Luke 14:25–33
Jesus says to sit down and count the cost, with a tower and a king as examples
Study it word by word25Now large crowds were traveling with him; and turning, he said to them,
26“If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, and even his own life as well, he cannot be my disciple.
27Whoever does not carry his own cross and come after me cannot be my disciple.
28For which of you, wanting to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see whether he has enough for completion?
29Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not able to finish, all who see it will begin to mock him,
30saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’
31Or what king, going to encounter another king in war, will not first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet the one who comes against him with twenty thousand?
32And if not, while he is still far away, he sends a delegation and asks for the terms of peace.
33So then, every one of you who does not renounce all his own possessions cannot be my disciple.
In its context
23And the master said to the slave, ‘Go out to the roads and hedges, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled.’
24For I tell you that none of those men who were invited will taste my dinner.”
…
34Salt then is good; but if even the salt becomes tasteless, with what will it be seasoned?
35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile; they throw it out. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.”
Its words in the original
- ΣυνεπορεύοντοSyneporeuonto· go along with
Go along with, travel together.
- ὄχλοιochloi· crowd
Crowd, throng; the people.
- πολλοίpolloi· much, many
Much, great; in the plural, many.
- στραφεὶςstrapheis· turn
Turn, turn around; change.
- εἶπενeipen· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- ἔρχεταιerchetai· come, go
Come, arrive; go.
- μισεῖmisei· hate
Hate.
- πατέραpatera· father, Father
Father; also ancestor.
- μητέραmētera· mother
Mother.
- γυναῖκαgynaika· woman, wife
Woman; with a possessive, wife.
- τέκναtekna· child
Child, son, daughter.
- ἀδελφοὺςadelphous· brother
Brother. Also a close relative, a fellow countryman and, among believers, a brother in the faith.
- ἀδελφάςadelphas· sister
Sister.
- ψυχὴνpsychēn· soul, life
Soul: a person's life, the person himself.
- δύναταιdynatai· can, be able
Can, be able.
- εἶναίeinai· be
Be, exist.
- μαθητήςmathētēs· disciple
Disciple: someone who learns from a teacher and follows him in order to live as he does.
- βαστάζειbastazei· carry, bear
Carry, bear; endure.
- σταυρὸνstauron· cross
Cross: the wooden stake of Roman execution.
- ὀπίσωopisō· behind, after
Behind; after.
- θέλωνthelōn· want, wish
Want, wish, be willing.
- πύργονpyrgon· tower
Tower, watchtower.
- οἰκοδομῆσαιoikodomēsai· build
Build; in a figurative sense, strengthen others and help them grow.
- οὐχὶouchi· not
Not (in questions that expect "yes").
- πρῶτονprōton· first
First, foremost.
- καθίσαςkathisas· sit down
Sit down; also seat someone. A teacher taught sitting down.
- ψηφίζειpsēphizei· calculate
Calculate, count, figure out.
- δαπάνηνdapanēn· cost
Cost, expense.
- ἔχειechei· have
Have, possess, hold.
- ἀπαρτισμόνapartismon· completion
Completion, finishing.
- μήποτεmēpote· lest, perhaps
Lest, so that not; perhaps.
- θέντοςthentos· put, lay
Put, place, lay down.
- θεμέλιονthemelion· foundation
Foundation, a foundation stone.
- ἰσχύοντοςischyontos· be strong, be able
Be strong, be able; be valid, be of use.
- ἐκτελέσαιektelesai· finish
Finish, complete, bring to an end.
- θεωροῦντεςtheōrountes· see, watch
Look at, watch, observe.
- ἄρξωνταιarxōntai· begin
Begin.
- ἐμπαίζεινempaizein· mock
Mock, make fun of someone.
- ἄνθρωποςanthrōpos· human being, man
Human being, person, man (without distinguishing male or female).
- βασιλεὺςbasileus· king
King, one who reigns. In the Gospels, Jesus is the promised king of the Jews.
- πορευόμενοςporeuomenos· go
Go, set out; also live, walk in a way of life.
- ἑτέρῳheterōi· other, another
Other, another, different.
- συμβαλεῖνsymbalein· ponder, meet
Bring together; hence ponder, think over; also confer, talk with; meet, clash in war; in the middle, help, contribute.
- πόλεμονpolemon· war, battle
War; battle.
- βουλεύσεταιbouleusetai· plan, resolve
Consider, plan, resolve.
- δυνατόςdynatos· possible, powerful
Possible; also strong, powerful, able.
- δέκαdeka· ten
Ten.
- χιλιάσινchiliasin· thousand
A thousand, a group of a thousand.
- ὑπαντῆσαιhypantēsai· meet
Go out to meet.
- εἴκοσιeikosi· twenty
Twenty.
- πόρρωporrō· far
Far away.
- πρεσβείανpresbeian· delegation
Delegation, a group of envoys.
- ἀποστείλαςaposteilas· send
Send someone on a mission. The word "apostle", one who is sent, comes from it.
- ἐρωτᾷerōtai· ask
Ask a question; also request, ask for.
- εἰρήνηνeirēnēn· peace
Peace: the wholeness and well-being God gives; as a greeting, "peace to you".
- ἀποτάσσεταιapotassetai· say goodbye
Take leave of, say goodbye; also give up.
- ὑπάρχουσινhyparchousin· be, exist
Be, exist, be present; "what one has", one's possessions.