Preface: Like many of these teaching chapters in Luke, there is a lot of material here. He taught about causing young children to fall, about forgiving your brother, about the amount of faith needed, about the unworthy servants and about the coming kingdom (about a third of this chapter). Jesus also heals 10 lepers in this chapter, only one of whom returns to express gratitude.

Bible Summary: Jesus said, "If your brother repents, forgive him." He healed ten lepers. He said, "In his day the Son of Man will light up the sky." 

This should be the most extensive examination of Luke 17 available, where you will be able to examine in depth every word of the original text.

Outline of Chapter 17:

Preface

Introduction

         vv.     1–10         Jesus Teaches His Disciples

         vv.         1–2          The offense of causing a little one to fall

         vv.         3–4          Forgiving one who trespasses against you many times

         vv.         5–6          Faith the size of a mustard seed

         vv.         7–10        A servant fulfills his duties without requiring gratitude

         vv.    11–19         Jesus Cleanses the 10 Lepers

         vv.    20–37         The Kingdom of God

         vv.        20–21        The pharisees ask, when will the Kingdom of God come?

         vv.        22–25        The second advent of the Son of Man

         vv.        26–32        Judgment to come suddenly, as in the days of Noah or Lot

         vv.        33–36        One will be taken and the other will be pardoned

         vv.         37           Recognize the signs

Chapter Summary

Addendum

Charts, Graphics and Short Doctrines:

         Preface               Quotations

         Introduction         Titles and/or Brief Descriptions of Luke 17 (by Various Commentators)

         Introduction         Brief, but insightful observations of Luke 17 (various commentators)

         Introduction         Fundamental Questions About Luke 17

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Prequel of Luke 17

         Introduction         The Principals of Luke 17

         Introduction         The Places of Luke 17

         Introduction         By the Numbers

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Luke 17

         Introduction         Outlines and Summaries of Luke 17 (Various Commentators)

         Introduction         A Synopsis of Luke 17 from the Summarized Bible

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         The Big Picture (Luke 15–19)

         Introduction 

         Introduction 

         Introduction         Changes—additions and subtractions

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         v.       8              A Few Points on Slavery

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         v.      10              Interpreting Luke 17:7–10 (R. B. Thieme, III)

         v.      11              Galilee and Samaria (a map)

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         v.      12              Is the Text for Luke 17:12 Accurate?

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         v.      14              The Very Peculiar Leviticus 14

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         v.      36              A screen shot of Matthew 24:40 (a graphic from e-sword’s Westcott Hort text)

         v.      36              Does Luke 17:36 truly exist in the original manuscripts?

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         Summary            A Set of Summary Doctrines and Commentary

         Summary            Why Luke 17 is in the Word of God

         Summary            What We Learn from Luke 17

         Summary            Jesus Christ in Luke 17

         Summary 

         Summary 

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Introductory Commentary for Luke 17

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Luke 17:3–6

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Luke 17:7–10

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Luke 17:15–19

         Addendum          The Christian Community Bible Commentary on Luke 17:20–21

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Luke 17:20–25

         Addendum          Matthew 24:34 – “this generation”? (from the 2001 Translation)

         Addendum          The Doctrine of Civilizations (by R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Genesis 6–7 — A Brief Analysis

         Addendum          Genesis 19 — A Brief Analysis

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Luke 17:26–30

         Addendum          The Abbreviated Doctrine of the Second Advent (R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Notes on Matthew 24:9–31 (R. B. Thieme, Jr.)

         Addendum          Grace Bible Church’s “The Baptism of Fire”

         Addendum          Kretzmann’s Commentary for Luke 17:31–37

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         Addendum          A Complete Translation of Luke 17

         Addendum 

         Addendum          Doctrinal Teachers Who Have Taught Luke 17

         Addendum          Word Cloud from the Kukis Paraphrase of Luke 17

         Addendum          Word Cloud from Exegesis of Luke 17

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An Introduction to Luke 17

I ntroduction: There is only one reference to location in Luke 17. In v. 11, Jesus is traveling towards Jerusalem, and He is moving along the borders of Samaria and Galilee. Apart from this, most of chapter 17 is teaching (apart from Jesus healing 10 lepers). Luke 10–17 is about 90% teaching (I roughed this by looking at a redline Bible). So, even though there is teaching in these chapters which are certainly tied to specific incidents, most of the teaching either stands on its own or has many applications apart from its historical context.

