Translation commentary on John 19:17

He went out is translated “he went out of the city” by Jerusalem Bible (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “he left the city”). This meaning is indicated by verse 20 (the place … was not far from the city).

Carrying his cross is translated “carrying his own cross” by several translators and “carrying the cross by himself” by others. “By himself” is a pronoun in Greek. The picture of Jesus carrying his own cross contrasts with the Synoptic accounts (Mark 15.21 and parallels), according to which Simon the Cyrene is forced to carry Jesus’ cross. John’s version emphasizes that Jesus is master of his destiny.

It was customary for the condemned man to carry the crossbeam—not the entire cross—on his shoulder (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch “with his own cross on his shoulder, he left the city”). To indicate that Jesus carried his cross all the way to the place of execution, it may be best to translate “he carried his own cross, and thus went out of the city to The Place of the Skull.”

The exact location of The Place of the Skull is not known. However, it is generally assumed that the name came from the topology of the place, that is, that it was the hill that somehow resembled a skull. The equivalent of came to “The Place of the Skull” may be expressed in some languages as “came to a place called the Skull Hill.”

In Hebrew (see verse 13) means “in Aramaic”; New English Bible translates “in the Jews’ language.” The Aramaic word Golgotha means “skull” or “head.” For a discussion of different ways in which transliterated names may be introduced, see verse 13.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 19:17

19:17a

Carrying His own cross: As Jesus began walking, he carried the cross on which the soldiers would crucify him. The other gospels tell us that a man named Simon would have to carry it part of the way. So you do not want to say that Jesus carried the cross the whole way. John just says that he went out, leaving Jerusalem.

In some languages it is necessary to say where or how Jesus was carrying the cross. He was probably carrying it over his shoulder. In some languages it may be more natural to use an independent clause to translate phrase. For example:

He carried his own cross (God’s Word)

His own: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as His own indicates that Jesus was carrying his own cross without help. The other gospels say that Jesus did not carry it all the way, but he did carry it at first. Here are other ways to translate this idea:

carrying the cross by himself (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
and he carried his cross (Contemporary English Version)

cross: In cultures where a cross is unknown, it is more natural to speak of its use rather than its shape. For example:

the beam on which criminals are nailed to die
-or-
the wood on which they would nail/kill him

19:17b

He went out: The pronoun He here refers to Jesus, but the soldiers and the crowd went with him. So in some languages it is more natural to make that explicit. For example:

they went out
-or-
they left

went out: The verb went out here refers to leaving the city of Jerusalem. In some languages it may be natural to make this explicit. For example:

went out ⌊of the city⌋ (God’s Word)

to The Place of the Skull: The name of the place where the soldiers took Jesus was The Place of the Skull. Many scholars understand that this place was a hill near Jerusalem that had a shape like a human skull. That may be true, although the gospels say nothing about a hill, nor why the place name referred to a skull. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

to the place called “The Place of a Skull” (English Standard Version)
-or-
to a location called The Skull (God’s Word)
-or-
to “The Place of the Skull,” as it is called (Good News Translation)

Skull: This word refers to the bones of a head, part of a human skeleton.

General Comment on 19:17a–b

The way that some languages use verbs of coming and going may make it natural to rearrange some information in 19:17a–b. For example:

He went out, carrying his cross, and came to “The Place of the Skull,” as it is called. (Good News Translation)

19:17c

which in Hebrew is called Golgotha: The Aramaic word for “skull” was Golgotha. This is background information, and in some languages it may be natural to indicate this in some way. For example:

• Use parentheses. For example:

(which in Aramaic is called Golgotha) (New International Version)

• Translate this as a separate sentence. For example:

In Aramaic this place is called “Golgotha.” (Contemporary English Version)

• Put a separate sentence in parentheses. For example:

(In Hebrew it is called “Golgotha.”) (Good News Translation)

Hebrew: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Hebrew refers to the language that Jews spoke in Jesus’ time. Some translations say “Aramaic,” which is the name in modern English. Here are some other ways that this clause can be translated:

the Jewish language
-or-
the language that the Jews speak

Because John the author was a Jew, in some languages it is more natural to translate it like this:

our (excl.) language
-or-
the language that we (excl.) Jews speak

See how you translated this word in 19:13.

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