Translation commentary on Luke 18:31

Exegesis:

paralabōn de tous dōdeka ‘and after taking aside the twelve,’ i.e. taking them away from the other people around them, in order to talk to them privately.

idou anabainomen eis Ierousalēm ‘see, we are going up to Jerusalem.’ idou (cf. on 1.20) does not primarily focus the attention on anabainomen (which denotes a fact well known since 9.51) but on telesthēsetai etc. For anabainō cf. on 2.4.

kai telesthēsetai panta ta gegrammena dia tōn prophētōn tō huiō tou anthrōpou ‘and (when we are there) all that has been written through the prophets about the Son of man will be accomplished.’ For teleō cf. on 2.39. Here the idea of fulfillment is also implied. dia tōn prophētōn depicts the prophets as transmitters of a divine message of which God is the author. The dative tō huiō tou anthrōpou (cf. on 5.24) may go with telesthēsetai (cf. New English Bible), or with gegrammena (cf. Revised Standard Version), preferably the latter.

Translation:

Taking, i.e. ‘taking aside,’ suggesting that they remained in the same place, or, ‘taking with him’ (cf. on 9.10), implying that they moved along with Jesus.

For the twelve see on 8.1, and for going up on 2.4.

Everything that is written … by the prophets, or, ‘through the agency of the prophets’ (Marathi): or, ‘everything that is written … in (or, stands in, or, forms the contents of) the books of the prophets.’ In cases like this however, the difference between primary and secondary agency is negligible; hence, renderings like Revised Standard Version and ‘all that the prophets wrote…’ (Yao). For equivalent formulas cf. also on “as it is written” in 2.23.

Will be accomplished, or ‘fulfilled’ (cf. on 4.21), ‘will become a fact’; or transposing the first part of the clause, ‘everything will happen exactly in accordance with what (or, as it) is written in….’

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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 18:31

Section 18:31–34

Jesus again predicted his death

Jesus had told his disciples in 9:22 and 9:44 that people would kill him and that he would rise from the dead after three days. In this section Jesus again told the disciples that these things would happen to him. This time he gave more details about how these events would happen.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other examples of headings for this section are:

Jesus Again Predicts His Death (New International Version)
-or-
Jesus continues his journey toward suffering and death in Jerusalem

Refer to your section title for Section 9:43b–45. If you used a phrase that means “the second time” there, you should use a phrase that means “the third time” here. For example:

For the Third Time Jesus Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life (God’s Word)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 20:17–19 and Mark 10:32–34.

Paragraph 18:31–34

18:31a

Then: Jesus said the words in this section sometime as he and his disciples were traveling to Jerusalem. Scholars are not sure if he said them immediately after the events of the last section or at a later time. In some languages it may be natural to begin the section with a time word or phrase that is not too specific. The Berean Standard Bible does this by translating the Greek conjunction that begins this verse as Then. Other ways to introduce this section are:

As Jesus and his disciples were traveling to Jerusalem
-or-
After this

Jesus took the Twelve aside and said to them: The phrase took…aside indicates that Jesus led the twelve disciples away from the crowd that was following them. He wanted to speak with his disciples privately.

In some languages it may be natural to express this action with a direct or an indirect quote. For example:

Jesus said to the twelve ⌊disciples⌋, “Let’s go over there so I can tell you something.” ⌊When they had moved/gone away from the crowd,⌋ he told them….
-or-
Jesus told the twelve ⌊disciples⌋ to come with him so he could be alone with them.

the Twelve: The phrase the Twelve refers to the twelve disciples/apostles whom Jesus had selected as his special helpers.

18:31b

Look: In Greek the clause in 18:31b begins with a word that draws attention to what Jesus was about to say. The Berean Standard Bible translates this word as Look. Sometimes it is translated in English as “Behold” (Revised Standard Version) or “Listen” (Good News Translation). Here is another way to translate this:

We are now… (Revised English Bible)

Use a natural way in your language to indicate that Jesus wanted the disciples to pay special attention to what he was about to say.

we are going up to Jerusalem: The clause we are going up to Jerusalem indicates that Jesus and his disciples were on their way to Jerusalem. They had already started on their journey, and Jerusalem was their destination.

Jerusalem is higher in elevation than the surrounding land, so people often spoke of going up to Jerusalem. If that is not natural in your language, you may translate in a more general way. For example:

We are going/traveling to Jerusalem
-or-
We are on our way to Jerusalem

18:31c

everything the prophets have written: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as everything the prophets have written is passive, literally “everything written by the prophets.” In some languages it may be more natural to use an active verb. For example:

Everything that the prophets wrote (Contemporary English Version)

This phrase refers to the writings of the prophets in the OT Scriptures. These writings are mentioned several times in Luke, including in 16:16.

The prophets whom Jesus referred to here lived and wrote their messages hundreds of years before he was born. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

Everything that the prophets wrote ⌊long ago⌋

the prophets: The prophets were men and women who spoke on behalf of God. They told people what God revealed to them. Here Jesus referred to the prophets whose words were later written and included in the OT Scriptures. See prophet in the Glossary.

about the Son of Man: The messages that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man described what he would do and what people would do to him.

The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” Jesus used this title to imply that:

(a) he was a true human being, and he represented all people.

(b) he came from God and had authority from God.

Try to use an expression that implies both meanings. Some expressions that translators have used are:

the Man whom God Sent
-or-
the True Man from God/Heaven
-or-
the Representative of Mankind
-or-
the Older Brother of All People

In some languages it may be necessary to use a form like “I” or “me” to indicate that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

me, the Son of Man
-or-

I who became man/human

This term first occurs in Luke at 5:24a. See also “Son of Man” in Key Biblical Terms.

18:31d

will be fulfilled: The verb will be fulfilled means “will be accomplished or completed.” In this context it refers to events that will happen just as the prophets predicted. The prophets wrote that certain things would happen to the Son of Man. In this verse Jesus was saying that those things would happen to him, just as the prophets wrote. The things would happen after he and his disciples arrived in Jerusalem. Some ways to translate this are:

Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will happen there. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
…everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Everything that the prophets wrote about the Son of Man will occur just as they wrote/predicted.

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