Luke 12:18-20

12:18 Then 1  he said, ‘I 2  will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 12:19 And I will say to myself, 3  “You have plenty of goods stored up for many years; relax, eat, drink, celebrate!”’ 12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life 4  will be demanded back from 5  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 6 

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

2 sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.

3 tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.

4 tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

5 tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

6 tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.