Jesus, at least thrice in this chapter, is said to be speaking directly to His disciples. Once, He is answering one of the few seemingly legitimate questions given to Him by a pharisee.

Apart from a brief narrative, most of this chapter is devoted to teaching. The first half of this chapter has 3 unrelated teaching segments (concerning faith, concerning the unworthy servant, which is followed by the healing of the 10 leper incident, which is followed by a rather lengthy dissertation about the end times (although this talk was initiated by the question of a pharisee (v. 20), much of Jesus’ teaching on this topic is directed towards His disciples (v. 22).

Although these different things appear to be somewhat random, this chapter does hold together thematically. Salvation is by have the faith of a mustard seed, indicating the smallness of the faith which is required to apprehend salvation. The unworthy servant essentially describes those who claim or appear to be in God’s favor, but who are not doing what they are supposed to be doing.

Jesus appears to be interrupted by 10 men suffering serious skin diseases—diseases which are probably transmittable, and diseases which makes normal function in society impossible. Jesus tells the men what to do, and they find themselves healed while on their way to present themselves to the priests. Only one of the man returns to thank Jesus and to give glory to God.

Now, Jesus is then asked what appears to be a legitimate question from one of the pharisees, and He gives a serious, well thought-out reply, but one which will not result in Him being arrested on the spot for blasphemy.

In His reply to the pharisees, He seems to teach them that asking, “When the Kingdom of God is coming” is the wrong question to be asking. The problem is, these men—these pharisees—have rejected their King, and, therefore, without the faith of a mustard seed, they have no part in the Kingdom of God. They believe themselves to be servants of God, but they are like the unfaithful servants spoken of at the beginning of this chapter. Furthermore, these pharisees are unappreciative regarding all that God has done for them.

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Jesus Teaches His Disciples

The offense of causing a little one to fall

Vv. 1–10 are three different topics taught by the Lord to His disciples (we don’t know exactly who might be there apart from His disciples). These three topics are so different that, Jesus could have taught them at almost any time. However, they are very difficult teachings to understand and to pin down; so this would suggest to me that they are rightly placed where they are, near the end of the Lord’s Galilee ministry (that He is headed towards Jerusalem is revealed in v. 11).

Here is how others have translated this verse:

Ancient texts:                       I will use the Westcott-Hort Greek text as the basis for my English translation. I use that test primarily because e-sword has a nice module by Rob Wolfram which has the interlinear English text, Strong’s #’s, and the Greek morphology. The e-sword tab is IWH+P. I do not use their English text for my translation. Also, throughout, I take in consideration alternate readings.

As a young Christian, I was quite interested in the alternative readings. After many decades of study, I have found that, as with the Hebrew text, disputed readings rarely have any affect on the interpretation of a text (apart from perhaps a half-dozen fairly well-known alternate readings, like the end of the book of Mark).

I will compare the Greek text to English translations of the Latin and Syriac (= Aramaic) texts, using the Douay-Rheims translation and George Lamsa’s translation from the Syriac. I often update these texts with non-substantive changes (e.g., you for thou, etc.).

In general, the Latin text is an outstanding translation from the Hebrew text into Latin and very trustworthy (I say this as a non-Catholic). Unfortunately, I do not read Latin—apart from some very obvious words—so I am dependent upon the English translation of the Latin (principally, the Douay-Rheims translation).

The Septuagint and the Dead Sea Scrolls are irrelevant, as they preceded the writing of the New Testament by over 200 years.

Underlined words indicate differences in the text.

Ancient texts:

Westcott-Hort Text (Greek)    But He said face to face with the disciples of His, “Impossible it is of the snares not to come; but woe through who keeps on going. It is advantageous to him if a stone—a millstone—keeps on encircling about the neck of his and he has been cast down into the sea than that he might cause to stumble the small of these, only one.

Revised Douay-Rheims         .

Douay-Rheims 1899 (Amer.) And he said to his disciples: It is impossible that scandals should not come. But woe to him through whom they come!

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should scandalize one of these little ones.

Holy Aramaic Scriptures        And Eshu {Yeshua} had said unto His Disciples, “It isn’t possible that offenses won’t come, but, woe unto that one by whose hand they will come!

It was better for him if a millstone of a khamara {a donkey} were hung on his neck and he was thrown in the yama {the sea} rather than he should offend one from these little ones.

