Luke 12:15

12:15 Then ¹  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ²  all types of greed, ³  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Luke 12:33

12:33 Sell your possessions ⁴  and give to the poor. ⁵  Provide yourselves purses that do not wear out – a treasure in heaven ⁶  that never decreases, ⁷  where no thief approaches and no moth ⁸  destroys.

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

² tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

³ tn 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.

⁴ sn The call to sell your possessions is a call to a lack of attachment to the earth and a generosity as a result.

⁵ tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today.

⁶ tn Grk “in the heavens.”

⁷ tn Or “an unfailing treasure in heaven,” or “an inexhaustible treasure in heaven.”

⁸ tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.