Luke 6:43-49

6:43 “For ¹  no good tree bears bad ²  fruit, nor again ³  does a bad tree bear good fruit, 6:44 for each tree is known ⁴  by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered ⁵  from thorns, nor are grapes picked ⁶  from brambles. ⁷  6:45 The good person out of the good treasury of his ⁸  heart ⁹  produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasury ¹⁰  produces evil, for his mouth speaks ¹¹  from what fills ¹²  his heart.

6:46 “Why ¹³  do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ ¹⁴  and don’t do what I tell you? ¹⁵ 

6:47 “Everyone who comes to me and listens to my words and puts them into practice ¹⁶  – I will show you what he is like: 6:48 He is like a man ¹⁷  building a house, who dug down deep, ¹⁸  and laid the foundation on bedrock. When ¹⁹  a flood came, the river ²⁰  burst against that house but ²¹  could not shake it, because it had been well built. ²²  6:49 But the person who hears and does not put my words into practice ²³  is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When ²⁴  the river burst against that house, ²⁵  it collapsed immediately, and was utterly destroyed!” ²⁶ 

[6:43]  ¹ tn The explanatory connective γάρ (gar) is often dropped from translations, but the point of the passage is that one should be self-corrective and be careful who one follows (vv. 41-42), because such choices also reflect what the nature of the tree is and its product.

[6:43]  ² tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both “fruit” and “tree,” can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).

[6:43]  ³ tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C D Θ Ψ 33 Ï lat sy sa), lack the adverb πάλιν (palin, “again”) here. Its presence is attested, however, by several good witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א B L W Ξ Ë^1,13 579 892 1241 2542).

[6:44]  ⁴ sn The principle of the passage is that one produces what one is.

[6:44]  ⁵ 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.

[6:44]  ⁶ tn This is a different verb (τρυγῶσιν, trugwsin) for gathering from the previous one (συλλέγουσιν, sullegousin).

[6:44]  ⁷ tn This is a different term (βάτος, batos) for a thorn or bramble bush than the previous one (ἄκανθα, akanqa).

[6:45]  ⁸ 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).

[6:45]  ⁹ 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.

[6:45]  ¹⁰ tn The word “treasury” is not repeated in the Greek text at this point, but is implied.

[6:45]  ¹¹ 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).

[6:45]  ¹² tn Grk “for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.”

[6:46]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:46]  ¹⁴ 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.

[6:46]  ¹⁵ 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.

[6:47]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and does them.”

[6:48]  ¹⁷ 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.

[6:48]  ¹⁸ 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.

[6:48]  ¹⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[6:48]  ²⁰ sn The picture here is of a river overflowing its banks and causing flooding and chaos.

[6:48]  ²¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in the context.

[6:48]  ²² 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.

[6:49]  ²³ tn Grk “does not do [them].”

[6:49]  ²⁴ 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.

[6:49]  ²⁵ tn Grk “it”; the referent (that house) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[6:49]  ²⁶ tn Grk “and its crash was great.”