Eastern Aramaic Manuscript  And Eshu {Yeshua} had said unto His Disciples, “It isn’t possible that offenses won’t come, but, woe unto that one by whose hand they will come!

It was better for him if a millstone of a khamara {a donkey} were hung on his neck and he was thrown in the yama {the sea} rather than he should offend one from these little ones.

James Murdock’s Syriac NT And Jesus said to his disciples: It cannot be, but that offences will come: but woe to him, by whom they come.

Better for him were it, if a millstone were suspended to his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Original Aramaic NT              And Yeshua said to his disciples, "It is not possible that offenses shall not come, but woe to him by whose hand they shall come."

"It were better for him if the millstone of a donkey were hung on his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he would stumble one of these little ones."

Lamsa Peshitta (Syriac)         And Yeshua said to his disciples, “It is not possible that offenses shall not come, but woe to him by whose hand they shall come.”

“It were better for him if the millstone of a donkey were hung on his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he would subvert one of these little ones.”

Significant differences: 

English Translations:          I have included translations which I disagree with and footnotes that I do not necessarily agree with. If I believe that the author is too far from the truth, I may even address that at the footnote. However, nearly all of the correct commentary will be found following the Greek text box and the translation of each phrase.

Limited Vocabulary Translations:

Bible in Basic English             And he said to his disciples, It is necessary for causes of trouble to come about, but unhappy is he by whom they come. 

It would be well for him if a great stone was put round his neck and he was dropped into the sea, before he made trouble for any of these little ones.

Bible in Worldwide English     Jesus said to his disciples, People will make other people do wrong. But the person who makes another person do wrong will have trouble.

A big stone should be tied around his neck and then he should be thrown into the sea. That would be better for him than to make one of these little children do wrong.

Easy English                          Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Some bad things in this world will make other people do wrong things. You can be sure about that. But God will punish anyone who makes these bad things happen. These other people may not seem to be important. But you must not make them do wrong things. Do not do that! It would be better if someone tied a big stone round your neck, and then he threw you into the sea.

Easy-to-Read Version–2001  .

Easy-to-Read Version–2008  Jesus said to his followers, "Things will surely happen that will make people sin. But it will be very bad for anyone who makes this happen.

It will be very bad for anyone who makes one of these little children sin. It would be better for them to have a millstone tied around their neck and be drowned in the sea.

God’s Word™                         Jesus told his disciples, "Situations that cause people to lose their faith are certain to arise. But how horrible it will be for the person who causes someone to lose his faith!

It would be best for that person to be thrown into the sea with a large stone hung around his neck than for him to cause one of these little ones to lose his faith.

Good News Bible (TEV)         Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that make people fall into sin are bound to happen, but how terrible for the one who makes them happen! It would be better for him if a large millstone were tied around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

J. B. Phillips                           Jesus warns his disciples about spoiling the spirit of the new kingdom

Then Jesus said to his disciples, “It is inevitable that there should be pitfalls, but alas for the man who is responsible for them! It would be better for that man to have a mill-stone hung round his neck and be thrown into the sea, than that he should trip up one of these little ones. So be careful how you live. V. 3a is included for context.

The Message                         A Kernel of Faith

He said to his disciples, “Hard trials and temptations are bound to come, but too bad for whoever brings them on! Better to wear a concrete vest and take a swim with the fishes than give even one of these dear little ones a hard time!

NIRV                                      Sin, Faith and Duty

Jesus spoke to his disciples. “Things that make people sin are sure to come,” he said. “But how terrible it will be for anyone who causes those things to come! Suppose people lead one of these little ones to sin. It would be better for those people to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck. So watch what you do. V. 3a is included for context.

New Life Version                    Jesus Teaches about Forgiving

Jesus said to His followers, “For sure, things will come that will make people sin. But it is bad for the person who makes someone else sin. It would be better for him to have a large rock put around his neck and be thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

New Simplified Bible              Jesus told his disciples: »Things that cause people to stumble do happen. However it is a terrible thing for someone to make them happen! »It would be better for him to have a large millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

Thought-for-thought translations; dynamic translations; paraphrases:

Casual English Bible              A PEEK INTO GOD’S KINGDOM

STOP SINNING BUT KEEP FORGIVING

Jesus told his disciples, “It’s inevitable. There are going to be obstacles out there that could trip you up. But I’ve got bad news for the people sticking their feet out and doing the tripping. Their time is coming. For those people who cause these little ones to stumble, it would be better for them if someone tied a rock around their neck and pitched them in the sea.

