“Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over”
Luke 6:38
Cultural referenceSettledJesus
Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Luke 6:38 BSB)
What it sounds like today
Poetic abundance language.
The cultural key
A grain-market scene, step by step: an honest seller fills the measure, presses the grain down, shakes the vessel so it settles into every gap, then keeps pouring until it overflows. 'Into your lap' is the kolpos, the fold of the outer robe pulled up over the belt to form a carrying pouch; it was the everyday pocket, and grain was literally poured into it.
Recovered meaning
God's repayment of generosity is described as the most generous measuring practice a market ever saw, delivered into the fold of your own robe. The closing line turns it: the measure you use is the one used back on you.
Parallels: Mark 4:24