Luke 5:34

5:34 So Jesus said to them, “You cannot make the wedding guests fast while the bridegroom is with them, can you?

Luke 13:9

13:9 Then if it bears fruit next year, very well, but if not, you can cut it down.’”


tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Jesus’ pronouncement is a result of their statements about his disciples.

tn Grk “the sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to guests at the wedding, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).

sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38).

tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “can you?”).

tn This is a third class condition in the Greek text. The conjunction καί (kai, a component of κάν [kan]) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

tn Grk “the coming [season].”

tn The phrase “very well” is supplied in the translation to complete the elided idea, but its absence is telling.

tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text, showing which of the options is assumed.