Contemporary English V.       Jesus said to his disciples: There will always be something that causes people to sin. But anyone who causes them to sin is in for trouble. A person who causes even one of my little followers to sin would be better off thrown into the ocean with a heavy stone tied around their neck.

The Living Bible                     “There will always be temptations to sin,” Jesus said one day to his disciples, “but woe to the man who does the tempting. 2-3 If he were thrown into the sea with a huge rock tied to his neck, he would be far better off than facing the punishment in store for those who harm these little children’s souls. I am warning you! V. 3a is included for context.

New Berkeley Version           .

New Century Version             .

New Living Translation           Teachings about Forgiveness and Faith

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “There will always be temptations to sin, but what sorrow awaits the person who does the tempting! It would be better to be thrown into the sea with a millstone hung around your neck than to cause one of these little ones to fall into sin. So watch yourselves! V. 3a is included for context.

The Passion Translation        .

UnfoldingWord Simplified T.  Jesus said to his disciples, "Things that tempt people to sin will certainly happen, but how terrible it will be for anyone who causes those things to happen!  

It would be better for that person if someone fastened a huge stone around his neck and threw him into the sea, than if he were to cause to sin someone who is weak in his faith.

Partially literal and partially paraphrased translations:

American English Bible          Well after that, [Jesus] said this to his disciples:

‘It’s unavoidable that there’ll be snares.

However, woe to those who set them!

For it would be better if a millstone was hung on his neck

And he was thrown into the sea,

Than to stumble one of these least ones.

So, pay attention to yourselves! V. 3a is included for context.

Beck’s American Translation .

Breakthrough Version            He said to His students, "It is unacceptable, the 'for the obstacles not to come' part. More importantly, what a tragedy it is to the person through whom it comes.

It compensates for him if a millstone is put around his neck, and he has been tossed into the sea, than that he might trip up one of these little ones.

Common English Bible           Faithful service

Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that cause people to trip and fall into sin must happen, but how terrible it is for the person through whom they happen. It would be better for them to be thrown into a lake with a large stone hung around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to trip and fall into sin.

A. Campbell's Living Oracles Then Jesus said to his disciples, It is impossible to exclude snares entirely; but, alas, for him who ensnares!

It would be more eligible for him to have an upper millstone fastened to his neck, and to be cast into the sea, than to ensnare one of these little ones.

New Advent (Knox) Bible       And he said to his disciples, It is impossible that hurt should never be done to men’s consciences; but woe betide the man who is the cause of it. Better for him to have had a mill-stone tied about his neck, and to be cast into the sea, than to have hurt the conscience of one of these little ones.

NT for Everyone                     Forgiveness, Faith and Obedience

Jesus said to his disciples, ‘There are bound to be things that trip people up; but woe betide the person who brings them about! It would be better to have a millstone hung around your neck, and be thrown into the sea, than to trip up one of these little ones. So watch out for yourselves.

The Spoken English NT         Tripping People Up-Or Watching Out for them (Mt. 18:6-7, 21-22; Mk 9:42)
Jesus said to his followers, “There’s no avoiding it-things are going to come that trip people up.^a Still, it’s going to be horrible for whoever causes them.^b They’d be better off to have a millstone hung around their neck and be thrown into the sea, than for them to trip up one of these little ones.

^a.Lit. “It’s impossible for stumbling blocks not to come.”

^b.Lit. “But woe to the person through whom they come.”

20^th Century New Testament Jesus said to his disciples: "It is inevitable that there should be snares; yet alas for him who is answerable for them!

It would be good for him if he had been flung into the sea with a mill-stone round his neck, rather than that he should prove a snare to even one of these lowly ones.

Mostly literal renderings (with some occasional paraphrasing):

Christian Standard Bible        Warnings from Jesus

He said to his disciples, “Offenses will certainly come, [Lit “It is impossible for offenses not to come] but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Conservapedia Translation    Then He said to the disciples, "It is necessary that terrible things will happen, but woe to him who causes them! It would be better for him if a large stone were hung on his neck and he was thrown into the sea, than that he should harm one of these little ones.

Ferrar-Fenton Bible                Stumbling Blocks.

He then said to His disciples: "It is impossible for stumbling-blocks to be avoided; but alas for him by means of whom they come!

