During the Palm Sunday procession. The Pharisees tell Jesus to quiet his supporters.
Luke 19:40 I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luke 19:40 I tell you, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.
I tell you, If these here should hush, the rocks would croak.
The form of the when/then statement is called "future probable", where the main clause, "cry out" is likely to happen if the "if" clause is satisfied.
The two key verbs here, "keep quiet" and "cry out" are both used only here by Jesus. The words both have a lighter side. "Keep quiet" also means "hush." It is interesting that Jesus never asks anyone to keep silent in the Gospels, except for those he heals telling others about their healing. The "cry out" also means the croak of a frog. Jesus uses two other verbs that mean "cry out" only once as well. There is also a word that he commonly used.
The stones would cry out, but would those with hearts of stone?
I tell you that(OS), if these should [hold their peace(PP)], the stones would immediately(IW) cry out.
- OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "that" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
- PP -- Paraphrase - The phrase "keep quiet" exists in the source but "hold their peace" doesn't.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "immediately" doesn't exist in the source.
I tell you, if they(CW) keep quiet, the stones will cry out.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "they".
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
tell -- The word translated as "tell" is the most common word that means "to say" and "to speak", but it also means "to teach", which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself". Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.
you -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you", "for you", etc.
that -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as this in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.
if -- - "If" is from a word meaning "when" because it indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly", "whosoever" or "whatsoever". This is the first part of a Greek construction called the future probable, which works better as an "if".
these -- The "these" is a pronoun that can mean "this" or "that", the nearer, "here" or "there". It often follows the noun to further identify it as the one "here" or there."
should -- This helping verb in English comes from the form of the Greek verb that indicates a possibility. We would usually say "might" or "should" in English.
hold their peace -- (PP) "Hold their peace" is a verb Jesus only uses here. It means "keep silence", "keep secret", "not speak of" and "hush". The Greek words meaning "hold their peace" here are not translated but instead their assumed meaning is paraphrased into different words.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
stones -- The Greek word translated as "stones" means "a stone", "stone as a substance" and various specific types of stones, such as touchstones and altar stones. Again, the form matches the "these" above.
would -- The verb is a helper verb expressing the future tense.
immediately -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
cry out. -- "Would immediately cry out" means to "scream", "shriek", "cry aloud" and a "frog's croak". It is another verb that Jesus only uses here.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
tell -- The word translated as "tell" is the most common word that means "to say" and "to speak", but it also means "to teach", which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.
you -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you", "for you", etc.
if -- "If" is from a word meaning "when" because it indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun to mean "that possibly", "whosoever" or "whatsoever". This is the first part of a Greek construction called the future probable, which works better as an "when".
they -- (CW) "These" is translated from a Greek word that means "this", "that", "the nearer". Since it is the subject, this information is already part of the verb. This is not the word usually translated as "they".
keep quiet-- "Keep quiet" is a verb Jesus only uses here means " keep silence", "keep secret", "not speak of" and "hush".
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, "the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those") than the English "the". See this article for more.
stones -- The Greek word translated as "stones" means "a stone", "stone as a substance" and various specific types of stones, such as touchstones and altar stones. Again, the form matches the "these" above.
will -- The verb is a helper verb expressing the future tense.
cry out. -- "Would immediately cry out" means "to scream", "shriek", "cry aloud" and a "frog's croak". It is another verb that Jesus only uses here.
Λέγω (verb 1st sg pres ind act) "I tell" is lego, which means "to recount", "to tell over", "to say", "to speak", "to teach", "to mean", "boast of", "tell of", "recite," nominate" and "command". It has a secondary meaning "pick out", "choose for oneself", "pick up", "gather", "count" and "recount". A less common word that is spelled the same means "to lay", "to lay asleep" and "to lull asleep".
ὑμῖν, (pron 2nd pl dat) "To you" is humin the plural form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you."
ἐὰν [163 verses](conj) "If" is ean, which is a conditional particle (derived from ei (if) and an (possibly), which makes reference to a time and experience in the future that introduces but does not determine an event. This is how we use the word "when". It can be used after a demonstrative pronoun hos or hostis meaning "that possibly", "whosoever" or "whatsoever". This is the first part of the future probably with the subjunctive verb ("hold their peace") and the second clause with the future indicative "cry out".
οὗτοι ( adj pl masc nom ) "These" is houtos, which as an adjective means "this", "that", "the nearer". As an adverb, it means "in this way", "therefore", "so much", "to such an extent" and "that is why".
σιωπήσουσιν, [1 verse]( verb 3rd pl aor subj act ) "Should hold their peace" is siōpaō, which means " keep silence", "keep secret", "not speak of" and "hush".
οἱ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones".
λίθοι (noun sg masc nom) "Stones" is lithos, which means "a stone", "stone as a substance" and various specific types of stones, such as touchstones and altar stones.
κράξουσιν. [1 verse]( verb 3rd pl fut ind act ) "Would immediately cry out" is crazo, which means "cry out", "to scream", "shriek", "cry aloud" and a "frog's croak". It is another verb that Jesus only uses here.