The Wise and Foolish Builders
Luke 6:46-49
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Luke.6.46 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Τι: PRON,nom,sg,neut
- δε: CONJ
- με: PRON,acc,sg,1
- καλειτε·Κυριε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- κυριε: NOUN,voc,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ου: PART,neg
- ποιειτε: VERB,pres,act,imp,2,pl
- α: PRON,nom,sg,n
- λεγω: VERB,pres,act,ind,1,sg
Parallels
- Matthew 7:21 (verbal): Uses almost identical language — 'Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord"...' — condemning mere verbal confession without obedience.
- Matthew 7:24-27 (structural): Parable of the wise and foolish builders contrasts those who hear and do Jesus' words with those who do not — a structural illustration of the consequence of failing to 'do' his teaching.
- James 1:22 (verbal): 'Be doers of the word, and not hearers only' echoes Luke's demand that verbal allegiance be matched by obedient action.
- John 14:15 (thematic): 'If you love me, keep my commandments' links love/profession with concrete obedience, paralleling Luke's critique of calling Jesus 'Lord' without doing what he says.
- Romans 2:13 (thematic): 'It is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law'—a Pauline formulation of the same principle that obedience, not mere profession, determines standing.
Alternative generated candidates
- Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I say?
- Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I say?
Luke.6.47 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- πας: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ερχομενος: PART,pres,mid,nom,sg,m
- προς: PREP
- με: PRON,acc,sg,1
- και: CONJ
- ακουων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- μου: PRON,gen,sg,1
- των: ART,gen,pl,m
- λογων: NOUN,gen,pl,m
- και: CONJ
- ποιων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- αυτους: PRON,acc,pl,m
- υποδειξω: VERB,fut,act,ind,1,sg
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- τινι: PRON,dat,sg,neut
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ομοιος·: ADJ,nom,sg,m
Parallels
- Matthew 7:24-27 (structural): Parallels Luke 6:47's promise by contrasting those who hear and act with those who do not; both use a simile/parable (wise/foolish builder) to illustrate obedience's consequences.
- Luke 8:21 (verbal): Jesus defines his true family as those who 'hear the word of God and do it,' echoing Luke 6:47's emphasis on hearing combined with obedience.
- Luke 11:28 (verbal): Affirms the blessing on those who 'hear the word of God and keep it,' closely matching Luke 6:47's linkage of hearing and doing as the mark of the faithful.
- James 1:22 (thematic): Commands believers to be 'doers of the word, and not hearers only,' reflecting the same ethical imperative found in Luke 6:47.
Alternative generated candidates
- Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them—I will show you what he is like:
- Everyone who comes to me, hears my words, and does them—I will show you what sort of person he is:
Luke.6.48 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ομοιος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ανθρωπω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- οικοδομουντι: VERB,pres,act,ptc,dat,sg,m
- οικιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- ος: PRON,nom,sg,m
- εσκαψεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- εβαθυνεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- εθηκεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- θεμελιον: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- επι: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- πετραν·πλημμυρης: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- δε: CONJ
- γενομενης: VERB,aor,mid,part,gen,sg,f
- προσερηξεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ποταμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- οικια: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- εκεινη: PRON,dat,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- ουκ: PART,neg
- ισχυσεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- σαλευσαι: VERB,aor,act,inf
- αυτην: PRON,acc,sg,f
- δια: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- καλως: ADV
- οικοδομησθαι: VERB,pres,pas,inf
- αυτην: PRON,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Matthew 7:24-27 (verbal): Close parallel version of the same parable (wise and foolish builders); nearly identical imagery of a house founded on rock surviving storms versus one built on sand failing.
- Matthew 16:18 (thematic): Jesus’ promise to build his church 'on this rock' uses the same rock-and-building motif to denote a secure, divinely grounded community.
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 (thematic): Paul’s statement that 'no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ' echoes the foundation metaphor—emphasizing the necessity of the right foundation for a lasting structure.
- 1 Peter 2:6 (allusion): Quotes Isaiah’s imagery of a 'chosen, precious cornerstone' applied to Christ; connects to the parable’s emphasis on a proper foundational stone as the basis for stability.
Alternative generated candidates
- he is like a man who built a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock; when the flood came, the stream struck that house, and could not shake it, because it had been well founded.
- he is like a man who built a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock; when the flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not overthrow it, because it was firmly founded on the rock.
Luke.6.49 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- ακουσας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,m,sg
- και: CONJ
- μη: PART
- ποιησας: VERB,aor,act,part,nom,m,sg
- ομοιος: ADJ,nom,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ανθρωπω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- οικοδομησαντι: VERB,aor,act,part,dat,m,sg
- οικιαν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- επι: PREP
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- γην: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- χωρις: PREP,gen
- θεμελιου: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- προσερηξεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- ποταμος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ευθυς: ADV
- συνεπεσεν: VERB,aor,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- εγενετο: VERB,aor,mid,ind,3,sg
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- ρηγμα: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- οικιας: NOUN,acc,pl,f
- εκεινης: PRON,gen,sg,f
- μεγα: ADJ,acc,sg,n
Parallels
- Matthew 7:24-27 (verbal): Direct Synoptic parallel: the same parable of the wise and foolish builders (house built on rock vs sand), nearly identical vocabulary and sequence (hear/act, house with/without foundation, storm/flood causing collapse).
- Luke 6:48 (verbal): Immediate context in Luke: verse 48 introduces the same builder-analogy and foundation contrast; verse 49 continues and concludes the image, so it is the same saying continued.
- James 1:22 (thematic): Echoes the teaching-centre of the saying: the contrast between mere hearers and obedient doers of the word (hearing plus doing vs hearing only), with implicit practical consequences for spiritual stability.
- 1 Corinthians 3:11 (thematic): Uses foundation imagery for the community's spiritual structure ('no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ'), resonating with the parable's concern for what constitutes a reliable foundation.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the one who hears and does not do is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; when the torrent struck it, it fell at once and the ruin of that house was great.
- But the one who hears and does not do is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation; the torrent struck it, and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great.
Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and yet do not do what I say?
Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them—I will show you whom he is like.
He is like a man who built a house, dug deep, and laid the foundation on the rock; when the flood rose, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was founded on the rock. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation; the torrent struck it, and immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great.