It would be better for him to have an upper millstone fastened round his neck, and be flung into the sea, rather than that he should cause a single one of these little ones to fall.

Free Bible Version                 Jesus said to his disciples, “Temptations are unavoidable, but it will be a disaster for those through whom they come!

For such people it would be better to have a millstone hung around the neck and thrown into the sea than to cause these little ones to sin.

God’s Truth (Tyndale)           Then said he to the disciples, it cannot be avoided but that offenses will come. Nevertheless woe be to him through whom they come. It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were cast into the sea, then that he should offend one of these little ones.

International Standard V        Causing Others to Sin

(Matthew 18:6-7, 21-22; Mark 9:42)

Jesus [Lit. He] told his disciples, “It is inevitable that temptations to sin will come, but how terrible it will be for the person through whom they come!

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

NIV, ©2011                             Sin, Faith, Duty

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. So watch yourselves. V. 3a is included for context.

Riverside New Testament      HE said to his disciples, "It cannot be but that occasions of stumbling will arise, but alas for him through whom they come! It would be better for him if, with a millstone hung around his neck, he had been flung into the sea than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Leicester A. Sawyer’s NT      AND he said to his disciples, It is inevitable that offenses should come; but woe to him by whom they come; it would be profitable for him if a millstone was placed around his neck, and he was cast into the sea, rather than that he should offend one of these little ones.

UnfoldingWord Literal Text    Jesus said to his disciples, "It is certain there will be things that can cause us to sin, but woe to that person through whom they come!   It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Weymouth New Testament    Jesus said to His disciples, "It is inevitable that causes of stumbling should come; but alas for him through whom they come! It would be well for him if, with a millstone round his neck, he were lying at the bottom of the sea, rather than that he should cause even one of these little ones to fall.

Wikipedia Bible Project          Jesus told his disciples, “Temptations are unavoidable, but how bad it will be for those who do the tempting!

It would be better for such people for a millstone to be hung around their neck and then to be thrown into the sea, rather than to be the cause of temptation for children in the faith.

Catholic Bibles (those having the imprimatur):

Christian Community (1988)     Jesus said to his disciples, “Scandals will necessarily come and cause people to fall; but woe to the one who brings them about. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone around his neck. Truly, this would be better for that person, than to cause one of these little ones to fall.

Mt 18: 6-7; Mk 9:42

The Heritage Bible                          And he said to the disciples, It is not to be supposed that offenses will not come, but woe to him through whom they come!

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were flung into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

New American Bible (2011)   Temptations to Sin.

^a He said to his disciples, “Things that cause sin will inevitably occur, but woe to the person through whom they occur.

It would be better for him if a millstone were put around his neck and he be thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.

a. [17:1–2] Mt 18:6–7.

New Catholic Bible                 Various Episodes and Instructions

Warning against Giving Scandal.^[a] Jesus said to his disciples, “Scandals are bound to occur, but woe to the man through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were fastened around his neck and he were thrown into the sea than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin. Be on your guard! V. 3a is included for context.

[a] Scandal is the snare that one extends to others in order to lead them into evil. It is especially grave when it is placed along the way of the “little ones.”

New English Bible–1970        Sin (Peraea) [ Lk.17.1-4 → ] - Mt.18.6-7, Mt.18.21-22, Mk.9.42

HE SAID TO HIS DISCIPLES, 'Causes of stumbling are bound to arise; but woe betide the man through whom they come. It would be better for him to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round his neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Keep a watch on yourselves. V. 3a is included for context.

New Jerusalem Bible             He said to his disciples, 'Causes of falling are sure to come, but alas for the one through whom they occur! It would be better for such a person to be thrown into the sea with a millstone round the neck than to be the downfall of a single one of these little ones.

New RSV                               .

Jewish/Hebrew Names Bibles:

Complete Jewish Bible           Yeshua said to his talmidim, “It is impossible that snares will not be set. But woe to the person who sets them! It would be to his advantage that he have a millstone hung around his neck and he be thrown into the sea, rather than that he ensnare one of these little ones.

Hebraic Roots Bible               And Yahshua said to the disciples, It is impossible that the offenses should not come, but woe to him by whose hand they come!

It is better for him if a millstone turned by a donkey is put around his neck, and he be thrown into the sea, than that he should cause to stumble one of these little ones.

Holy New Covenant Trans.    Jesus said to his students, “Things will surely occur which will cause people to sin, but it will be horrible for the person who causes this to happen.

