Luke 14:5-6

14:5 Then ¹  he said to them, “Which of you, if you have a son ²  or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?” 14:6 But ³  they could not reply ⁴  to this.

[14:5]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[14:5]  ² tc Here “son,” found in Ì^45,75 (A) B W Ï, is the preferred reading. The other reading, “donkey” (found in א K L Ψ Ë^1,13 33 579 892 1241 2542 al lat bo), looks like an assimilation to Luke 13:15 and Deut 22:4; Isa 32:20, and was perhaps motivated by an attempt to soften the unusual collocation of “son” and “ox.” The Western ms D differs from all others and reads “sheep.”

[14:6]  ³ tn καί (kai) has been translated here as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context. The experts, who should be expected to know the law, are unable to respond to Jesus’ question.

[14:6]  ⁴ sn They could not reply. Twice in the scene, the experts remain silent (see v. 4). That, along with the presence of power working through Jesus, serves to indicate endorsement of his work and message.