complete verse (Luke 14:12)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 14:12:

  • Noongar: “Then Jesus said to the Pharisee, ‘When you invite people to feast with you, you must not invite good friends and brothers and rich people, because they will invite you to go back to their houses, and you will get back what you gave them.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “After that, Yesus also spoke to the houseowner. He said: ‘When we call people to attend our feasts, whether to each during the day or at night, let us not call/invite our friends, our relatives or the rich people in the town. Because they will definitely call/invite us later, with the result that our behavior is returned.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then Isa said to the person who had invited him, ‘Na, you also, friend, if you make a feast, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your rich neighbours/companions close to your house. For if you invite them, they will also invite you when they have a celebration. Then they repay/reward you for what you did for them.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And Jesus said to the one who had given a feast, ‘And you also, friend, when you give a feast, don’t you just invite your acquaintances and your cousins and your neighbors who are rich, because as for them, they are wealthy and they will, in turn, invite you when they give a feast and they can pay back to you the good which you did for them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Then Jesus said to the one who had invited him, ‘If you (sing.) invite people to eat-with you (sing.), don’t be inviting only your (sing.) friends, relatives and rich townmates, because they will also go and invite you (sing.) and thus you (sing.) will be repaid.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “And then Jesus spoke to the one who invited him. He said, ‘When you have a feast, don’t invite your friends, your siblings or other relatives, or rich neighbors. For of course, they will reciprocate by inviting you. Well, you will then have been rewarded.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 14:12

Exegesis:

elegen de kai ‘and he said also,’ introducing an additional statement.

tō keklēkoti auton ‘to the man who had invited him,’ ‘to his host.’

hotan poiēs ariston ē deipnon ‘when you give a midday meal or an evening meal.’ For ariston cf. on 11.38.

deipnon ‘meal,’ ‘dinner,’ ‘evening meal.’

mē phōnei tous philous sou ‘do not invite your friends.’ phōneō is here synonymous with kaleō (cf. vv. 7ff).

mēde tous suggeneis sou ‘nor your relatives,’ cf. on 1.36, 58.

mēde geitonas plousious ‘nor rich neighbours,’ without article and possessive genitive sou following. This suggests the absence of personal relationships.

geitōn ‘neighbour’ in a general sense.

mēpote kai autoi antikalesōsin se ‘lest they on their part invite you in return.’ For mēpote cf. on 4.11. kai autoi lit. ‘they also,’ means ‘they on their part.’ antikaleō.

kai genētai antapodoma soi ‘and you get/receive payment,’ still modified by mēpote.

antapodoma ‘repayment,’ ‘reward.’

Translation:

Give a dinner or a banquet, or, ‘give/arrange a large meal (or, a feast) at noon or evening’ (see Exegesis).

Friends … brothers … kinsmen … neighbours are masculine, because only men would normally attend such a party, but this is not of special relevance in the context; hence, where the terms are neutral as to sex, specification may be unnecessary or even undesirable (cf. also the remark on “friends” in 15.9). Brothers (cf. 6.14) may refer to bodily brothers or close relatives, and kinsmen (cf. “kinsfolk” in 1.58) to less close relatives. For neighbour see 1.58.

The two clauses governed by lest are on the same level, the second is consecutive; for the rest same construction as in v. 8, cf. e.g. ‘it might happen that they … invite you and you are consequently repaid’ (Willibrord).

Also (or, ‘on their part’), and in return serve here to emphasize the reversal of the roles of host and guest.

You be repaid, or, ‘you get your payment’ (Sranan Tongo); or changing the subject ‘they give you something in exchange’ (Tzeltal), ‘they can do-to-you the same (lit. kind one)’ (Kituba), ‘they give-what-is-due to-you’ (Pohnpeian). Available renderings should be carefully handled, because the expression in question may also occur in the unfavourable sense of ‘to revenge’ (e.g. in Shona, Ekari, Bahasa Indonesia).

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.