If he causes one of these little ones to sin, it would be better for him to drown with a big rock tied to his neck.

The Israel Bible (beta)            .

Israeli Authorised Version      Then said he unto the talmidim, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come!

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Tree of Life Version                Then Yeshua said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom they come!

It would be better for him to have a millstone put around his neck and to be hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Weird English, Olde English, Anachronistic English Translations:

Accurate New Testament       ...[He] says but to the students [of] him Impossible is the+ the snares not to come furthermore Woe {becomes} through whom [They] comes~ [It] benefits him if Stone Milling hangs around the neck [of] him and [He] has been tossed to the sea than that [He] may trip [of] the [men] little these one [man]...

Awful Scroll Bible                   Furthermore he said, with regards to the disciples, "It is not-taken-up-from-among, that no ensnarements themselves are to be came, but woe through whom itself comes!

(")It dissolves-conclusively for him, if a millstone of a donkey, itself lays-over around his neck, and he has become thrown down into the sea than, in order that, he should be ensnared one of these little ones.

Concordant Literal Version    Now He said to His disciples, "Incredible is it for snares not to be coming. Moreover, woe to him through whom they are coming!"

An advantage were it to him if a millstone were lying about his neck and he were pitched into the sea, rather than that he should be snaring one of these little ones."

exeGeses companion Bible   YAH SHUA ON SCANDALS

And he says to the disciples,

It is impossible that scandals not come:

but woe through whom they come!

It is more advantageous for him

if a millstone turned by a burro

hangs around his neck,

and he is tossed into the sea,

than that he scandalize one of these little ones.

Orthodox Jewish Bible           And Yeshua said to his disciples, "It is not possible that offenses shall not come, but woe to him by whose hand they shall come."

"It were better for him if the millstone of a donkey were hung on his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he would stumble one of these little ones."

Expanded/Embellished Bibles:

The Amplified Bible                Instructions

Jesus said to His disciples, “Stumbling blocks [temptations and traps set to lure one to sin] are sure to come, but woe (judgment is coming) to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone [as large as one turned by a donkey] were hung around his neck and he were hurled into the sea, than for him to cause one of these little ones [I.e. believers.] to stumble [in sin and lose faith].

An Understandable Version   Then Jesus said to His disciples, “It is inevitable that occasions which cause people to be led astray [from God] will come, but it is too bad for that person who is responsible for it happening.

It would be good [i.e., better] for him to have had a huge millstone tied around his neck and be thrown into the ocean [Note: This “millstone” was a huge, circular stone rolled over grain to crush it and was moved by an animal walking in a circle], rather than having him cause one of these little ones [i.e., humble followers of the Lord] to be led astray [from God].

The Expanded Bible              Sin and Forgiveness

Jesus said to his ·followers [disciples], “·Things that cause people to sin [Stumbling blocks; Causes of sin; Temptations] ·will happen [are inevitable; ^L it is impossible for them not to come], but ·how terrible for [^L woe to] the person who causes them to happen! It would be better for ·you [^L him; that person] to be thrown into the sea with a ·large [^L mill] stone around ·your [^L his] neck than to cause one of these little ones to ·sin [stumble]. So ·be careful [watch yourselves]!

Jonathan Mitchell NT             So (or: Now) He said to His disciples, "It continues being inadmissible (or: unallowable; or: unavoidable; or: = incredible) that the entrapments and causes for stumbling are not to come. Nevertheless, tragic is the fate of the person through whom it continues coming (or: It is inwardly unacceptable [that] snares [will] not be [set in place], but all the more, [it will be] a grievous experience for the person who keeps on [setting them])!

"It continues being an advantage to, and a profit for, him (or: It progressively looses him to the goal) if a stone from a [hand] mill continues lying around (= tied to and hanged from) his neck and then he had been tossed (or: pitched; hurled) into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble or be ensnared.

P. Kretzmann Commentary    Verses 1-2

A Lesson on Offenses and Forgiveness.

On offenses:

Then said He unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offenses will come; but woe unto him through whom they come!

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck and he cast into the sea than that he should offend one of these little ones. See addendum for additional commentary on Luke 17.

Syndein/Thieme                     ``Then He {Jesus} said to His students/disciples, " "It must be admitted that temptations/ 'stumbling blocks to commit apostasy' " {literally a double negative here - which is a very strong negative in the Greek} are sure to come . . . but woe to the one through whom they come!

