Luke 14:30

Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.)

English Translation

saying, 'This man began to build, and wasn't able to finish.'

World English Bible · Public Domain

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ἐκτελέσαι

ekteléō

G1615

“to finish”

Verb, Aorist, Active, Infinitive

Appears 2× in the Greek New Testament
First appears at Luke 14:29

Full Thayer's Definition

Origin: from G1537 and G5055

TDNT: None

1. to finish, complete

About this verse

These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →

11: words
11: distinct lemmas
Gospels: section

Notable vocabulary

The rarest word here is ἐκτελέσαι to finish G1615 — appearing just 2 times in the whole Greek New Testament.

Shared distinctive vocabulary

ἐκτελέσαι to finish G1615 occurs in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:

Luke 14:29

Cross-references

Topical passages linked to Luke 14:30 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.

Hebrews 6:11 We desire that each one of you may show the same diligence to the fullness of hope even to the end,
2 John 1:8 Watch yourselves, that we don't lose the things which we have accomplished, but that we receive a full reward.
Hebrews 6:4–8 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
2 Peter 2:19–22 promising them liberty, while they themselves are bondservants of corruption; for by whom a man is overcome, by the same is he also brought into bondage.
Acts 1:18–19 Now this man obtained a field with the reward for his wickedness, and falling headlong, his body burst open, and all his intestines gushed out.
1 Corinthians 3:11–14 For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 10:38 But the righteous will live by faith. If he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him."
Matthew 7:27 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it fell--and great was its fall."

Matthew 27:3–8 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).

Commentary

Notes on Luke 14:30 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.

Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →

Bengel's Gnomon

Johann Albrecht Bengel

Luk 14:30. Οὗτος, this man) A proper name is meant. They commonly put N. N.[151]

[151] The abstract expression of a proper name; the name to be supplied as the particular case may require. As in the Book of Common Prayer, Catechism, “What is your name?”—“M. or N.”—E. and T.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

John Gill's Exposition

Or what king going to make war against another king,.... Our Lord illustrates the same thing, the business of a profession, by another similitude, or parable; taking up a profession of religion, is like to two kings engaging in a war. The king on the one side, is the Christian professor; true believers are kings, they have the apparel of kings, the royal robe of Christ's righteousness; they live like kings, at the table of the King of kings; have the attendance of kings, angels ministering unto them; have crowns and thrones as kings have, and greater than theirs; and have a kingdom of grace now, and are heirs of the kingdom of glory. The king on the other side, is the devil; who is the king and prince of the rest of the devils, and over the men of the world; a kingdom is ascribed to him, which is a kingdom of darkness; and he is said to be a great king, and is represented as proud, cruel, and tyrannical: now the Christian professor's life is a warfare; he is engaged with many enemies; the corruptions of his own heart within, and the world without; and especially Satan, who is to be resisted, and by no means to be yielded to, though there is a great inequality between them: and therefore what man that engages in such a warfare,

sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand, to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? and such a difference there is between the Christian professor and the devil; the one is flesh and blood, the other a spirit; the one is raw and undisciplined, the other a veteran soldier; the one a stripling, and the other the strong man armed: their numbers are unequal; the people of Christ are few, and their force and strength in themselves small; and they have a large number of devils, and of the men of the world, and of the lusts of their own hearts, to grapple with; wherefore it is necessary to sit down and consult, not with flesh and blood, but with other Christians; and chiefly, and above all, with God himself; what will be the charges of this warfare; the hardships to be endured; in whose name and strength they are to engage; what weapons to take, and how to use them; and how to get knowledge of the designs, methods, and strength of the enemy, and take every advantage of him.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

International Critical Commentary

30. οὗτος. Contemptuous: 5:21, 7:39, 13:32, where see reff. The lesson conveyed is not so much, “It is better not to begin, than to begin and fail,” as, “It is folly to begin without much consideration.”

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament

Marvin R. Vincent

This man [ουτος ο ανθρωπος] . With sarcastic emphasis.

Was not able [ουκ ισχυσεν] . From ijscuv, strength. See on power, 2Pe 2:11. To be strong in body or in resources, and so to be worth, as Lat., valere. "This man was not worth enough, or was not good for the completion." In this latter sense, Mt 5:13, "good for nothing."

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Lesson kit

Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.

Luke, in the Gospels, opens this verse with 11 words (11 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is ekteléō (“to finish”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.

Discussion questions

The word ekteléō carries the sense “to finish.” How does it shape the verse?
How does Luke 14:29, which shares the word «to finish», read alongside this verse?
These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
Compare how Bengel's Gnomon and John Gill's Exposition read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?

Things to notice

These translations choose different wording for 1 word in this verse.
11 distinct Greek lemmas span 11 words in this verse.