Luke 14:30
New International Version
saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

New Living Translation
They would say, ‘There’s the person who started that building and couldn’t afford to finish it!’

English Standard Version
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Berean Standard Bible
saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’

Berean Literal Bible
saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

King James Bible
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

New King James Version
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish’?

New American Standard Bible
saying, ‘This person began to build, and was not able to finish!’

NASB 1995
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

NASB 1977
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Legacy Standard Bible
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’

Amplified Bible
saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish!’

Christian Standard Bible
saying, ‘This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

Holman Christian Standard Bible
saying, This man started to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

American Standard Version
saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Contemporary English Version
They will say, "You started building, but could not finish the job."

English Revised Version
saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
They'll say, 'This person started to build but couldn't finish the job.'

Good News Translation
'You began to build but can't finish the job!' they will say.

International Standard Version
and say, 'This person started a building but couldn't finish it.'

Majority Standard Bible
saying, ?This man could not finish what he started to build.?

NET Bible
They will say, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish!'

New Heart English Bible
saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish.'

Webster's Bible Translation
Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Weymouth New Testament
saying, 'This man began to build, but could not finish.'

World English Bible
saying, ‘This man began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Berean Literal Bible
saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

Young's Literal Translation
saying -- This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Smith's Literal Translation
Saying, That this man began to build, and was not able to finish.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Saying: This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Catholic Public Domain Version
saying: ‘This man began to build what he was not able to finish.’

New American Bible
and say, ‘This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish.’

New Revised Standard Version
saying, ‘This fellow began to build and was not able to finish.’
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Saying, This man began to build, but he was not able to finish.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“And they say, 'This man began to build and could not finish?”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Godbey New Testament
saying, that this man began to build, and was not able to complete it.

Haweis New Testament
saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Mace New Testament
this man, will they say, began to build, but wanted stock to finish.

Weymouth New Testament
saying, 'This man began to build, but could not finish.'

Worrell New Testament
saying, 'This man began to build, and was not able to finish!'

Worsley New Testament
all that see it, should deride him, saying, this man began to build and was not able to finish.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Cost of Discipleship
29Otherwise, if he lays the foundation and is unable to finish the work, everyone who sees it will ridicule him, 30saying, ‘This man could not finish what he started to build.’ 31Or what king on his way to war with another king will not first sit down and consider whether he can engage with ten thousand men the one coming against him with twenty thousand?…

Cross References
Matthew 7:26-27
But everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. / The rain fell, the torrents raged, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its collapse!”

Matthew 21:42-44
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? / Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. / He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.”

Proverbs 24:30-34
I went past the field of a slacker and by the vineyard of a man lacking judgment. / Thorns had grown up everywhere, thistles had covered the ground, and the stone wall was broken down. / I observed and took it to heart; I looked and received instruction: ...

James 1:22-24
Be doers of the word, and not hearers only. Otherwise, you are deceiving yourselves. / For anyone who hears the word but does not carry it out is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror, / and after observing himself goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15
By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one must be careful how he builds. / For no one can lay a foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. / If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, or straw, ...

Isaiah 28:16-17
So this is what the Lord GOD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; the one who believes will never be shaken. / I will make justice the measuring line and righteousness the level. Hail will sweep away your refuge of lies, and water will flood your hiding place.

Matthew 25:1-13
“At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. / Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. / The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take along any extra oil. ...

Ezekiel 13:10-16
Because they have led My people astray, saying, ‘Peace,’ when there is no peace, and whitewashing any flimsy wall that is built, / tell those whitewashing the wall that it will fall. Rain will come in torrents, I will send hailstones plunging down, and a windstorm will burst forth. / Surely when the wall has fallen, you will not be asked, ‘Where is the whitewash with which you covered it?’ ...

1 Peter 2:6-8
For it stands in Scripture: “See, I lay in Zion a stone, a chosen and precious cornerstone; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.” / To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” / and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.

Matthew 13:19-23
When anyone hears the message of the kingdom but does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. / The seed sown on rocky ground is the one who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. / But since he has no root, he remains for only a season. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. ...

