Exegesis:
kai eipen autō ho diabolos ‘and the devil said to him.’ The subject ho diabolos is also the subject to the preceding clause (where it is not mentioned). This tends to characterize v. 6 as the event to which v. 5 leads up.
soi dōsō tēn exousian tautēn hapasan ‘to you I will give all this power.’ soi is emphatic. dōsō ‘I will give’ does not mean unconditional giving as v. 7 shows.
exousia ‘power,’ ‘authority,’ in a concrete sense ‘ruling power,’ or, ‘domain in which the power is exercised.’ As the demonstrative pronoun tautēn refers to ‘the kingdoms of the world’ of v. 5, exousia must mean here either ‘the power, or, rule over these kingdoms,’ or, ‘this domain.’ The latter interpretation is preferable.
kai tēn doxan autōn ‘and their glory.’ autōn refers back to ‘the kingdoms,’ implied in exousian ‘domain,’ which is in the singular.
hoti emoi paradedotai ‘for to me it has been delivered.’ emoi is emphatic. For paradidōmi cf. on 1.2; here it is used in a neutral sense without the implication of trust or right. Subject of paradedotai is exousia.
kai hō ean thelō didōmi autēn ‘and to any one I please I give it.’ hō ean thelō scil. didonai ‘to anyone I please to give (it),’ conditional-relative clause, stressing the assumption on the part of the devil that it is his privilege, and his only, to give away the power he holds.
didōmi means here ‘I can give’ or ‘I am in a position to give,’ synonymous with paradidōmi.
Translation:
To you I will give all this authority and their glory, or, following the interpretation preferred in Exegesis, ‘all this domain (or, land to rule over) and their glory.’ This incongruous use of the pronouns is unacceptable in many languages; hence, ‘and the glory of the kingdoms in it,’ or, ‘and its glory.’ The other possible meaning of Gr. exousia will result in something like, ‘give you all the authority over (or, the right to rule) all this (land) and (to possess) its glory (or, the glory of the kingdoms of it).’ The verb to give (or a synonym of it) may have to be repeated before the second object. The usual rendering of glory (for which see on 2.9) may not fit here, because the context is uncommon. Several of these points, and some further adjustments, are illustrated in the following quotations, ‘I will give-you that you-will be-in-charge-of all these things, and I-will also give you their-beauty’ (Trukese), ‘you are the one I-will-cause-to-hold this, and included completely everything in it that always satisfies the breath of man (an expression covering fame, wealth, pleasures)’ (Tboli), ‘I-will-give-you you-will-possess and I-will-give-you you-will-enjoy-its-goodness all this’ (Tzeltal), .’.. the ruling of all this kingdom and its fame’ (Shona).
It has been delivered to me, or, ‘handed over to me,’ ‘given to me’ (Tae,’ same verb as used in the next clause); or in active construction, ‘I have received it in my hands’ (Sranan Tongo), ‘it is in my possession.’
I give it to whom I will, or, ‘to whom I want to give it, I am able to give it’ (Tzeltal, similarly Cuyono), ‘it is my pleasure now to cause-to-hold-it the person I choose’ (Tboli), ‘if I want to give it to a person, I (can) do so.’
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.
