A parable about caring for worldly goods after a man asks him to win his inheritance.
Luke 12:19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
Luke 12:19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.
And I will say to this self of mine, Self, you possess many valuables being stored up for many years! Rest yourself. Eat! Drink! Enjoy yourself!
Our current "selves" are just temporary and meant to do something more with life.
The humor here is all the repetitions of the word "self," with this man even addressing himself as "Self." The word translated here as "soul" and ""self" is psyche, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, meaning "self" in many different senses of the word. See this article for detail about this word. This idea of "self" recurs in two other verbs here where the subject acts on himself but it is lost in translation.
The adjective translated as "goods" and "grain" means "useful", "worthwhile," and "of high quality. As a noun, the word "valuables" makes the idea clearer than "goods". "Grain" is simply wrong.
The "laid up" means "stored" and it is a passive participle, so "being stored."
The "take your ease" and "take like easy"and primarily means "rest." It is either passive or middle voice, so "rest yourself" works best a emphasizes "self."
The Greek verb translated as "be merry" means "cheer", "gladden", and in the passive, "make merry", "enjoy oneself". This is the first time this word is used by Jesus, but it is used commonly in parables by Luke, specifically in the parable of the prodigal son. It is either passive or the middle voice. "Enjoy yourself" works best.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "soul" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW --Confusing Word -- "Soul" has a religious meaning that the Greek word didn't have.
- CW --Confusing Word -- "Soul" has a religious meaning that the Greek word didn't have.
- CW --Confusing Word -- This is not the common word better translated as "good."
- WF -- Wrong Form - This "laid up" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing" in the present and "-ed," "en," etc. in the past.
- WV --Wrong Voice - The verb "laid up" here is translated as active but it is passive.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "and" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "self" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The repeated word "self" is not shown in the English translation
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "grain" should be something more like "valuables."
- WF -- Wrong Form - This "laid up" is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing" in the present and "-ed," "en," etc. in the past.
- WV --Wrong Voice - The verb "laid up" here is translated as active but it is passive.
- WV -- Wrong Voice -- This verb is a middle voice, which requires a "by/for yourself" or a "yourself" as an object.
- IW - Inserted Word-- The "and" doesn't exist in the source.
And -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
will -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
say - The word translated as "say" means "to say" and "to speak." It is one of the two most common words translated "speak," "say" and "tell," but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.
to -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word 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," and "those"). See this article for more.
my - "My" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun, "my," "me," and "mine." Usually follows the noun so, "of mine."
soul, -- (CW) The word translated here as "soul" is psyche, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, translated commonly as "life," "soul," "consciousness," and "a sense of self." It is used for different aspects of "self," the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. Jesus uses it to mean our identity in our worldly life specifically, the role we play on earth, what we might call the "self," "ego," or our "the person we are." The problem with translating it as "life" is that another common Greek word means "life." The problem with "soul" is that it doesn't work for many verses because the "soul" is separate from the body. Though the word can mean a departed spirit, most of the word's meanings revolve around "self." "Soul" can also be confused with the concept of "spirit" which is another Greek word. When "self" doesn't work, "person" offers the least confusion. See this article for detail about this word.
Soul,-- (CW) The word translated here as "soul" is psyche, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, translated commonly as "life," "soul," "consciousness," and "a sense of self." It is used for different aspects of "self," the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. See this article for detail about this word. CW --Confusing Word -- "Soul" has a religious meaning that the Greek word didn't have.
thou -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
hast- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
much -- The word translated as "much" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
goods (CW) The adjective translated as "goods" means "useful," "worthwhile," and "of high quality. As a noun, the word "valuable" or "valuables" in the plural makes the idea clearer than "good" and "goods." See this article on "good" and this one on "evil." This is not the word most often and less ambiguously translated as "good."
laid up - --(WF, WV) The word translated as "laid up" means "lying down to rest" or "lying dead." "of places, it means it mean "to lie" or "be situated." The verb could be passive but it could also be the middle voice where the subject acts on, by, or for itself. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing" in the present and "-ed," "en," etc. in the past. The verb here is translated as active but it is passive.
