Luke 14:35

14:35 It is of no value ¹  for the soil or for the manure pile; it is to be thrown out. ²  The one who has ears to hear had better listen!” ³ 

Luke 9:62

9:62 Jesus ⁴  said to him, “No one who puts his ⁵  hand to the plow and looks back ⁶  is fit for the kingdom of God.” ⁷ 

[14:35]  ¹ tn Or “It is not useful” (L&N 65.32).

[14:35]  ² tn Grk “they throw it out.” The third person plural with unspecified subject is a circumlocution for the passive here.

[14:35]  ³ tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15; 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8).

[9:62]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:62]  ⁵ tn Grk “the”; in context the article is used as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).

[9:62]  ⁶ sn Jesus warns that excessive concern for family ties (looks back) will make the kingdom a lesser priority, which is not appropriate for discipleship. The image is graphic, for who can plow straight ahead toward a goal while looking back? Discipleship cannot be double-minded.

[9:62]  ⁷ sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.