Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven,

KJV: 

Luke 17:24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.

LISTENERS HEARD: 

The same as, as a cause, a flash of lightning flashing like lightning from the beneath of the sky in the beneath sky, it gives light! In this way, it will be the Son of the man.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

There are a number of amusing elements here, including the noun and verb version of the same word following each other.  The verse is an example of Jesus use of light as a metaphor for knowledge. The last "in his day" doesn't exist in the Greek. It was added in the Vulgate to tie this verse more clearly to Luke 17:22 possibly for dogmatic reasons. This versions and the version in Matthew 24:27 say  slightly different things. because the later compares lightning to the "coming" of the son of the man, whereas this one compares lightning to the son of the man himself. Differences in vocabulary are probably intentional.

The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why." However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "as an explanation" or "as a cause". 

The Greek word translated as "as" indicates a match with a person or thing.

"The lightning" is translated from a Greek word that means "a flash of lightning", "lightning," and the "light of a lamp. " It is a metaphor for the "flashing" of the eyes. The word applies as much to the flash as to the form.

"That lighteth" is the verb form of the noun "lightning", which means  "lighten", "hurl lightnings", "flash like lightning", and "illuminate". It is in the form of an adjective, "flashing like lightning".  This word only appears twice in the NT, both in Luke, the first time here.

The Greek preposition translated as "out of" means "out of" or "from." In Greek, they use the genitive case instead of a preposition for the types of phrases with usually use with "of."

The word translated as "the one part" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The "part" was added. In English, the simple "the" seems to work well enough, making the "under" seem more like a noun.

The word translated as "under" primarily means "by", "under," or "with". Its primary meaning is "under" both in the sense of moving under, being under, and being under different forms of compulsion.

The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article. In this first occurrence, it appears with the article, "the sky".

"Shineth" is an uncommon verb for Jesus that means "to shine forth", "gives light", "to ring loud and clear," "is conspicuous", and "to illuminate." A different verb is used in Matthew 24:27. This one has more the sense of illuminate, though, amusingly, one that also refers to the sound of thunder.

The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure.

The word translated as "the other part" is the same Greek article, "the," used above, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The "other" and "part" was added. In English, the simple "the" seems to work well enough, making the "under" seem more like a noun.

The word translated as "under" primarily means "by", "under," or "with". Its primary meaning is "under" both in the sense of moving under, being under, and being under different forms of compulsion.

The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article. In this first occurrence, it appears with the article, "the sky".

The word translated in KJV as "so" is in its adverbial form, so it means "in this manner" or "in this way."

The verb "shall...be" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. It appears before the noun, which gives it a different sense in Greek as it does in English. It is the future tense, the sense is "it will be."

There is no "also" in the Greek we use today.

The phrase "the son of man" is the common way Christ refers to himself. It is discussed in detail in this article. Its sense is "the child of the man." The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "descendant". The Greek word for "of man" in the singular means "person" and "humanity" and "people" and "peoples" in the plural.

There is no "in his day" in the Greek we use as a source today.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

ὥσπερ (adv/prep) "As" is hosper, which means "the very man who", "the very thing, which", "the same as", "wherefore," and "although."

γὰρ  (partic) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for", "since," and "as." In an abrupt question, it means "why" and "what."

ἀστραπὴ (noun sg fem nom) "The lightning" is from astrapê, which means "a flash of lightning", "lightning," and the "light of a lamp. " It is a metaphor for the "flashing" of the eyes.

ἀστράπτουσα [uncommon NT, first use NT) ( part sg pres act fem nom ) "That lighteth" is astraptō, which means  "lighten", "hurl lightnings", "flash like lightning", and "illuminate".

ἐκ (prep) "Out of" is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of", "from", "by", "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond", "outside of", "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after", "from;" 4) [of rest] "on", "in," 5) [of time] "since", "from", "at", "in;" 5) [of materials] "out of", "made from."

τῆς (article sg fem gen) "The one part" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

ὑπὸ (prep) "Under" is hypo (hupo), which means [with genitive] "from under (of motion)", "down under," under, beneath," indicating a cause with passive verbs, "by", "under," or "with", "under the cover or protection of", "of the agency of feelings, passions," "expressing subjection or dependence," "subordinate", "subject to;" [with accusative] "towards" and "under" (to express motion), "under" (without a sense of motion), "subjection", "control", "dependence," of Time, "in the course of", "during", "about," as an adverb, "under", "below," beneath, the agency or influence under which a thing is done"by", "before,' and "under," (with genitive and passive verbs of cause).

τὸν οὐρανὸν (noun sg masc acc) "Heaven" is the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky", "heaven as the seat of the gods", "the sky", "the universe," and "the climate."

εἰς (prep) "Unto" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)", "until (of time)", "as much as (of measure or limit)", "as far as (of measure or limit)", "towards (to express relation)", "in regard to (to express relation)", "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."

τὴν (article sg fem acc) "The other part" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." -- The word translated as "goods" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

ὑπ᾽ (prep) "Under" is hypo (hupo), which means [with genitive] "from under (of motion)", "down under," under, beneath," indicating a cause with passive verbs, "by", "under," or "with", "under the cover or protection of", "of the agency of feelings, passions," "expressing subjection or dependence," "subordinate", "subject to;" [with accusative] "towards" and "under" (to express motion), "under" (without a sense of motion), "subjection", "control", "dependence," of Time, "in the course of", "during", "about," as an adverb, "under", "below," beneath, the agency or influence under which a thing is done"by", "before,' and "under," (with genitive and passive verbs of cause).

οὐρανὸν ( noun sg masc acc ) "Heaven" is the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky", "heaven as the seat of the gods", "the sky", "the universe," and "the climate." -- The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article.

λάμπει, [uncommon](verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Shineth" is lampo, which means "to shine forth", "gives light", "to ring loud and clear," "is conspicuous", and "to illuminate."

οὕτως (adv) "So" is houtos, which as an adverb, means "in this way", "therefore", "so much", "to such an extent," and "that is why."

ἔσται (verb 3rd sg fut ind min) "Is" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen",  and "is possible." (The future form is esomai. The 3rd person present indicative is "esti.")

υἱὸς () "The Son" is huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child." It is used generally to refer to any male descendant. -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "children". It can refer to all offspring in later generations, just like "father" refers to all previous generations. Jesus also used it metaphorically to describe those who follow a way of thought or set of beliefs that descend from an individual. More about it in this article.

τοῦ ἀνθρώπου .  (noun sg masc gen) "Of man" is anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate.

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Front Page Date: 

Sep 22 2018