15:24a

they crucified Him: The clause they crucified him means that the soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. They did this to kill him. This was a Roman method of execution that was slow and painful.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

they nailed him to the cross
-or-
they nailed him to the cross to kill him

The way you translate “crucify” should not imply that Jesus died at the moment that they nailed him to the cross.

After the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross, they raised the cross to a standing position. Consider if it may be helpful to make this explicit in your translation. See how you translated “crucify” at 15:13 and 15:20d.

15:24b

They also divided His garments: The clause They also divided His garments here means that the soldiers decided who would get the different items of Jesus’ clothing. It does not mean that they tore his clothes into pieces and distributed the pieces among themselves.

It was a Roman custom that the soldiers who crucified a criminal had the right to take his clothes for themselves. Jesus’ clothing included an outer robe, a tunic (a shirt worn under the robe), and probably also a belt and sandals.

15:24c

by casting lots: The clause by casting lots indicates that the soldiers threw small objects (possibly dice) on the ground. Then they looked at the way these things fell. They did this to decide which soldier would get which item of Jesus’ clothing. For example, the God’s Word says:

they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice to see what each one would get

If you have a similar way to choose something by chance, consider using it here. If not, you could say something general like:

They selected by chance
-or-
They played a game of luck

to decide what each of them would take: The phrase to decide what each of them would take here means “in order to decide which soldier would receive which item of clothing.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

to determine who would win which piece/item of his clothes
-or-
to decide what each of them should take

General Comment on 15:24b–c

The meaning of “to see what each would get” (15:24c) is similar to the meaning of “dividing up his clothes” (15:24b). In some languages it will be natural to combine these phrases. For example:

They decided/chose who would get which item of his clothing by casting lots.
-or-
They cast lots to determine/choose which one of them would take each item of Jesus’ clothing.

Paragraph 15:25–32

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