Paragraph 19:8–10

19:8a

Bible scholars have different views about exactly when and where the events of this paragraph happened. But some time passed before Zacchaeus spoke the words in 19:8. Zacchaeus and Jesus may have been in his house with other guests or outside the house where the whole crowd could hear what they said. In some languages it may be necessary or helpful to indicate that some time had passed. For example:

A little later
-or-
Later that day (Contemporary English Version)

But: What Zacchaeus said in this verse contrasts with what the crowd said about him in 19:7 (that he was a sinful man). So some English versions begin this verse with But. Other versions have “and” or do not have a conjunction. Begin the verse in a way that natural in your language.

Zacchaeus stood up: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as stood up is literally “stood” or “standing.” There are two ways to interpret it in this context:

(1) It indicates that Zacchaeus stood up from a sitting position. For example:

Zacchaeus stood up (Contemporary English Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, King James Version)

(2) It indicates that Zacchaeus stopped or kept standing where he was. For example:

Zacchaeus stood there (New Revised Standard Version)

(New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Living Translation (2004))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Zacchaeus was about to make an important statement. It was proper for him to stand so that everyone there could see him and listen to what he said.

and said to the Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord means “master.” It is also a word that the Jews used to address God. Luke often used the title Lord to refer to Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that the title refers to Jesus here. For example:

and said to the/our Lord ⌊Jesus⌋

See Lord, Context 3, in the Glossary.

19:8b

Look: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Look introduces a statement that Zacchaeus wanted Jesus to pay special attention to. In this context the word Look implies that the statement will be important. It may also imply that the statement will be surprising. Some ways to translate the word in English are:

Behold (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Listen (Good News Translation)
-or-
See

If you have a word or phrase in your language that draws special attention to a statement, you may be able to use it here.

Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord is often used as a polite way to address a master or respected religious leader. Here Zacchaeus used it to address Jesus.

The word Lord occurs twice in this verse. Both Luke and Zacchaeus recognized Jesus as representing God. It should be clear in your translation that Zacchaeus was being very respectful in the way he spoke to Jesus.

See Lord, Context 3, in the Glossary for more information and for translation suggestions.

half of my possessions I give to the poor: In this clause Zacchaeus was promising to give half of his goods to poor people in the future. He was not literally giving those things to them while he was speaking. The present form of give indicates that Zacchaeus would certainly keep his promise.

Use a natural way in your language to make a promise like this. Some other ways to translate it in English are:

I will give half my wealth to the poor (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
I am going to give half my property to the poor (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
half of my possessions I will give to the poor (New American Standard Bible)

Notice that the New Living Translation (2004) and New Jerusalem Bible have used a different order of phrases than the Berean Standard Bible has. Use a natural order in your language to emphasize this promise.

half of my possessions: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as possessions refers to what Zacchaeus owned. It can also be translated “belongings” or “property.”

In some languages it may be difficult to translate a word like half. It may be more helpful to translate the idea in a different way. For example:

I will divide what I own into two equal groups/parts and give one group/part to poor people

the poor: See how you translated this phrase in 18:22.

19:8c–d

and if I have cheated anyone, I will repay it fourfold: In this statement Zacchaeus announced what he would do for anyone whom he had cheated. He was probably admitting that he had cheated people when he collected their taxes.

In many languages it may be helpful to use a more definite statement than the if clause expresses in English. For example:

I’ll pay four times as much as I owe to those I have cheated in any way. (God’s Word)
-or-
And I will now pay back four times as much to everyone I have ever cheated. (Contemporary English Version)

Notice that both of these examples change the order of the clauses in the statement. Use a natural order in your language.

cheated anyone: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cheated refers here to taking money from people by making false charges. In his work as a tax collector Zacchaeus could say that people must pay more money than they really owed. Other ways to translate this are:

defrauded anyone (Revised English Bible)
-or-
dishonestly taken too much money/payment from someone

repay it fourfold: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as repay means “to give” or “to pay.” Here Zacchaeus promised to give four times what he had gained. For example, if he had cheated a person and gained one hundred silver coins, he promised to give him four hundred silver coins. Here is another way to translate this:

I will give them back four times as much! (New Living Translation (2004))

When Zacchaeus did this, he was obeying the Old Testament Law. If you are using footnotes to give your readers background information, you may want to include one here. For example:

Old Testament law required that when someone had gained money or goods by trickery or stealing, he must pay back more than the amount that was taken. See Exodus 22:1–9 for a list of cases and how much to pay back. Zacchaeus promised to pay back the maximum amount.

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