for - The word translated as "for" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in" (a position), "as much as (of measure or limit)," "in regards to" a subject, "up to" limits in measures, "until" in reference to time, "within" a time limit, and "for" a purpose or object. Used with the Greek "from" it means "from...to."
many -- The word translated as "many" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
years; - -"Years" is from a Greek word that means "year", "yearly", and "annually". It is also an uncommon word, used primarily by Luke.
take thine ease, - - "Take thine ease" is a Greek verb, which means "to make to cease," "to relieve from," "to put and end to," "to rest," and "to take rest." The form is a middle voice where the subject acts on themselves. So, "thine" works.
eat, - The word translated as "eat" is one of the two common words used to mean "eat. "It means "to eat," "to eat up," and "to devour." It also means to "fret" as we say "to eat up."
drink, -- The word "drink" is the Greek for meaning to "drink." It also has a double meaning. "To drink" also means "to celebrate."
and -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English. The form could also be the middle voice.
merry. . -- The Greek verb translated as "be merry" means "cheer", "gladden", and in the passive, "make merry" and "enjoy oneself". It is used only in parables by Luke, most commonly in the parable of the prodigal son.
And -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
'll -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
say - The word translated as "say" means "to say" and "to speak." It is one of the two most common words translated "speak," "say" and "tell," but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.
to -- This word "to" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.
missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word 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," and "those"). See this article for more.
my- - "My" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun, "my," "me," and "mine." Usually follows the noun so, "of mine."
self -- The word translated here as "self" is psyche, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, translated commonly as "life," "soul," "consciousness," and "a sense of self." It is used for different aspects of "self," the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. Jesus uses it to mean our identity in our worldly life specifically, the role we play on earth, what we might call the "self," "ego," or our "the person we are." The problem with translating it as "life" is that another common Greek word means "life." The problem with "soul" is that it doesn't work for many verses because the "soul" is separate from the body. Though the word can mean a departed spirit, most of the word's meanings revolve around "self." "Soul" can also be confused with the concept of "spirit" which is another Greek word. When "self" doesn't work, "person" offers the least confusion. See this article for detail about this word.
missing "self" -- (MW) The untranslated word "self" is psyche, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, translated commonly as "life," "soul," "consciousness," and "a sense of self." It is used for different aspects of "self," the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. See this article for detail about this word. CW --Confusing Word -- "Soul" has a religious meaning that the Greek word didn't have.
You -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
have - The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
plenty of -- The word translated as "plenty of" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
grain (WW) The adjective translated as "grain" means "useful," "worthwhile," and "of high quality. As a noun, the word "valuable" or "valuables" in the plural makes the idea clearer than "good" and "goods." See this article on "good" and this one on "evil." This word doesn't mean "grain."
laid up - --(WF, WV) The word translated as "laid up" means "lying down to rest" or "lying dead." "of places, it means it mean "to lie" or "be situated." The verb could be passive but it could also be the middle voice where the subject acts on, by, or for itself. This is not an active verb but a participle, a verbal adjective, ending with "-ing" in the present and "-ed," "en," etc. in the past. The verb here is translated as active but it is passive.
for - The word translated as "for" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in" (a position), "as much as (of measure or limit)," "in regards to" a subject, "up to" limits in measures, "until" in reference to time, "within" a time limit, and "for" a purpose or object. Used with the Greek "from" it means "from...to."
many -- The word translated as "many" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
years; - -"Years" is from a Greek word that means "year", "yearly", and "annually". It is also an uncommon word, used primarily by Luke.
