Discovery BoxLuke 12:15-31 
Context12:15 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.” 12:16 He then 4 told them a parable: 5 “The land of a certain rich man produced 6 an abundant crop, 12:17 so 7 he thought to himself, 8 ‘What should I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ 9 12:18 Then 10 he said, ‘I 11 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, 12 “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 13 will be demanded back from 14 you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 15 12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, 16 but is not rich toward God.”
12:22 Then 17 Jesus 18 said to his 19 disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not worry 20 about your 21 life, what you will eat, or about your 22 body, what you will wear. 12:23 For there is more to life than food, and more to the body than clothing. 12:24 Consider the ravens: 23 They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn, yet God feeds 24 them. How much more valuable are you than the birds! 12:25 And which of you by worrying 25 can add an hour to his life? 26 12:26 So if 27 you cannot do such a very little thing as this, why do you worry about 28 the rest? 12:27 Consider how the flowers 29 grow; they do not work 30 or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 12:28 And if 31 this is how God clothes the wild grass, 32 which is here 33 today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, 34 how much more 35 will he clothe you, you people of little faith! 12:29 So 36 do not be overly concerned about 37 what you will eat and what you will drink, and do not worry about such things. 38 12:30 For all the nations of the world pursue 39 these things, and your Father knows that you need them. 12:31 Instead, pursue 40 his 41 kingdom, 42 and these things will be given to you as well.
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 tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.
5 tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
6 tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that this is a result of the preceding statement.
8 tn Grk “to himself, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.
9 sn I have nowhere to store my crops. The thinking here is prudent in terms of recognizing the problem. The issue in the parable will be the rich man’s solution, particularly the arrogance reflected in v. 19.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
11 sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.
12 tn Grk “to my soul,” which is repeated as a vocative in the following statement, but is left untranslated as redundant.
13 tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
14 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).
15 tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
16 sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.
17 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. Jesus’ remarks to the disciples are an application of the point made in the previous parable.
18 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
19 tc αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) is lacking in Ì45vid,75 B 1241 c e. Although the addition of clarifying pronouns is a known scribal alteration, in this case it is probably better to view the dropping of the pronoun as the alteration in light of its minimal attestation.
20 tn Or “do not be anxious.”
21 tc Most
22 tc Some
23 tn Or “crows.” Crows and ravens belong to the same family of birds. English uses “crow” as a general word for the family. Palestine has several indigenous members of the crow family.
24 tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”
25 tn Or “by being anxious.”
26 tn Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πῆχυς, phcu") can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία (Jhlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς. Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 435-36 s.v. 1.a for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.
27 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.
28 tn Or “why are you anxious for.”
29 tn Traditionally, “lilies.” According to L&N 3.32, “Though traditionally κρίνον has been regarded as a type of lily, scholars have suggested several other possible types of flowers, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy.” In view of the uncertainty, the more generic “flowers” has been used in the translation.
30 tn Traditionally, “toil.” Although it might be argued that “work hard” would be a more precise translation of κοπιάω (kopiaw) here, the line in English scans better in terms of cadence with a single syllable.
31 tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.
32 tn Grk “grass in the field.”
33 tn Grk “which is in the field today.”
34 tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.
sn The oven was most likely a rounded clay oven used for baking bread, which was heated by burning wood and dried grass.
35 sn The phrase how much more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.
36 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion drawn from the previous illustrations.
37 tn Grk “do not seek,” but this could be misunderstood to mean that people should make no attempt to obtain their food. The translation “do not be overly concerned” attempts to reflect the force of the original.
38 tn The words “about such things” have been supplied to qualify the meaning; the phrase relates to obtaining food and drink mentioned in the previous clause.
39 tn Grk “seek.”
40 tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.
41 tc Most
42 sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.