``It would be more advantageous {lusitelei} for him if {ei} - and it is true - a millstone is tied around his neck and be thrown/cast {rhipto} into the sea than for him to possibly cause 'spiritually immature believers' {idiom: literally 'one of these little ones' - indicates a personal relationship so is a believer there are three levels of spiritual maturity identified - babies, young men, and fathers} to sin.

Translation for Translators              Jesus warned about God punishing those who cause others to sin.

Luke 17:1-4

One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Things that will tempt people to sin are certain to happen, but it will be terrible for anyone who causes them to happen! Suppose you caused one of these people who do not believe in me very strongly to sin. If a huge stone was fastened {someone fastened a huge stone} around your neck and you were thrown {and threw you} into the sea, you would consider that a severe punishment, but God will punish you even more severely if you cause someone to sin!

The Voice                               Jesus (to His disciples): You can’t stop temptations to do wrong from coming. But how tragic it will be for the person who becomes the source of the temptation! It would be better if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Bible Translations with a Lot of Footnotes:

Lexham Bible                         Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service

And he said to his disciples, “It is impossible for causes for stumbling not to come, but woe to him through whom they come!

It would be better for him if a millstone [Literally “a stone belonging to a mill”] is placed around his neck and he is thrown into the sea than that he causes one of these little ones to sin.

NET Bible®                             Sin, Forgiveness, Faith, and Service

Jesus¹ said to his disciples, “Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe² to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him to have a millstone³ tied around his neck and be thrown into the sea⁴ than for him to cause one of these little ones to sin.⁵

^1tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

^2sn See Luke 6:24-26.

^3tn This term refers to the heavy upper stone of a grinding mill (L&N 7.70; BDAG 660 s.v. μυλικός).

^sn The punishment of drowning with a heavy weight attached is extremely gruesome and reflects Jesus’ views concerning those who cause others who believe in him to sin.

^4tn Grk “if a millstone were tied…and he were thrown.” The conditional construction in Greek has been translated by English infinitives: “to have… and be thrown.”

^5tn Or “to stumble.” This verb, σκανδαλίσῃ (skandalish), has the same root as the noun σκάνδαλον (skandalon) in 17:1, translated “stumbling blocks”; this wordplay is difficult to reproduce in English. It is possible that the primary cause of offense here would be leading disciples (“little ones”) astray in a similar fashion.

The Passion Translation        Faith and Forgiveness

One day Jesus taught his disciples this: “Betrayals^[a] are inevitable, but great devastation will come to the one guilty of betraying others. It would be better for him to have a heavy boulder tied around his neck and be hurled into the deepest sea than to face the punishment of betraying one of my dear ones!

^[a] As translated from the Aramaic. Other Greek texts use the words “temptation” or “to stumble.”

Rotherham’s Emphasized B.          § 65. Care, Fidelity, Forgiveness, Faith and Humility enjoined.

Chapter 17.

And he said unto his disciples:—

It is |impossible| that occasions of stumbling should not come,

Notwithstanding, alas! for him through whom they do come^a:

It profiteth himˎ if |a mill-stone| is hung about his neckˎ and he is cast into the sea,

Than that he cause ||one|| |of these little ones| to stumble.

^a Mt. xviii. 7.

The Spoken English NT         Tripping People Up-Or Watching Out for them (Mt. 18:6-7, 21-22; Mk 9:42)
Jesus said to his followers, “There’s no avoiding it-things are going to come that trip people up.^a Still, it’s going to be horrible for whoever causes them.^b

They’d be better off to have a millstone hung around their neck and be thrown into the sea, than for them to trip up one of these little ones.

^a.Lit. “It’s impossible for stumbling blocks not to come.”

^b.Lit. “But woe to the person through whom they come.”

Wilbur Pickering’s New T.     Don’t offend, forgive
Then He said to the disciples: “Things that cause people to fall are bound to come, but woe to him through whom they do come!

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to fall.¹

⁽¹⁾ What is worse than a horrible, premature physical death? Spiritual death. Whoever destroys the faith of a ‘little one’ is self-condemned.

Literal, almost word-for-word, renderings:

Analytical-Literal Translation  Now He said to the disciples, "It is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come, but how horrible it will be [to the one] through whom they come!

"It [would have been] better for him if a donkey millstone [i.e., a huge millstone turned by a donkey] [had been] put round about his neck, and he had been thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble [fig., to sin].