Take life easy; - - "Take life easy" is a Greek verb, which means "to make to cease," "to relieve from," "to put and end to," "to rest," and "to take rest." The form is a middle voice where the subject acts on themselves. The sense is "rest yourself."
missing "yourself"-- (WV) A phrase is necessary because the form of the previous verb is a middle voice, which means that the subject is to act on "yourself," "for yourself" or "by yourself."
eat, - The word translated as "eat" is one of the two common words used to mean "eat. "It means "to eat," "to eat up," and "to devour." It also means to "fret" as we say "to eat up."
drink, -- The word "drink" is the Greek for meaning to "drink." It also has a double meaning. "To drink" also means "to celebrate."
and -- (IW) This word is not in the Greek source.
be -- This helping verb "be" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English. The form could also be the middle voice.
merry. . -- The Greek verb translated as "be merry" means "cheer", "gladden", and in the passive, "make merry" and "enjoy oneself". It is used only in parables by Luke, most commonly in the parable of the prodigal son.
καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."
ἐρῶ [162 verses] (verb 1st sg fut ind act) "I will say" is eipon, which means "to speak," "to say," "to recite," "to address," "to mention," "to name," "to proclaim," "to plead," "to promise," and "to offer." This is the second most common word Jesus uses for this idea. The other word is used more for discussion. Perhaps translating it consistently as "tell" would work.
τῇ [821 verses](article sg fem dat) Untranslated 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 a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
ψυχῇ [33 verses](noun noun sg fem dat) "Soul" is psyche, which is translated as "breath," "life," "self," "personality," "spirit," and "soul." It is also used to describe "the spirit" of things. It is also often translated as "soul."
μου [239 verses](adj sg masc gen) "My" is from mou (emou), which means "me," and "mine." It is in a possessive (genitive) form. As a genitive of a preposition here, it implies movement away from something or a position away from something else.-
Ψυχή, [33 verses](noun sg fem voc) "Life" is psyche, which is translated as "breath," "life," "self," "personality," "spirit," and "soul." It is also used to describe "the spirit" of things. It is also often translated as "soul."
ἔχεις [181 verses] (verb 2nd sg pres ind act) "Thou hast" is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to hold in," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, it can mean "acquire," or "get." The main sense when it has an object is "to have" or "to hold." With a gen. object, "to keep back" or "withhold" a thing. The main sense when not having an object is "to hold" and "to keep." When its object is an infinitive verb, it means "it could," not "in must" as in English. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as the helper verb does in English. Nor does it have the sense of "must" when used with infinitives. -
πολλὰ [61 verses] (adj pl neut acc) "Much" is polys, which means "many (in number)," "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb, it means "far," "very much," "a great way," and "long."
ἀγαθὰ [23 verses] (adj pl neut acc) "Goods" is agathos which means "good" and, when applied to people, "well-born," "gentle," "brave," and "capable." When applied to things, it means "serviceable," "morally good," and "beneficial." -
[κείμενα [2 verses] (part sg pres mp fem nom) "Laid up" is kailmia, which means "to lie down to rest", "to lie dead", "to be situated", "to lie", "to store", "to be placed in a position", "to lay down an argument," and "to remain."
εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "in" (a position), "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)."With verbs of speaking, it is the person spoken "to." With time, a limit "until," or a duration "for," "throughout," or a date, "on," "at." Used with ek, it means "from...to." -
ἔτη [6 verses] (noun pl neut acc) "Years" is from etos, which means "year", "yearly", and "annually".
πολλὰ [61 verses] (adj pl neut acc) "Many" is polys, which means "many (in number)," "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb, it means "far," "very much," "a great way," and "long."
ἀναπαύου, [5 verses] (verb 2nd sg pres imperat mp) "Take thine ease"is from anapauo, which means "to make to cease," "stop or hinder," "put an end to," "to relieve from,""bring to a close," "take rest," "sleep," "lie fallow," "regain strength," and "rest or settle [on an object]."
φάγε, [20 verses] (verb 2nd sg aor imperat act) "Eat" is phago which is a form of the word, phagein, which means to eat," "to eat up," and "to devour." -
πίε], [36 verses] (verb 2nd sg aor imperat act) "Ye shall drink" is pino, which means "to drink," "to celebrate," and "soak up."
εὐφραίνου. [7 verses] (verb 2nd sg pres imperat mp) "Be merry" is euphraino, which means "cheer", "gladden", and in the passive, "make merry", "enjoy oneself"