Luke 6:44-49

6:44 for each tree is known ¹  by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered ²  from thorns, nor are grapes picked ³  from brambles. ⁴  6:45 The good person out of the good treasury of his ⁵  heart ⁶  produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury ⁷  produces evil, for his mouth speaks ⁸  from what fills ⁹  his heart.

6:46 “Why ¹⁰  do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ ¹¹  and don’t do what I tell you? ¹² 

6:47 “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice ¹³  – I will show you what he is like: 6:48 He is like a man ¹⁴  building a house, who dug down deep, ¹⁵  and laid the foundation on bedrock. When ¹⁶  a flood came, the river ¹⁷  burst against that house but ¹⁸  could not shake it, because it had been well built. ¹⁹  6:49 But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice ²⁰  is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When ²¹  the river burst against that house, ²²  it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!” ²³ 

¹ sn The principle of the passage is that one produces what one is.

² tn Grk “they do not gather”; this has been simplified to the passive voice in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the context.

³ tn This is a different verb (τρυγῶσιν, trugwsin) for gathering from the previous one (συλλέγουσιν, sullegousin).

⁴ tn This is a different term (βάτος, batos) for a thorn or bramble bush than the previous one (ἄκανθα, akanqa).

⁵ tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“out of the evil”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

⁶ sn Mention of the heart shows that Jesus is not interested in what is done, but why. Motives are more important than actions for him.

⁷ tn The word “treasury” is not repeated in the Greek text at this point, but is implied.

⁸ sn What one utters from one’s mouth is especially singled out as the example of this principle. James seems to have known this teaching (Jas 1:26; 3:1-12).

⁹ tn Grk “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹¹ tn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.

¹² sn Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do what I tell you? Respect is not a matter of mere words, but is reflected in obedient action. This short saying, which is much simpler than its more developed conceptual parallel in Matt 7:21-23, serves in this form to simply warn and issue a call to hear and obey, as the last parable also does in vv. 47-49.

¹³ tn Grk “and does them.”

¹⁴ tn Here and in v. 49 the Greek text reads ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), while the parallel account in Matt 7:24-27 uses ἀνήρ (anhr) in vv. 24 and 26.

¹⁵ tn There are actually two different Greek verbs used here: “who dug (ἔσκαψεν, eskayen) and dug deep (ἐβάθυνεν, ebaqunen).” Jesus is placing emphasis on the effort to which the man went to prepare his foundation.

¹⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁷ sn The picture here is of a river overflowing its banks and causing flooding and chaos.

¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

¹⁹ tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C D Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï latt), read “because he built [it] on the rock” rather than “because it had been well built” (Ì^75vid א B L W Ξ 33 579 892 1241 2542 pc sa). The reading of the later mss seems to be a harmonization to Matt 7:25, rendering it most likely secondary.

²⁰ tn Grk “does not do [them].”

²¹ tn Grk “against which”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative clause was converted to a temporal clause in the translation and a new sentence started here.

²² tn Grk “it”; the referent (that house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²³ tn Grk “and its crash was great.”