Lukas 12:15-16

12:15 Then ¹  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ²  all types of greed, ³  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” 12:16 He then ⁴  told them a parable: ⁵  “The land of a certain rich man produced ⁶  an abundant crop,

Lukas 12:18

12:18 Then ⁷  he said, ‘I ⁸  will do this: I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods.

Lukas 12:20-21

12:20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life ⁹  will be demanded back from ¹⁰  you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ ¹¹  12:21 So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, ¹²  but is not rich toward God.”

[12:15]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:15]  ² tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

[12:15]  ³ tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.

[12:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “And he.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the connection to the preceding statement.

[12:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “a parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated here.

[12:16]  ⁶ tn Or “yielded a plentiful harvest.”

[12:18]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:18]  ⁸ sn Note how often the first person pronoun is present in these verses. The farmer is totally self absorbed.

[12:20]  ⁹ tn Grk “your soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.

[12:20]  ¹⁰ tn Or “required back.” This term, ἀπαιτέω (apaitew), has an economic feel to it and is often used of a debt being called in for repayment (BDAG 96 s.v. 1).

[12:20]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the things you have prepared, whose will they be?” The words “for yourself” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.

[12:21]  ¹² sn It is selfishness that is rebuked here, in the accumulation of riches for himself. Recall the emphasis on the first person pronouns throughout the parable.