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Ἐγένετο δὲ ἀποθανεῖν τὸν πτωχόν, καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἰς τὸν κόλπον Ἀβραάμ· ἀπέθανε δὲ καὶ ὁ πλούσιος, καὶ ἐτάφη.
RBT Greek Interlinear:
Strongs 1096  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Egeneto
Ἐγένετο
Has become
V-AIM-3S
Strongs 1161  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
de
δὲ
and
Conj
Strongs 599  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
apothanein
ἀποθανεῖν
to die
V-ANA
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
ton
τὸν
the
Art-AMS
Strongs 4434  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
ptōchon
πτωχὸν
cowering one
Adj-AMS
Strongs 2532  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
kai
καὶ
and
Conj
Strongs 667  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
apenechthēnai
ἀπενεχθῆναι
to be carried off
V-ANP
Strongs 846  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
auton
αὐτὸν
himself
PPro-AM3S
Strongs 5259  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
hypo
ὑπὸ
under
Prep
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
tōn
τῶν
the
Art-GMP
Strongs 32  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
angelōn
ἀγγέλων
angels
N-GMP
Strongs 1519  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
eis
εἰς
into
Prep
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
ton
τὸν
the
Art-AMS
Strongs 2859  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
kolpon
κόλπον
bosom/fold
N-AMS
Strongs 11  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
Abraam
Ἀβραάμ
Abraham
N-GMS
Strongs 599  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
apethanen
ἀπέθανεν
died
V-AIA-3S
Strongs 1161  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
de
δὲ
and
Conj
Strongs 2532  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
kai
καὶ
and
Conj
Strongs 3588  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
ho

the
Art-NMS
Strongs 4145  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
plousios
πλούσιος
rich
Adj-NMS
Strongs 2532  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
kai
καὶ
and
Conj
Strongs 2290  [list]
Λογεῖον
Perseus
etaphē
ἐτάφη
He was buried
V-AIP-3S
RBT Hebrew Literal:
ἀποφέρω - Carried Off
And the Cowering One became to die and to be carried off by himself below the Angels into the Fold/Gulf of Father of Multitude ("Abraham"), and the Rich One also died and was buried.62
Helpless in the In-Between

κόλπος a hollow - denotes a variety of meanings centering on the concept of an enfolding or enclosing space. In its primary physical sense, it refers to the bosom of a mother or nurse (Il. 6.400, 467), or more broadly, the belly or entrails, especially in the plural (Eur. Hel. 1159; Call. Jov. 15).
It also commonly designates the fold of a garment, where items might be held (Il. 22.80; Od. 15.468). By extension, it may describe natural hollows such as the trough between sea waves, the bosom of the sea, or the interior of the earth, including references to the underworld (Il. 18.140; Opp. C. 3.11; Ar. Av. 694).

Julia Smith Literal 1876 Translation:
And it was, the beggar died, and was carried by messengers into Abraham's bosom: and the rich one died also, and was buried;
LITV Translation:
And it happened, the poor one died and was carried away by the angels into the bosom of Abraham. And the rich one also died and was buried.
ESV Translation:
Error retrieving verse.

Footnotes

62

The phrase Ἐγένετο ἀποθανεῖν καὶ ἀπενεχθῆναι αὐτόν (Luke 16:22) may be analyzed in two ways. Grammatically, it consists of the aorist middle indicative ἐγένετο ("it/he came to be") governing two aorist infinitives, ἀποθανεῖν ("to die") and ἀπενεχθῆναι ("to be carried away"), with αὐτόν ("him") as the accusative subject of both infinitives. It has been interpreted as idiom, or what is called, a periphrastic infinitive construction with γίγνομαι + infinitive(s). It is unusual, but was considered to be meant for the narration of events in a formal, almost liturgical style, i.e. "And it came to pass...." Such a phrase would not be used in normal dialogue—periphrasis refers to the use of more words to express a concept that could be conveyed more simply with a single word. But was that the point? In the very same verse, the simple word is used of the rich man, "and he also died."

A strictly formal rendering would be: "It came to be to die and to be carried off by him." 

Carried Up or Carried Off?

ἀπενεχθῆναι αὐτὸν does not mean "carried by him." It means "to be carried away by him" or "to be carried off", with the emphasis on the subject being the one who is carried away. The word αὐτὸν seems to be skipped over/deleted by other translations.

The verb ἀποφέρω (and its derived forms) generally means "to carry away," "to bring back," or "to take away." While its basic meaning is neutral, it carries numerous negative connotations depending on the context. In some uses, it describes the act of carrying off spoils or losses (e.g., ἀπένεικαν τεύχεα

"They carried off the armor," Odyssey 16.360),

or the dissipation of something, as in ἀπενεχθέντες ἐς Λιβύην

"Having been carried off to Libya," Thucydides 7.50).

These suggest negative outcomes, such as loss or theft. Additionally, the verb is used metaphorically to indicate paying back or returning something, often in contexts of debt or punishment as in ἀπήνεγκε παρανόμων

"He handed in an accusation," Demosthenes),

which can carry the weight of unpleasant repayment. Lastly, it can describe the returning of individuals, such as a sick person being carried home, again often implying a tragic or unwelcome return (e.g., ἀπηνέχθη εἰς . . ἔτι ζῶν – "He was carried back while still alive").

(See Logeion ἀποφέρω)

Thus, ἀποφέρω is simply not the right word to express "carried by angels" in a positive sense. Instead, ἀναφέρω or ἐπαναφέρω would be more appropriate, as both verbs have meanings related to raising up, lifting, or carrying in a more neutral or positive sense, and can be used in contexts involving divine or heavenly beings.

  • ἀναφέρω (to carry up, to bring to) can convey the idea of being lifted or raised up, which aligns more closely with the notion of being carried by (good) angels.

  • ἐπαναφέρω (to carry back or to restore) is also a possible alternative in certain contexts, though ἀναφέρω would be a better fit for something like "carried by angels".

For example, if you want to say "carried by angels," a better translation would be ἀναφέρεται ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων or ἀναφέρεται ὑπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων depending on the tense and nuance.