Translation commentary on Luke 23:39

Exegesis:

heis de tōn kremasthentōn kakourgōn ‘one of the criminals who had been hung,’ or, with a shift from the act to the result, ‘who were hanging.’

kremannumi ‘to hang,’ here of crucifixion and equivalent to stauroō (vv. 21, 33).

eblasphēmei auton legōn ‘reviled him by saying.’ For blasphēmeō cf. on 22.65.

ouchi su ei ho Christos ‘are you not the Christ?.’ ouchi indicates that an affirmative answer is expected, and this reveals the question as mockery.

Translation:

Who were hanged, or, ‘who were being crucified,’ ‘who were hanging on the cross.’

Railed at, or, ‘reviled’ (see on 6.22).

Are you not the Christ, or, ‘you are the Messiah, aren’t you’ (cf. Translator’s New Testament), better to suggest the affirmative answer expected.

Save yourself and us. The second pronoun has exclusive force. Balinese has to say here, ‘save your life (honorific) and the life (non-honorific) of the two of us’; in Toraja-Sa’dan it is preferable to repeat the verb before the second object.

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.

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