Psalm 127:1
A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain; unless the LORD protects the city, its watchmen stand guard in vain.

Hebrews 3:4
And every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

Matthew 16:18
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it.

Jeremiah 18:15-17
Yet My people have forgotten Me. They burn incense to worthless idols that make them stumble in their ways, leaving the ancient roads to walk on rutted bypaths instead of on the highway. / They have made their land a desolation, a perpetual object of scorn; all who pass by will be appalled and shake their heads. / I will scatter them before the enemy like the east wind. I will show them My back and not My face in the day of their calamity.”

Romans 9:32-33
Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone, / as it is written: “See, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense; and the one who believes in Him will never be put to shame.”


Treasury of Scripture

Saying, This man began to build, and was not able to finish.

Matthew 7:27
And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it.

Matthew 27:3-8
Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, …

Acts 1:18,19
Now this man purchased a field with the reward of iniquity; and falling headlong, he burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels gushed out…

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Able Build Building Complete Fellow Finish Start Wasn't
Luke 14
1. Jesus heals the dropsy on the Sabbath;
7. teaches humility;
12. to feast the poor;
15. under the parable of the great supper,
23. shows how worldly minded men shall be shut out of heaven.
25. Those who will be his disciples, to bear their cross must make their accounts beforehand,
31. lest with shame they revolt from him afterward;
34. and become altogether unprofitable, like salt that has lost its flavor.














This man
In the context of Luke 14:30, "this man" refers to the individual who began a project but was unable to complete it. The Greek word used here is "οὗτος" (houtos), which is a demonstrative pronoun meaning "this" or "this one." It emphasizes the specific person being pointed out, highlighting the personal responsibility and the public nature of the failure. In a broader sense, it serves as a cautionary example for believers to consider the cost of discipleship and the importance of commitment in their spiritual journey.

began to build
The phrase "began to build" is derived from the Greek "ἤρξατο οἰκοδομεῖν" (ērxato oikodomein). "ἤρξατο" (ērxato) means "began," indicating the initiation of an action, while "οἰκοδομεῖν" (oikodomein) means "to build" or "to construct." This phrase suggests the commencement of a significant undertaking, symbolizing the start of a spiritual or life endeavor. In the historical context, building projects were substantial commitments, requiring careful planning and resources. Spiritually, it underscores the necessity for believers to thoughtfully consider their commitment to Christ and the kingdom work before embarking on their faith journey.

and was not able to finish
The phrase "and was not able to finish" comes from the Greek "καὶ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ἐκτελέσαι" (kai ouk ischusen ekteleai). "ἴσχυσεν" (ischusen) means "was able" or "had the strength," and "ἐκτελέσαι" (ekteleai) means "to finish" or "to complete." This phrase highlights the failure to bring a task to completion due to a lack of resources, planning, or perseverance. In the scriptural context, it serves as a metaphor for the spiritual life, where believers are encouraged to count the cost of discipleship and ensure they have the spiritual resources and commitment necessary to persevere in their faith. Historically, unfinished projects were often seen as public embarrassments, and this serves as a warning against half-hearted or ill-prepared spiritual commitments.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
saying,
λέγοντες (legontes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

‘This
Οὗτος (Houtos)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

man
ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

could
ἴσχυσεν (ischysen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2480: To have strength, be strong, be in full health and vigor, be able; meton: I prevail. From ischus; to have force.

not
οὐκ (ouk)
Adverb
Strong's 3756: No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.

finish
ἐκτελέσαι (ektelesai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 1615: To complete, bring to completion, carry out, perform. From ek and teleo; to complete fully.

what he started
ἤρξατο (ērxato)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 756: To begin. Middle voice of archo; to commence.

to build.’
οἰκοδομεῖν (oikodomein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 3618: From the same as oikodome; to be a house-builder, i.e. Construct or confirm.


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NT Gospels: Luke 14:30 Saying 'This man began to build (Luke Lu Lk)
Luke 14:29
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