Luke 16:29-30

16:29 But Abraham said, 1  ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they must respond to 2  them.’ 16:30 Then 3  the rich man 4  said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead 5  goes to them, they will repent.’

1 tn Grk “says.” This is one of the few times Luke uses the historical present.

2 tn Or “obey”; Grk “hear.” This recalls the many OT texts calling for a righteous heart to respond to people in need (Deut 14:28-29; Isa 3:14-15; Amos 2:6-8; Mic 2:1-2; Zech 7:9-10).

3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

4 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the rich man, v. 19) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

5 sn If someone from the dead goes to them. The irony and joy of the story is that what is denied the rich man’s brothers, a word of warning from beyond the grave, is given to the reader of the Gospel in this exchange.