Luke 3:8

World English Bible (2000)

Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and don't begin to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father;' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones!

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ποιήσατε οὖν καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας, καὶ μὴ ἄρξησθε λέγειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ: λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, Ὅτι δύναται ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ.

Transliteration

Poiesate oun karpous axious of-the metanoias, and not arxesthe legein in yourselves, Father echomen the Abraam: I-say gar to-you, That dynatai the Theos from the lithon these egeirai tekna to-the Abraam.

Grammar Details

• *Poiesate*: aorist, active, imperative, 2nd person, plural - produce/make
• *oun*: inferential particle - therefore/then
• *karpous*: accusative, masculine, plural - fruits
• *axious*: accusative, masculine, plural - worthy
• *metanoias*: genitive, feminine, singular - of repentance
• *arxesthe*: aorist, middle, subjunctive, 2nd person, plural - begin
• *legein*: present, active, infinitive - to say
• *echomen*: present, active, indicative, 1st person, plural - we have
• *Abraam*: dative, masculine, singular - to/for Abraham
• *gar*: postpositive particle - for
• *dynatai*: present, middle/passive, indicative, 3rd person, singular - is able
• *Theos*: nominative, masculine, singular - God
• *lithon*: genitive, masculine, plural - of stones
• *egeirai*: aorist, active, infinitive - to raise up
• *tekna*: accusative, neuter, plural - children

Word Meanings

• *Poiesate*: produce/make/bear/do
• *karpous*: fruits/produce/results
• *axious*: worthy/fitting/appropriate
• *metanoias*: repentance/change of mind
• *arxesthe*: begin/start
• *legein*: to say/to speak/to tell
• *dynatai*: is able/can/has power
• *lithon*: stones/rocks
• *egeirai*: to raise up/to awaken/to cause to rise
• *tekna*: children/descendants/offspring

Referenced Verses

• Acts 26:20 : 20 but declared first to them of Damascus, at Jerusalem, and throughout all the country of Judea, and also to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, doing works worthy of repentance.
• John 8:33 : 33 They answered him, "We are Abraham's seed, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How do you say, 'You will be made free?'"
• Isa 1:16-18 : 16 Wash yourselves, make yourself clean. Put away the evil of your doings from before my eyes. Cease to do evil. 17 Learn to do well. Seek justice. Relieve the oppressed. Judge the fatherless. Plead for the widow." 18 "Come now, and let us reason together," says Yahweh: "Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
• Ezek 18:27-31 : 27 Again, when the wicked man turns away from his wickedness that he has committed, and does that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considers, and turns away from all his transgressions that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 29 Yet says the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. house of Israel, are not my ways equal? Aren't your ways unequal? 30 Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways, says the Lord Yahweh. Return, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, in which you have transgressed; and make yourself a new heart and a new spirit: for why will you die, house of Israel?
• Matt 21:43 : 43 "Therefore I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and will be given to a nation bringing forth its fruit.
• Gal 5:22-24 : 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions and lusts.
• Rom 4:16 : 16 For this cause it is of faith, that it may be according to grace, to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed, not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all.
• Rom 9:7 : 7 Neither, because they are Abraham's seed, are they all children. But, "In Isaac will your seed be called."
• 2 Cor 7:10-11 : 10 For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world works death. 11 For behold, this same thing, that you were made sorry in a godly way, what earnest care it worked in you. Yes, what defense, indignation, fear, longing, zeal, and vengeance! In everything you demonstrated yourselves to be pure in the matter.
• Gal 3:28-29 : 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 If you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to promise.
• Phil 1:11 : 11 being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.
• Heb 6:7-8 : 7 For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and brings forth a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; 8 but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned.
• John 8:39 : 39 They answered him, "Our father is Abraham." Jesus said to them, "If you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham.
• Luke 13:28-29 : 28 There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets, in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves being thrown outside. 29 They will come from the east, west, north, and south, and will sit down in the Kingdom of God.
• Luke 16:23-31 : 23 In Hades, he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at his bosom. 24 He cried and said, 'Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.' 25 "But Abraham said, 'Son, remember that you, in your lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in the same way, bad things. But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. 26 Besides all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass from here to you are not able, and that none may cross over from there to us.' 27 "He said, 'I ask you therefore, father, that you would send him to my father's house; 28 for I have five brothers, that he may testify to them, so they won't also come into this place of torment.' 29 "But Abraham said to him, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.' 30 "He said, 'No, father Abraham, but if one goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 31 "He said to him, 'If they don't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.'"
• Luke 19:40 : 40 He answered them, "I tell you that if these were silent, the stones would cry out."
• Matt 8:11-12 : 11 I tell you that many will come from the east and the west, and will sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of Heaven, 12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
• Isa 48:1-2 : 1 "Hear this, house of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel, and have come forth out of the waters of Judah; who swear by the name of Yahweh, and make mention of the God of Israel, but not in truth, nor in righteousness 2 (for they call themselves of the holy city, and stay themselves on the God of Israel; Yahweh of Armies is his name):
• Jer 7:4-9 : 4 Don't trust in lying words, saying, The temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, the temple of Yahweh, are these. 5 For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings; if you thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor; 6 if you don't oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow, and don't shed innocent blood in this place, neither walk after other gods to your own hurt: 7 then will I cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers, from of old even forevermore. 8 Behold, you trust in lying words, that can't profit. 9 Will you steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after other gods that you have not known, 10 and come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, We are delivered; that you may do all these abominations?
• Josh 4:3-8 : 3 and command them, saying, 'Take from out of the middle of the Jordan, out of the place where the priests' feet stood firm, twelve stones, and carry them over with you, and lay them down in the lodging place, where you will lodge tonight.'" 4 Then Joshua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Israel, out of every tribe a man. 5 Joshua said to them, "Pass over before the ark of Yahweh your God into the middle of the Jordan, and each of you pick up a stone and put it on your shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; 6 that this may be a sign among you, that when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do you mean by these stones?' 7 then you shall tell them, 'Because the waters of the Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of Yahweh. When it passed over the Jordan, the waters of the Jordan were cut off. These stones shall be for a memorial to the children of Israel forever.'" 8 The children of Israel did as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the middle of the Jordan, as Yahweh spoke to Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel; and they carried them over with them to the place where they lodged, and laid them down there.