Amsal 15:27

15:27 The one who is greedy for gain ¹  troubles ²  his household, ³ 

but whoever hates bribes ⁴  will live.

Lukas 12:15

12:15 Then ⁵  he said to them, “Watch out and guard yourself from ⁶  all types of greed, ⁷  because one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”

Lukas 12:1

Fear God, Not People

12:1 Meanwhile, ⁸  when many thousands of the crowd had gathered so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus ⁹  began to speak first to his disciples, “Be on your guard against ¹⁰  the yeast of the Pharisees, ¹¹  which is hypocrisy. ¹² 

Titus 1:10

1:10 For there are many ¹³  rebellious people, idle talkers, and deceivers, especially those with Jewish connections, ¹⁴ 

[15:27]  ¹ tn Heb “the one who gains.” The phrase בּוֹצֵעַ בָּצַע (botseakh batsa’) is a participle followed by its cognate accusative. This refers to a person who is always making the big deal, getting the larger cut, or in a hurry to get rich. The verb, though, makes it clear that the gaining of a profit is by violence and usually unjust, since the root has the idea of “cut off; break off; gain by violence.” The line is contrasted with hating bribes, and so the gain in this line may be through bribery.

[15:27]  ² sn The participle “troubles” (עֹכֵר, ’okher) can have the connotation of making things difficult for the family, or completely ruining the family (cf. NAB). In Josh 7:1 Achan took some of the “banned things” and was put to death: Because he “troubled Israel,” the Lord would “trouble” him (take his life, Josh 7:25).

[15:27]  ³ tn Heb “his house.”

[15:27]  ⁴ tn Heb “gifts” (so KJV). Gifts can be harmless enough, but in a setting like this the idea is that the “gift” is in exchange for some “profit [or, gain].” Therefore they are bribes (cf. ASV, NAB, NASB, NIV, NRSV, NLT), and to be hated or rejected. Abram, for example, would not take anything that the king of Sodom had to offer, “lest [he] say, “I have made Abram rich” (Gen 14:22-24).

[12:15]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[12:15]  ⁶ tn See L&N 13.154 for this use of the middle voice of φυλάσσω (fulassw) in this verse.

[12:15]  ⁷ tn Or “avarice,” “covetousness.” Note the warning covers more than money and gets at the root attitude – the strong desire to acquire more and more possessions and experiences.

[12:1]  ⁸ tn The phrase ἐν οἷς (en Jois) can be translated “meanwhile.”

[12:1]  ⁹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:1]  ¹⁰ tn According to L&N 27.59, “to pay attention to, to keep on the lookout for, to be alert for, to be on your guard against.” This is another Lukan present imperative calling for constant vigilance.

[12:1]  ¹¹ sn See the note on Pharisees in 5:17.

[12:1]  ¹² sn The pursuit of popularity can lead to hypocrisy, if one is not careful.

[1:10]  ¹³ tc ‡ The earliest and best mss lack καί (kai) after πολλοί (polloi; so א A C P 088 81 104 365 614 629 630 al sy co), though the conjunction is found in several significant witnesses, chiefly of the Western and Byzantine texts (D F G I Ψ 33 1739 1881 Ï lat). Although it is possible that some scribes omitted the word, thinking it was superfluous, it is also possible that others added the conjunction for clarification. Judging by the pedigree of the witnesses and the inconclusiveness of the internal evidence, the shorter reading is considered to be most likely original. NA²⁷ puts the conjunction in brackets, indicating some doubts as to its authenticity.

[1:10]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “those of the circumcision.” Some translations take this to refer to Jewish converts to Christianity (cf. NAB “Jewish Christians”; TEV “converts from Judaism”; CEV “Jewish followers”) while others are less clear (cf. NLT “those who insist on circumcision for salvation”).