Charles Thomson NT             Then he said to his disciples, It is not to be supposed that offences will not come; but alas for him, by whom they come.

It would be better for him to have a millstone hanged about his neck and to be thrown into the sea, than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Context Group Version          And he said to his apprentices, It is impossible but that scandals should come; but woe to him, through whom they come! It were well for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

English Standard Version      And he said to his disciples, "Temptations to sin are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come!

It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were cast into the sea than that he should cause one of these little ones to sin.

Far Above All Translation       Then he said to the disciples, “It is impossible for offences not to come, but woe to him through whom they come.

It would be better for him if an ass-driven millstone were hung around his neck and he had been thrown in the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones.

Legacy Standard Bible           Do All Which Jesus Commands

Now He said to His disciples, “It is inevitable [Lit impossible that stumbling blocks not come] that stumbling blocks [Or temptations to sin] come, but woe to him through whom they come! It would be [Lit is] better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Modern English Version         Some Sayings of Jesus

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible except that offenses will come. But woe to him through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he was thrown into the sea, than to offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves. V. 3a is included for context.

Modern Literal Version 2020  Now he said to the disciples, It is inevitable for offenses not to come, but woe to him, through whom they come!

It is beneficial for him if a millstone rotated by a donkey encompassed around his neck, and he has been tossed into the sea, rather than that* he should offend one of these little ones.

New American Standard B.    .

New European Version          Jesus teaches about faith and forgiveness

And he said to his disciples: Stumbling blocks are sure to come, but woe to the one through whom they come! It would be better for him if a millstone was hung about his neck and he was thrown into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble.

New King James Version       Jesus Warns of Offenses

Then He said to the disciples, “It is impossible that no [a]offenses should come, but woe to him through whom they do come! It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than that he should [b]offend one of these little ones.

New Matthew Bible                Christ teaches his disciples to avoid occasions of evil, to forgive one another, steadfastly to trust in God, and that no one should presume in his own works. He heals the ten lepers, and speaks of the latter days, and of the end of the world.

Then Jesus said to his disciples, It cannot be avoided but that offences will come. Nevertheless, woe be to him through whom they come. It would be better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck and that he were cast into the sea, than that he should hurt one of these little ones.

Niobi Study Bible                   Jesus Warns of Offenses
Then said He unto His disciples, "It is impossible but that offenses will come, but woe unto him through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hung about his neck and he cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to fall.

Revised Young's Lit. Trans.   And he said unto the disciples, 'It is impossible for the stumbling blocks not to come, but woo to him through whom they come; it is more profitable to him if a weighty millstone is put round about his neck, and he has been cast into the sea, than that he may cause one of these little ones to stumble.

Webster’s Translation           Then he said to the disciples, It is impossible but that causes of sin will come: but woe to him by whom they come!

It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should cause one of these little ones to fall into sin.

The gist of this passage:     Although Jesus acknowledges that man will sin, He warns against causing these little ones to fall into sin.

Translation: And Jesus [lit., He] said directly to His disciples, “It is inevitable that snares will come;...

There are difficulties and problems which come into the lives of every believer. In fact, even more than this, there are snares and traps laid for people. These temptations will come into the life of every person.

Translation: ...but woe [to him] through whom [they] come.

Jesus warns about those through whom such snares and traps come.

We know that snares and traps are going to be there; but woe to the person who is setting them for others.

Application: One simple application of this verse are those who sell drugs. In many cases, they first seduce their potential customers with the use of drugs; and then they sell them the drugs. One thing which appears to be clear in this world of such illicit selling—the drug dealer rarely has a long and satisfying life. Even those at the top have relatively short reigns.

Application: There is a great deal of villianization of big businessmen, who run large legitimate corporations. I have found myself thinking ill of big business types in the past, not realizing that all of them have sin natures; and that many of them are reasonably moral and many of them are extremely hard-working. When comparing the legitimate head of a legitimate business, it is not unusual for that person to pass along the business to his son or grandson. It is not unusual for such a person to have a long time in that position of CEO (or whatever). In a legitimate business, you are simply offering a product or service that others desire at a price which they find acceptable. This is not at all like people who run illegitimate businesses or have businesses which are based upon tempting others to sin.

Luke 17:1 And Jesus [lit., He] said directly to His disciples, “It is inevitable that snares will come; but woe [to him] through whom [they] come. (Kukis mostly literal translation)