complete verse (Luke 19:28)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 19:28:

  • Noongar: “After Jesus said this, he went to Jerusalem ahead of them.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When Yesus finished saying all that, he walked ahead of his companions going to Yerusalem.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When Isa had finished saying this he went ahead of them to Awrusalam.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when Jesus finished telling that parable, they continued walking on their way to Jerusalem.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When Jesus had finished parabling that to them, he went on going-uphill to Jerusalem going-ahead of them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Jesus and company set out again to continue on to Jerusalem. Jesus was going in front of his companions.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Bariai: “Iesus made this talk and it was done and then he walked and went ahead and went to Ierusalem.” (Source: Bariai Back Translation)
  • Kupsabiny: “The following day, Jesus continued with his journey. Jesus was at the front throughout the journey towards Jerusalem.” (Source: Kupsabiny Back Translation)
  • Mairasi: “Yesus had already said all that then He Himself went in front of them to Yerusalem.” (Source: Enggavoter 2004)
  • Hiligaynon: “After he said that, Jesus and company continued to travel going to Jerusalem.” (Source: Hiligaynon Back Translation)

Jerusalem

The name that is transliterated as “Jerusalem” in English is signed in French Sign Language with a sign that depicts worshiping at the Western Wall in Jerusalem:


“Jerusalem” in French Sign Language (source: La Bible en langue des signes française )

While a similar sign is also used in British Sign Language, another, more neutral sign that combines the sign “J” and the signs for “place” is used as well. (Source: Anna Smith)


“Jerusalem” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)

Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Jerusalem .

Honorary "are" construct denoting God ("go")

Click or tap here to see the rest of this insight.

Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, ik-are-ru (行かれる) or “go” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Luke 19:28

Exegesis:

kai eipōn tauta ‘after he had said this,’ i.e. in Jericho in Zacchaeus’ house.

eporeueto emprosthen ‘he went on ahead, or, ahead of them,’ depending upon the interpretation of emprosthen as an adverb, or as a preposition with autōn understood. The former is preferable.

anabainōn eis Hierosoluma lit. ‘ascending to Jerusalem,’ defining the rather general eporeueto as to direction and goal of his journey, cf. 18.31. For Hierosoluma cf. on 2.22.

Translation:

He went on ahead, or, “Jesus went forward” (New English Bible), ‘Jesus travelled on.’

Going up to Jerusalem, or, “on his way to Jerusalem” (An American Translation), or simply “to Jerusalem” (Good News Translation). For the verb cf. on 2.4.

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 19:28

Division 19:28–21:38

Jesus ministered in Jerusalem

In this division Jesus arrived in Jerusalem and was greeted by the crowds as the Messiah. The rulers would not accept Jesus as Messiah as some of the people did. When Jesus forced people to stop selling animals and changing money in the temple courtyard, the rulers questioned his authority. Jesus used the parable of the tenants (20:9–19) to show that the Jewish leaders refused to believe that God had sent him. They did not believe that God had given him the authority to do and say what he did. Through the parable Jesus warned the leaders that if they rejected his authority, they would be killed and God would give their authority to other leaders.

Section 19:28–44

Jesus approached Jerusalem

As Jesus approached Jerusalem in this section, his many disciples were very excited. He came riding on a donkey. This fulfilled the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9 that he would come as a gentle, humble king. The crowd of disciples praised him in a way that showed that they were welcoming him as their king (19:38). They believed that he was the Messiah whom the Jews had been awaiting for many generations.

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’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Many people celebrate as Jesus enters Jerusalem
-or-
People of Jerusalem greeted Jesus as king

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 21:1–11, Mark 11:1–11, and John 12:12–19.

Paragraph 19:28–31

19:28a

After Jesus had said this: This clause refers to the end of Jesus’ parable about the king and his servants. It also introduces a new section in which Jesus entered Jerusalem. Other ways to translate the clause are:

having said these things
-or-
When Jesus had finished saying all this (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
After Jesus had given this illustration (God’s Word)

19:28b

He went on ahead: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He went on ahead probably indicates that Jesus walked in front of his disciples as they went together to Jerusalem. He walked ahead of them. Here is another way to translate this:

walking ahead of his disciples (New Living Translation (2004))

See the parallel account in Mark 10:32. Be sure that your translation does not imply that Jesus left the disciples and went on without them.

went on…going up: The Greek verbs that the Berean Standard Bible translates as went on and going up refer to Jesus going on toward Jerusalem. In some languages it may be more natural to use only one verb to express this. For example:

he went on ahead ⌊of them⌋ to/toward Jerusalem

going up to Jerusalem: The city of Jerusalem was higher than most parts of the land of Israel. It was also much higher than Jericho. So, when people were traveling to Jerusalem, they usually said that they were going up to Jerusalem. In some languages, it is more natural to use a more general expression. For example:

going to Jerusalem

See how you translated this same expression in 18:31.

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.