Discovery BoxLuke 14:29-31 
Context14:29 Otherwise, 1 when he has laid 2 a foundation and is not able to finish the tower, 3 all who see it 4 will begin to make fun of 5 him. 14:30 They will say, 6 ‘This man 7 began to build and was not able to finish!’ 8 14:31 Or what king, going out to confront another king in battle, will not sit down 9 first and determine whether he is able with ten thousand to oppose 10 the one coming against him with twenty thousand?
1 tn Grk “to complete it, lest.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation and ἵνα μήποτε ({ina mhpote, “lest”) has been translated as “Otherwise.”
2 tn The participle θέντος (qentos) has been taken temporally.
3 tn The words “the tower” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
4 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
5 tn Or “mock,” “ridicule.” The person who did not plan ahead becomes an object of joking and ridicule.
6 tn Grk “make fun of him, saying.”
7 sn The phrase this man is often used in Luke in a derogatory sense; see “this one” and expressions like it in Luke 5:21; 7:39; 13:32; 23:4, 14, 22, 35.
8 sn The failure to finish the building project leads to embarrassment (in a culture where avoiding public shame was extremely important). The half completed tower testified to poor preparation and planning.
9 tn The participle καθίσας (kaqisa") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
10 tn On the meaning of this verb see also L&N 55.3, “to meet in battle, to face in battle.”
