15:45a

When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion is literally “knowing from the centurion.” That is, the centurion answered Pilate’s question and confirmed that Jesus was already dead. In some languages, the verb for “knowing” that the Berean Standard Bible translates as confirmed might be more naturally translated as “knew” or “understood.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

When the officer had assured him that… (God’s Word)
-or-
After hearing the officer’s report (Good News Bible)

In some languages it may be more natural to say explicitly that the centurion answered Pilate’s question. For example:

The centurion answered/confirmed that…
-or-
The centurion answered, “Yes, sir…”

it: The word it means “that Jesus had already died.” Pilate now knew that what Joseph had said was true. If you are translating the centurion’s response as direct speech, you may wish to translate this as:

“Yes, he is already dead.”
-or-
“It is true that he has died.”

15:45b

he granted the body to Joseph: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as granted refers to someone in authority officially giving something. Some English versions translate it as “give.” Pilate himself did not give Jesus’ body to Joseph. He granted permission for Joseph to take the body in order to bury it.

the body: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as body refers specifically to a dead body. Some English versions translate it as “corpse.”

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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