12:13 Then 3 someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell 4 my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 12:14 But Jesus 5 said to him, “Man, 6 who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?” 7 12:15 Then 8 he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from 9 all types of greed, 10 because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 12:16 He then 11 told them a parable: 12 “The land of a certain rich man produced 13 an abundant crop, 12:17 so 14 he thought to himself, 15 ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 16 12:18 Then 17 he said, ‘I 18 will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.
1 tn Grk “in that very hour” (an idiom).
2 tn Grk “what it is necessary to say.”
3 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
4 sn Tell my brother. In 1st century Jewish culture, a figure like a rabbi was often asked to mediate disputes, except that here mediation was not requested, but representation.
5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn This term of address can be harsh or gentle depending on the context (BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8). Here it is a rebuke.
7 tn The pronoun ὑμᾶς (Jumas) is plural, referring to both the man and his brother; thus the translation “you two.”
7 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
8 tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.
9 tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.
9 tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.
10 tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
11 tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”
11 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this is a result of the preceding statement.
12 tn Grk “to himself, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
13 sn I have nowhere to store my crops. The thinking here is prudent in terms of recognizing the problem. The issue in the parable will be the rich man’s solution, particularly the arrogance reflected in v. 19.
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
14 sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.