Luke 20:20

Bible in Basic English (1941)

And they kept watch on him, and sent out secret representatives, who were acting the part of good men, in order that they might get something from his words, on account of which they might give him up to the government and into the power of the ruler.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Καὶ παρατηρήσαντες, ἀπέστειλαν ἐγκαθέτους, ὑποκρινομένους ἑαυτοὺς δικαίους εἶναι, ἵνα ἐπιλάβωνται αὐτοῦ λόγου, εἰς τὸ παραδοῦναι αὐτὸν τῇ ἀρχῇ καὶ τῇ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ ἡγεμόνος.

Transliteration

And paratērēsantes, they apesteilan enkathetous, hypokrinomenous heautous dikaious einai, that they might epilabōntai him of logou, into the paradounai him to the archē and the exousia of the hēgemonos.

Grammar Details

• *paratērēsantes*: aorist active participle, nominative, plural - having watched closely
• *apesteilan*: aorist active, 3rd plural - they sent
• *enkathetous*: accusative, masculine, plural - spies
• *hypokrinomenous*: present middle participle, accusative, plural - pretending
• *heautous*: accusative reflexive pronoun - themselves
• *dikaious*: accusative, masculine, plural - righteous/just
• *einai*: present infinitive - to be
• *epilabōntai*: aorist middle subjunctive, 3rd plural - they might catch
• *logou*: genitive, masculine, singular - word/statement
• *paradounai*: aorist active infinitive - to deliver over
• *archē*: dative, feminine, singular - rule/authority
• *exousia*: dative, feminine, singular - authority/power
• *hēgemonos*: genitive, masculine, singular - of the governor

Word Meanings

• *paratērēsantes*: having watched closely/keeping a close watch/watching carefully
• *apesteilan*: they sent/they dispatched
• *enkathetous*: spies/informers/plants
• *hypokrinomenous heautous dikaious einai*: pretending themselves to be righteous/feigning to be sincere
• *epilabōntai autou logou*: catch him in word/trap him in speech
• *paradounai*: to deliver over/to hand over/to betray
• *archē*: rule/authority/domain
• *exousia*: authority/power/jurisdiction
• *hēgemonos*: governor/ruler/prefect

Referenced Verses

• Matt 27:2 : 2 And they put cords on him and took him away, and gave him up to Pilate, the ruler.
• Luke 20:26 : 26 And they were not able to get anything from these words before the people: but they were full of wonder at his answer, and said nothing.
• John 18:28-32 : 28 So they took Jesus from the house of Caiaphas to the Praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not go into the Praetorium, so that they might not become unclean, but might take the Passover. 29 So Pilate came out to them and put the question: What have you to say against this man? 30 They said to him in answer, If the man was not a wrongdoer we would not have given him up to you. 31 Then Pilate said to them, Take him yourselves and let him be judged by your law. But the Jews said to him, We have no right to put any man to death. 32 (That the word of Jesus might come true, pointing to the sort of death he would have.)
• 2 Pet 2:3 : 3 And in their desire for profit they will come to you with words of deceit, like traders doing business in souls: whose punishment has been ready for a long time and their destruction is watching for them.
• Mark 3:2 : 2 And they were watching him to see if he would make him well on the Sabbath day, so that they might have something against him.
• Mark 12:13-17 : 13 Then they sent to him certain of the Pharisees and the Herodians, so that they might make use of his words to take him by a trick. 14 And when they had come, they said to him, Master, we are certain that you are true, and have no fear of anyone: you have no respect for a man's position, but you are teaching the true way of God: Is it right to give taxes to Caesar or not? 15 Are we to give or not to give? But he, conscious of their false hearts, said to them, Why do you put me to the test? give me a penny, so that I may see it. 16 And they gave him one. And he said to them, Whose is this image and name on it? And they said to him, Caesar's. 17 And Jesus said to them, Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's. And they were full of wonder at him.
• Luke 11:54 : 54 And watching him, for a chance to get something from his words which might be used against him.
• 2 Sam 14:2 : 2 And Joab sent to Tekoa and got from there a wise woman, and said to her, Now make yourself seem like one given up to grief, and put on the clothing of sorrow, not using any sweet oil for your body, but looking like one who for a long time has been weeping for the dead:
• 1 Kgs 14:2-6 : 2 And Jeroboam said to his wife, Now come, put on different clothing so that you may not seem to be the wife of Jeroboam, and go to Shiloh; see, Ahijah is there, the prophet who said I would be king over this people. 3 And take with you ten cakes of bread and dry cakes and a pot of honey, and go to him: he will give you word of what is to become of the child. 4 So Jeroboam's wife did so, and got up and went to Shiloh and came to the house of Ahijah. Now Ahijah was unable to see, because he was very old. 5 And the Lord had said to Ahijah, The wife of Jeroboam is coming to get news from you about her son, who is ill; give her such and such an answer; for she will make herself seem to be another woman. 6 Then Ahijah, hearing the sound of her footsteps coming in at the door, said, Come in, O wife of Jeroboam; why do you make yourself seem like another? for I am sent to you with bitter news.
• Ps 37:32-33 : 32 The sinners are watching the upright man, desiring to put him to death. 33 The Lord will not give him into their hands, or be against him when he is judged.
• Ps 38:12 : 12 Those who have a desire to take my life put nets for me; those who are designing my destruction say evil things against me, all the day their minds are full of deceit.
• Ps 66:3 : 3 Say to God, How greatly to be feared are your works! because of your great power your haters are forced to put themselves under your feet.
• Ps 81:15 : 15 The haters of the Lord would be broken, and their destruction would be eternal.
• Isa 29:20-21 : 20 For the cruel one has come to nothing; and those who make sport of the Lord are gone; and those who are watching to do evil are cut off: 21 Who give help to a man in a wrong cause, and who put a net for the feet of him who gives decisions in the public place, taking away a man's right without cause.
• Jer 11:19 : 19 But I was like a gentle lamb taken to be put to death; I had no thought that they were designing evil against me, saying, Come and let us make trouble his food, cutting him off from the land of the living, so that there may be no more memory of his name.
• Jer 18:18 : 18 Then they said, Come, let us make a design against Jeremiah; for teaching will never be cut off from the priest, or wisdom from the wise, or the word from the prophet. Come, let us make use of his words for an attack on him, and let us give attention with care to what he says.
• Jer 20:10 : 10 For numbers of them say evil secretly in my hearing (there is fear on every side): they say, Come, let us give witness against him; all my nearest friends, who are watching for my fall, say, It may be that he will be taken by deceit, and we will get the better of him and give him punishment.
• Matt 22:15-22 : 15 Then the Pharisees went and had a meeting to see how they might make use of his words to take him. 16 And they sent to him their disciples, with the Herodians, saying, Master, we see that you are true, and that you are teaching the true way of God, and have no fear of anyone, because you have no respect for a man's position. 17 Give us, then, your opinion of this: Is it right to give tax to Caesar, or not? 18 But Jesus saw their trick and said, Oh false ones, why are you attempting to put me in the wrong? 19 Let me see the tax money. And they gave him a penny. 20 And he said to them, Whose is this image and name on it? 21 They say to him, Caesar's. Then he said to them, Give to Caesar the things which are Caesar's, and to God the things which are God's. 22 And hearing it, they were full of wonder, and went away from him.