Luke 2:49 ...How is it that ye sought me?

Spoken to
group

Jesus is found by parents in temple.

KJV

Luke 2:49 ...How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father's business?

NIV

Luke 2:49 Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?

3RD (NLT, if not otherwise identified)

Luke 2:49 But why did you need to search? Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?

LISTENERS HEARD

Why is it that you seek me? Didn't you know that He needed me to be among these of that Father of mine?

MY TAKE

Jesus saw himself as more predictable than his parents did.

GREEK ORDER

Τί      ὅτι         ἐζητεῖτέ   με;   οὐκ     ᾔδειτε      ὅτι   ἐν        τοῖς     τοῦ   πατρός   μου    δεῖ                  εἶναί  με;
Why  it is that you seek me? Didn't you know that among these of that Father of mine He needed     to be  me

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The English translations all add words and meanings that are not in the Greek. The Greek does have some vague words and interesting structures, but it is not hard to translate. The "know" here is the past perfect form of "see" and what we "have seen" is what we "know" in the present tense. The actual tense here is the pluperfect, which makes the tense of "know" that simple past, "knew." However, Jesus's parents clearly hadn't seen where Jesus was so they didn't know it. The choice of this verb on Jesus's part is interesting.

The Greek says "among these of my father." There is no mention of "house" or "business." The "these" refers to people.

The end of the verse is a common construction in Greek that is less common in English, but still easily translated. The verb means "he/she/it needed" and the description of what is needed is an infinitive phrase, "me to be." The "needed" verb is often translated as "must" or "have" but that interprets rather than translates. This construction works better than usual here if we assume the "he" to be the Father, which is the nearest noun.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
6

How(WW) is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I(WF) must be about(WW) my (MW) Father's business(WW,WN)?

  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "how" means "why" or "what."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "I" is a subject but an object, "me."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "about" means "among."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "father" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "business" means "the ones."
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "business" is translated as singular but it is plural.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5

Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know (MW) I(WF) had to be in my (MW) Father’s house(WW,WN)?

  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "I" is a subject but an object, "me."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "that" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "father" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "house" means "the ones" or "these."
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "house" is translated as singular but it is plural.
# 3RD TRANSLATION ISSUES
6

But(IW) why did you [need to(IP)] search? Didn’t you know that I(WF) must be in my (MW) Father’s house(WW,WN)?

  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "but" doesn't exist in the source.
  • IP - Inserted phrase-- The phrase "need to" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "I" is a subject but an object, "me."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "father" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "house" means "the ones" or "these."
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "house" is translated as singular but it is plural.
EACH WORD of KJV

How  -- (WW) The word translated as "how" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why". This is not one of the many words usually translated as "how." 

is it that  -- The word translated as "is it that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," "seeing that," "that," and "wherefore." With the previous pronoun, it means "why is that" or more simply, "why."  Jesus usually uses this word to mean "because" in statements that seem like an answer to a question because of the change of context. It means "because" when answering a "why" question and "that" when explaining a "what" question. Another common word is used for "for."

ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.

sought -- The Greek verb translated as "sought" has a variety of meanings around the idea of "searching" and "desiring". It has a sense of seeking with a specific aim.

me? -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek.

wist -- The verb translated as "wist" (an old English terms meaning "to have knowledge")  -means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know."  What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present. This is the pluperfect tense, so the sense is "knew." "Wist" is the past tense of "wit."

ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.

not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

that -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," "seeing that," "that," and "wherefore." Jesus usually uses this word to mean "because" in statements that seem like an answer to a question because of the change of context. It means "because" when answering a "why" question and "that" when explaining a "what" question. Another common word is used for "for."

I -- (WF) "I" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek in the form of an object, "me," not a subject, "I.

must -- The Greek verb translated as "must" is a special verb that means  "it is needful," and "there is a need." It is always singular referring to a specific moment in the past, present, or future. It works something like our word "must" but its form is fixed. So there is no "I" in this verb, just necessity itself. 

be -- (WF) The verb "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. The form here is an infinitive, "to be," which acts like a noun in Greek.

about -- (WW) The word translated as "about" also means "within", "with," or "among."

my -- "My" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun. This pronoun follows the noun so "of mine."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

Father's --  "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers". It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father. It is in the possessive form.

business? -- (WW, WN) The word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." This is the object of the preposition "in" above. It is plural. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. The sense of "among these."

EACH WORD of NIV

Why -- The word translated as "why" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why". This is not one of the many words usually translated as "how."

missing "is it that" --The missing word means "that" because it introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," "seeing that," "that," and "wherefore." However, with the pronoun it means "why is it that," but "why" alone works.

were  -- This helping verb indicates the past tense of the following verb.

you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.

searching  -- The Greek verb translated as "searching" has a variety of meanings around the idea of "searching" and "desiring". It has a sense of seeking with a specific aim.

for -- This preposition is required by the verb chosen, "searching" instead of "seek."

me? -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek.

