–40.

Paragraph 11:37–41

11:37a

As Jesus was speaking: This clause refers to what Jesus taught about light and darkness in the previous section. In some languages it may be more natural to use a more specific verb than speaking. For example:

As Jesus was teaching these things

11:37b

a Pharisee: The phrase a Pharisee introduces a new person into the story. Introduce this new person in a natural way in your language. For example:

a certain Pharisee (King James Version)
-or-
one of the Pharisees (New Living Translation (2004))

Pharisee: A Pharisee was a member of a Jewish religious group or party called the Pharisees. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws very carefully and in detail. Here are some ways to translate this word:

• Transliterate the word Pharisee according to the sounds of your language and indicate that it refers to a person. For example:

Farisi member
-or-
Parise adherent

• Transliterate the word Pharisee and indicate that it refers to a group of people with certain beliefs. For example:

person belonging to the Farise religious sect/group
-or-
member of the religious group called the Farasi

This word first occurs in 5:17b.

invited Him to dine with him: The Pharisee invited/asked Jesus to go to his (the Pharisee’s) house and eat a meal with him. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit some of this implied information. For example:

invited him to eat ⌊at his house⌋
-or-
invited him home for a meal (Contemporary English Version)

11:37c

so He went in: The clause He went in means “Jesus went into the Pharisee’s house.”

and reclined at the table: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as reclined at the table is literally “reclined.” The Berean Standard Bible has added the phrase at the table to make the meaning of the verb clearer.

It was the custom in Jesus’ time for people to eat a formal meal while lying on couches around a low table. They leaned on one elbow while they ate.

If reclining on couches would seem strange in your culture, you may:

• Use the normal position for eating in your culture. For example:

sat down to eat (Good News Translation)

• Use a general expression that does not specify a particular position. For example:

took his place at the table (New Living Translation (2004))

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