Paragraph 19:23–24

This paragraph tells how the soldiers divided Jesus’ clothes and decided who would get his tunic by casting lots.

19:23a

When the soldiers had crucified Jesus: This clause introduces what happened after the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross and placed the sign above his head. The action changes from what Pilate and the chief priests said to what the soldiers did. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
As for the soldiers, when they had nailed Jesus to the cross (Kankanaey Back Translation)

19:23b

they divided His garments into four parts: Before they nailed Jesus to the cross, the soldiers removed his clothes, which was their custom. These clothes then belonged to the men who crucified the person. In this case there were four soldiers, so they divided the clothes into four parts. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

they took his clothing and divided it into four shares (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares (NET Bible)

they divided His garments into four parts: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as divided is more literally “made.” That could mean that there were four pieces of clothing, including a belt, head cover, and sandals. Or they could have divided the pieces of cloth that were sewn together to make one piece of clothing. Translate this idea using the term that is natural in your language. For example:

they put/made his garments into four shares

they divided His garments: In some languages it may be natural to keep the idea that the soldiers took Jesus’ clothes explicit like in the Greek text. For example:

they took his clothes and divided them into four parts (New Revised Standard Version)

garments: It is good to translate garments with a general word that can include items such as sandals and belt.

19:23c

one for each soldier: This phrase indicates that each of the four soldiers there received one part or share of Jesus’ clothes. Possibly each soldier received one item. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

one for each of them (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
so that each soldier could have a share (God’s Word)
-or-
with each soldier getting one part (New Century Version)

General Comment on 19:23b–c

In some languages it may be natural to combine 19:23b–c. For example:

they divided his clothes among the four of them (New Living Translation (2004))

19:23d

with the tunic remaining: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with the tunic remaining is more literally “and/also the tunic.” It indicates that in addition to the clothes that had been divided into four parts, there was also a tunic. This tunic was also an item of clothing. However, the soldiers did not include it in the clothes that they divided into four parts.

the tunic: There are two ways that English translations have understood the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tunic :

(1) It was a long garment (piece of clothes) like a shirt that was worn under other clothes. For example:

his long shirt (New Century Version)
-or-
undergarment (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

(2) It was a long garment like a robe or cloak that was worn outside other clothes. For example:

outer garment (Contemporary English Version)

(Good News Translation, King James Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version)

Other translations use the word tunic, which can be understood either way. (New American Standard Bible also uses tunic, but contrasts it with the outer garments.) It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and most Bible scholars.

19:23e

The Greek begins this clause with a conjunction that introduces an explanation of the situation, some background information. Some translations, like the Berean Standard Bible, leave this word implied. The NET Bible puts this clause in parentheses. Introduce this background information in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

But (Contemporary English Version)

It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom: The term seamless indicates that the tunic had no seams (places where two pieces of cloth join). It was made from one piece of cloth, not from two or more pieces of cloth sewn together. A piece of clothes in one piece was more valuable than four separate pieces would be. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

which was all one piece of cloth, woven from top to bottom (New Century Version)
-or-
It didn’t have a seam because it had been woven in one piece from top to bottom. (God’s Word)

General Comment on 19:23e

In some languages it may be natural to rearrange the information in 19:23e. For example:

his long shirt was made from a single piece of cloth which did not have any seams
-or-
which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it (Good News Translation)

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