Did -- This helping verb indicates the past tense.

n’t -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

you-- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.

know -- The verb translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know."  What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present. This is the pluperfect tense, so the sense is "knew."

missing "that"-- (MW)The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," "seeing that," "that," and "wherefore." Jesus usually uses this word to mean "because" in statements that seem like an answer to a question because of the change of context. It means "because" when answering a "why" question and "that" when explaining a "what" question. Another common word is used for "for."

I -- (WF) "I" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek in the form of an object, "me," not a subject, "I.

had -- The Greek verb translated as "had" is a special verb that means  "it is needful," and "there is a need." It is always singular referring to a specific moment in the past, present, or future. It works something like our word "must" but its form is fixed. So there is no "I" in this verb, just necessity itself. 

to be -- The verb "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. The form here is an infinitive, "to be," which acts like a noun in Greek.

in-- The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for."

my -- "My" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun. This pronoun follows the noun so "of mine."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

Father's --  "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers". It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father. It is in the possessive form.

house? -- (WW, WN) The word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." This is the object of the preposition "in" above. It is plural. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. The sense of "among these."

EACH WORD 3RD (NLT or as noted)

But -- (IW) There is no Greek word that can be translated as "but" in the Greek source.

Why -- The word translated as "why" means primarily "anything" or "anyone," but Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who", "what", or even "why". This is not one of the many words usually translated as "how."

missing "is it that" --The missing word means "that" because it introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," "seeing that," "that," and "wherefore." However, with the pronoun it means "why is it that," but "why" alone works.

did -- This helping verb indicates the past tense of the following verb.

you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.

need to --  (IP) There are no Greek words that can be translated as "it" in the Greek source.

search  -- The Greek verb translated as "search" has a variety of meanings around the idea of "searching" and "desiring". It has a sense of seeking with a specific aim.

for -- This preposition is required by the verb chosen, "searching" instead of "seek."

me? -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek.

Did -- (WT) This helping verb indicates the past tense, but the verb isn't just the past but the past pluperfect.

n’t -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

you-- This is from the second-person, plural form of the following verb.

know -The verb translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. It is the past perfect tense so "have seen" but it is translated as the present tense of "know."  What someone "has seen" is what they "know" in the present.

that -- The Greek word for "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause.

I -- (WF) "I" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek in the form of an object, "me," not a subject, "I."

must -- The Greek verb translated as "had" is a special verb that means  "it is needful," and "there is a need." It is always singular referring to a specific moment in the past, present, or future. It works something like our word "must" but its form is fixed. So there is no "I" in this verb, just necessity itself. 

be -- (WF) The verb "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. The form here is an infinitive, "to be," which acts like a noun in Greek.

in-- The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for."

my -- "My" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun. This pronoun follows the noun so "of mine."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. 

Father's --  "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers". It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father. It is in the possessive form.

house? -- (WW, WN) The word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." This is the object of the preposition "in" above. It is plural. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more. The sense of "among these."

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Τί [252 verses]( irreg sg neut nom ) "How" is tis which can mean "someone", "any one", "everyone", "they [indefinite]", "many a one", "whoever", "anyone", "anything", "some sort", "some sort of", "each", "any", "the individual", "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who", "why," or "what." The combination τί ὅτι means "why it is that."-

ὅτι[332 verses]( (adv/conj) "That" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since," and "wherefore." --

ἐζητεῖτέ [36 verses]( verb 2nd pl imperf ind act ) "Ye sought" is zeteo, which means "inquire for", "search for", "seek after", "desire", and "feel the want of." 

με; [49 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Me" is eme, which means "I", "me", and "my".

οὐκ [269 verses](partic) "Not" is ou which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.

ᾔδειτε [38 verses](3rd sg perf ind act) "Wist" is oida which has the sense of "to know." This listing is not a root word, but the past perfect tense of eido, which means "to see," "to examine," "to perceive," "to behold," "to know how to do," "to see with the mind's eye," and "to know." That which "has been seen" is that which is "known." This is a somewhat legalistic idea because the truth can only be established by eyewitnesses. Since the past perfect of "see" forms the present tense of "know" the pluperfect tense used here, which indicates an action completed before some other action in the past, is used as the simple past tense, "knew."

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since," and "wherefore." -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause.

ἐν [413 verses] (prep) "About" is en, which means, with the usual indirect (dative) object, "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," "during,"  and "with."

τοῖς [821 verses]( article pl masc dat ) "Business" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." 

τοῦ [821 verses] (article sg masc gen)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"), which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

πατρός [191 verses] ( noun sg masc gen ) "Father" is pater, which means "father", "grandfather", "author", "parent," and "forefathers."

μου [239 verses] (pro sg masc gen) "My" is mou, which mean "my," or "mine."

δεῖ [28 verses] ( verb 3rd sg imperf ind act ) "Must" is from, dei, which means "needful," and "there is need."

εἶναί .[614 verses] ( verb pres inf act ) "Be" is eimi, which means "to be", "to exist", "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen",  and "is possible."

με;[49 verses] (noun sg masc acc) "Me" is eme, which means "I", "me", and "my".

Possible Symbolic Meaning
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