Translation commentary on Luke 19:4

Exegesis:

prodramōn eis to emprosthen lit. ‘after running on ahead.’ eis to emprosthen lit. ‘to the front,’ hence ‘ahead,’ which is pleonastic since protrechō means ‘to run ahead.’

anebē epi sukomorean hina idē auton ‘he climbed up a fig-mulberry tree in order to see him.’

sukomorea ‘ficus sycomorus,’ ‘fig-mulberry tree,’ a fig tree whose leaves resemble those of a mulberry tree.

hoti ekeinēs ēmellen dierchesthai ‘because he was going to pass that way,’ with hodou ‘way’ understood with ekeinēs.

Translation:

He ran on ahead, i.e. some distance in front of Jesus and his companions.

Sycamore tree. Where the exact species is unknown the term for ‘(wild) fig tree,’ is an acceptable rendering; or simply, ‘a tree’ (Tae’ 1933), the kind of tree not being of specific relevance here.

For he (or, Jesus) was to pass that way, stating explicitly what has been implied already in the words “ran on ahead”, i.e. that Zacchaeus could foresee along which road Jesus would come; hence, ‘expecting that Jesus was going to take that way’ (cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation) is an acceptable rendering also.

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 19:4

19:4a

So: The conjunction So introduces what Zacchaeus did as a result of not being able to see over the crowd. Connect 19:3 and 19:4 in a natural way in your language.

he ran on ahead: The phrase he ran on ahead indicates that Zacchaeus ran ahead of the crowd. He wanted to get to a place by the road before Jesus and the crowd arrived there. Here is another way to translate this:

So he ran ahead of the crowd (Good News Translation)

19:4b

and climbed a sycamore tree: The term sycamore tree refers to a type of tree that grows to be large and is often easy to climb. It is related to the fig tree, and more distantly to the mulberry tree. For that reason, some English versions (New International Version, New Living Translation (2004)) call it a sycamore tree; the God’s Word describes it simply as a “fig tree.” The fruit of this tree is similar to small figs and the leaves are similar to those of a mulberry tree. It is sometimes called a fig-mulberry tree. It is not the tree that is called a sycamore in Europe or North America.

If this tree does not grow in your language area, here are some ways to translate it:

• Compare it to fig trees or mulberry trees in your area. For example:

a kind of fig tree
-or-
a tree like a fig/mulberry tree

• Use a general term that fits the context. For example:

a large tree
-or-
a large tree ⌊that was easy to climb⌋

• Transliterate “fig” tree according to the sounds of your language and use the general term for “tree.” For example:

fik tree
-or-
pik tree

• Use a loan word from another language, if people in your area are familiar with the term.

to see Him: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to see Him expresses Zacchaeus’ purpose in climbing into the tree. He wanted to see Jesus when Jesus would walk by underneath the branches. Other ways to translate this are:

to see Jesus (Good News Translation)
-or-
so he could see him (New Century Version)
-or-
in order to see him (Revised English Bible)

19:4c

since Jesus was about to pass that way: This clause tells why Zacchaeus ran ahead on that particular road and climbed that particular fig tree. He knew that Jesus was going to walk in that direction. Other ways to say this are:

Jesus was coming that way
-or-
for he was to pass that way (Revised English Bible)

General Comment on 19:4a–c

The information in 19:4c is already implied in 19:4a. So in some languages it may be helpful to reorder this verse and translate 19:4c as part of 19:4a. For example:

4aZacchaeus ran ahead down 4cthe road that Jesus was traveling. 4bHe climbed up into a sycamore-fig tree so that he would be able to see him ⌊when he passed by⌋.

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