Expanded translation of Luke 6:20-26

I recently had my thesis defence, the final stage in what has seemed like a long process. One of the examiners for my PhD thesis asked in his report if I could provide an expanded translation of Luke 6:20-26. Unfortunately, this question never made it to the defence itself, but I have been fascinated by it, so I had to go ahead and do it anyway.

Basically, he was asking if I could translate Luke 6:20-26 (a central passage for my thesis) in a way that captures the way I argue it should be understood rather than literally translate the meaning of the Greek text. There is so much present in these seven verses that this is quite a challenge. However, below is my attempt at an expanded translation of Luke’s beatitudes and woes (6:20-26).

20 Looking up directly at the crowd of his disciples (with the multitude of people in the background), Jesus said,
“God’s blessing is on you who experience financial, social, or spiritual destitution because you have God’s kingdom, his provision and protection.
21 God’s blessing is on you who experience hunger now because God will provide you with food, if not in the immediate future, then in the eschaton.
God’s blessing is on you who are weeping because of sin, circumstances, or loss because you will laugh, if not in the immediate future, then in the eschaton.
22 God’s blessing is on you whenever your kinsfolk and communities hate you, ostracise you, humiliate you, and slander your name and reputation because of your loyalty to me;
23 Rejoice when these things happen and leap for joy because God will greatly reward you because this is the treatment his prophets received at the hands of your communities’ ancestors.
24 But be warned you who seek security in your wealth, because such security is all you can hope for.
25 Be warned you who have enough food now, because if not soon then in the eschaton, you will go hungry.
Be warned you who laugh now, because if not soon then in the eschaton; you will have reason to mourn and weep bitterly.
26 Be warned whenever all your kinsfolk and communities speak highly of you, because this is how their ancestors treated the false prophets.
It is worth briefly commenting on why I made some of the choices I did in this translation. 

Verse 20: 

The audience: Immediately before the beatitudes and woes, Jesus is healing people who are part of a crowd made up of his disciples and others from the surrounding countryside (Luke 6:17-19). So, while Jesus does address the Sermon on the Plain to the disciples by looking at them before he speaks, the rest of the crowd are still there in the background and could have heard what was being said.

God’s blessing: I have always preferred “blessed” rather than “happy” or “fortunate” to translate makarios, the Greek word used in verses 20-22. “Happy” is too fleeting to cover what is going on here and, like “fortunate,” brings to mind comfort and ease in a way the beatitudes don’t. The future element to these beatitudes suggests that the current situation of those addressed may continue for some time before being relieved. However, their current destitute circumstances don’t impact their status as blessed by God. For that reason, I decided that “God’s blessing” was the clearest way to try to express this.

The destitute: The Greek word often translated the “poor” (ptōchos) is used in other Greek literature when speaking of beggars. They are not just those who have little or no money; they have next to nothing and are likely social outcasts. Luke’s beatitude also doesn’t distinguish between economic and spiritual poverty (unlike Matthew’s “blessed are the poor in spirit” which focuses on the latter). I have tried to express the richness of this language in my translation.

God’s kingdom: God’s rule as king over his creation, which involves reordering the social structures of the world to eliminate oppression and injustice. I have expanded this to explicitly include protection and provision because these elements of God’s reign are present in the beatitudes that follow. God provides for and protects the poor, hungry, weeping, and those persecuted in Jesus’ name. 

Verse 21:

Now but not yet: The second and third beatitudes contrast the present reality with the promise that their circumstances will be reversed. This future reversal can be both the immediate future (as we see Jesus doing throughout his ministry and instructing his disciples to do the same, e.g. Luke 9:10-17; 12:32-34) and in the eschaton when God’s reign is fully established. This contrast is also seen in the woes in verse 25, but it does not play out as directly in Jesus ministry (although he is critical of those who oppose him because of their social positions, e.g. 11:37-52).

Verse 24:

Be warned: Like “blessed”, “woe” is something of an archaic term today. As it is hardly ever used outside a church setting (and then usually part of the Scripture reading), it is hard to pin down what it means. The Greek word here (ouai) is an exclamation used of a negative situation. A woeful situation is uncomfortable and undesirable. Basically, it is to be avoided if at all possible. I have decided to use “be warned” here because this cuts to the heart of what these woes are trying to achieve. They stand as warnings to everyone in Jesus’ audience and all Luke’s readers, but particularly those who are comfortably off. The intention of the woes is to encourage these people to put aside their obsession with money and possessions and focus on God, using what they have to help build the kingdom.
 
Security: The main problem facing those addressed by the woes, particularly the first one, is that they have turned away from God. Their wealth is what makes them feel secure. You get the feeling, particularly from the fourth beatitude, that a life focused on God is far from secure. Wealth and comfort provide such security but at the cost of alienation from God. 

I think Luke’s beatitudes and woes is an incredibly rich passage that has so many layers of meaning. It is hard to capture the details and nuances in any English translation. This is my attempt after spending several years trying to understand what is going on in these verses. Let me know what you think in the comments.