Section 23:6–12
Pilate sent Jesus to Ruler Herod
In this section Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who ruled over the region of Galilee, so that Herod could hear the Jewish charges against him. Some English translations have a heading here and some do not. Do what seems best in your language.
Examples of other headings for this section are:
Jesus before Herod (Good News Translation)
-or-
Herod listened to the charges against Jesus
There are no parallel passages for this section.
Paragraph 23:6–7
23:6a–b
When Pilate heard this: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as When Pilate heard this is more literally “and having heard.” It refers to what Pilate heard the Jewish leaders say about Jesus in 23:5c. They said that Jesus started his teaching in Galilee. That was the basis for the question that Pilate asked them in 23:6b. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:
When Pilate heard this (Good News Translation)
-or-
After hearing what ⌊the Jewish leaders said⌋
-or-
When ⌊the Jewish leaders said⌋ that, Pilate…
he asked if the man was a Galilean: This clause uses indirect speech. Pilate asked the Jewish leaders if Jesus was a Galilean. In some languages, it may not be natural for Luke to refer to Jesus as the man. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate it are:
• Use direct speech. For example:
Pilate asked, “Is the man a Galilean?”
• Make explicit that Pilate was referring to Jesus. For example:
Pilate asked if Jesus was a Galilean.
Translate Pilate’s question in a natural way in your language.
if the man was a Galilean: The phrase a Galilean refers here to a person who was a legal resident of the district of Galilee. Jesus was not born in Galilee, but he lived there for many years as a child and as a man. Some other ways to translate the question are:
if Jesus lived in Galilee
-or-
Is he a Galilee citizen/person?
-or-
Does he come from Galilee?
The term a Galilean also occurs in 22:59c. You may be able to translate it in the same way here. However, in this context Pilate was using the term in a legal sense, so you may need to translate it in a different way here.
the man: Some Bible scholars think that the phrase the man may be a disrespectful way to refer to Jesus. However, it is not necessary to assume that. Translate in a way that refers clearly to Jesus.
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