Exegesis:

epithumia epethumēsa lit. ‘with desire I desired,’ hebraistic phrase in which the dative epithumia serves to strengthen the meaning of the main verb epethumēsa.

touto to pascha phagein ‘to eat this passover meal,’ cf. on v. 8.

pro tou me pathein ‘before my suffering,’ ‘before I suffer,’ articular accusative and infinitive in a temporal construction. The infinitive pathein is used in the same unspecified way as in 9.22, but it is implied that this suffering will end in death (cf. New English Bible).

Translation:

I have earnestly desired, or, “I have wanted so much” (Good News Translation), ‘with the desire of my heart I wanted’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC).

To eat … with you, or, ‘that I should eat … with you.’ In some languages (e.g. Huixtec) ‘I … with you’ is better rendered by inclusive ‘we.’

Suffer, cf. on 9.22.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.