SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 22:53

22:53a

Every day: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Every day means “day by day, regularly, for many days.” Jesus probably referred especially to each day in the week that had just passed. Other ways to translate it are:

Day after day (Revised English Bible)
-or-
daily (New American Standard Bible)

I was with you in the temple courts: Here Jesus was still speaking to the men who came to arrest him. He reminded them that they had seen him every day in the temple courts. He had taught there publicly each day of that week. Many of them had heard what he said. Other ways to translate this clause are:

I have been there with you in the temple
-or-
You were with me ⌊as I taught⌋ in the temple courts.

temple courts: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as temple courts is literally “temple.” Here it refers to the public area around the temple building, not to the building itself. For more information, see the notes on 21:37a. See also temple, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

22:53b

you did not lay a hand on Me: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as you did not lay a hand on Me is an idiom. In this context it implies the meaning “you did nothing to arrest/capture me.” Here is another way to translate this:

you did not try to arrest me (Good News Translation)

Jesus implied here that if he had really done anything wrong, the authorities would have arrested him openly. They did not arrest him in public because they were afraid that the people might harm them for arresting an innocent man.

22:53c

But this hour belongs to you: In this context hour refers to a particular short period of time. Here it has the meaning “opportunity.” The clause this hour belongs to you indicates that on that particular night, in the dark, they had the opportunity to arrest Jesus and to harm him. It also implies that God had allowed them to have that brief opportunity. It was only a short time that they would have to harm him.

Some other ways to translate the clause are:

This is your time
-or-
This opportunity has been given to you
-or-
You have ⌊been allowed⌋ this time
-or-

God⌋ ⌊has allowed⌋ you to have this brief time

In some languages it may be necessary to make clear the purpose of the hour. For example:

this is your hour to act (Good News Translation)
-or-
this is the time that belongs to you…so that you can seize me

22:53d

and to the power of darkness: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and to the power of darkness is more literally “and the power/authority of darkness.” It was nighttime, and dark, when the crowd of men came to arrest Jesus. The darkness symbolizes Satan and his evil power, including the power of the evil spirits that he rules. The phrase the power of darkness implies here that Satan was influencing the people who arrested Jesus.

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that darkness refers here to evil or to Satan. For example:

when in the darkness Satan does what he wants to do
-or-
evil power rules/works now in the dark
-or-
when Satan uses his dark/evil power

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

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