Luke 12:13-21

Context

The Parable of the Rich Landowner

12:13 Then¹ someone from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell² my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 12:14 But Jesus³ said to him, “Man,⁴ who made me a judge or arbitrator between you two?”⁵ 12:15 Then⁶ he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from⁷ all types of greed,⁸ because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 12:16 He then⁹ told them a parable:¹⁰ “The land of a certain rich man produced¹¹ an abundant crop, 12:17 so¹² he thought to himself,¹³ ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’¹⁴ 12:18 Then¹⁵ he said, ‘I¹⁶ will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to myself,¹⁷ “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life¹⁸ will be demanded back from¹⁹ you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’²⁰ 12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself,²¹ but is not rich toward God.”

[12:13] ¹tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:13] ²sn 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.

[12:14] ³tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:14] ⁴tn This term of address can be harsh or gentle depending on the context (BDAG 82 s.v. ἄνθρωπος 8). Here it is a rebuke.

[12:14] ⁵tn The pronoun ὑμᾶς (Jumas) is plural, referring to both the man and his brother; thus the translation “you two.”

[12:15] ⁶tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:15] ⁷tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

[12:15] ⁸tn 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.

[12:16] ⁹tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.

[12:16] ¹⁰tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:16] ¹¹tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”

[12:17] ¹²tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this is a result of the preceding statement.

[12:17] ¹³tn Grk “to himself, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:17] ¹⁴sn 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.

[12:18] ¹⁵tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:18] ¹⁶sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.

[12:19] ¹⁷tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.

[12:20] ¹⁸tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20] ¹⁹tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20] ²⁰tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:21] ²¹sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.