Εἰσῆλθεν δὲ Σατανᾶς εἰς Ἰούδαν τὸν καλούμενον Ἰσκαριώτην, ὄντα ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ τῶν δώδεκα·
3Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve;
“This picture indicates that corruption takes place even in temples and even among the religious.”
Drawing by Sawai Chinnawong who employs northern and central Thailand’s popular distinctive artistic style originally used to depict Buddhist moral principles and other religious themes; explanation by Paul DeNeui. From That Man Who Came to Save Us by Sawai Chinnawong and Paul H. DeNeui, William Carey Library, 2010.
For more images by Sawai Chinnawong in TIPs see here.
The term that is transliterated as “Judas” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying holding a bag of money, referring to John 12:6. (Source: Ruth Anna Spooner, Ron Lawer)
“Judas” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor
In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with with the sign for “kiss,” referring to Matthew 26:49 et al. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)
“Judas” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España
Learn more on Bible Odyssey: Judas .
For more information on translations of proper names with sign language see Sign Language Bible Translations Have Something to Say to Hearing Christians .
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 22:3:
Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 22:1-6:
Passover was near, and the religious authorities
were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus,
but they were afraid of what the people might do.
About this time, Satan influenced Judas
to approach the religious authorities
with an offer to betray Jesus.
They were very glad and agreed
to pay Judas some money.
Right away he began looking
for a chance to betray Jesus
when the crowds were not around, of course.
Exegesis:
eisēlthen de Satanas eis Ioudan ‘then Satan entered into Judas,’ ‘took possession of J.,’ elsewhere in the sense of demon possession (cf. on 8.30), but here in a somewhat weaker sense, since Judas does not henceforth appear as a demoniac who is not acting of his own will.
ton kaloumenon Iskariōtēn ‘called Iscariot,’ cf. on 6.16.
onta ek tou arithmou tōn dōdeka ‘belonging to the number of the twelve.’ tou arithmou may be taken as semantically redundant, or as meaning ‘group,’ preferably the former. For hoi dōdeka cf. on 8.1.
Translation:
Satan entered into Judas. A term for demon possession (cf. on “had … demon” in 4.33) is often also acceptable in this context, but if one has the choice between a technical term and a less specific one, the latter is to be preferred, cf. e.g. ‘come upon,’ as against ‘jump upon’ in 8.30 (Sranan Tongo). Elsewhere a term referring to an emotional seizure or a bad influence is used, e.g. in Shona 1966, where the verb ‘to enter’ can have this figurative meaning. In Tzeltal the rendering is built on an idiomatic phrase, ‘he has the devil in his heart,’ which is used both for demon possession and for badness. For Satan see on 10.18.
Called Iscariot, or, since the reference is not to Judas’ proper name but to an additional name, “surnamed I.” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, similarly Bible de Jérusalem, Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘named also I.’ (Balinese).
Who was of the number of the twelve, preferably, “one of the Twelve” (New English Bible), cf. on 8.1.
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.
Paragraph 22:3–6
22:3a
Satan entered Judas Iscariot: The clause Satan entered Judas Iscariot means that Satan began to control Judas by influencing his mind and heart. In this context the phrase probably does not describe the type of control that a person cannot resist, as in demon possession. Judas allowed Satan to influence and control him. Other ways to translate this are:
Satan began to control him
-or-
Satan entered the heart/mind of Judas Iscariot
-or-
Satan began to use Judas Iscariot
In some languages there is an idiom to describe this type of control. Translate the phrase in a natural way in your language.
Satan: The word Satan is the Hebrew name of the chief or leader of all the evil spirits. In Hebrew his name means “enemy.” He is the enemy of God and God’s people. Here are some ways to translate Satan:
• Use a local name or idiom that refers to the chief of all demons. For example:
the left-handed one
-or-
the barking one
• Use a descriptive phrase such as:
the chief/leader of the evil spirits
-or-
the spirit enemy of God
• Transliterate the name Satan or borrow a word from another language. If this word is not already known in your area, you may also want to add a descriptive phrase. For example:
Satanas, the ruler of demons
-or-
Shaitan
If you transliterate Satan or borrow a word from another language, be sure that it communicates the biblical meaning to people in your culture. It is important to check this in each biblical context.
Use a term that will be acceptable to churches in the area. It is suggested that you also add a footnote or glossary entry that further explains who Satan is. For example:
Satan is the leader of all the evil spirits or demons. Once he was an angel in heaven, but he rebelled against God. God expelled him from heaven, and now he tempts people on earth. Other names for him are “Beelzebul,” “the Devil,” “the Evil One,” “the Enemy,” and “the Tempter.”
Judas Iscariot: In Greek, this phrase is literally “Judas, the one called Iscariot.” People probably called Judas Iscariot because he was from the town of Kerioth. A slight variation of this name was used in 6:16. You may use the same form of the name here.
22:3b
who was one of the Twelve: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as who was one of the Twelve is more literally “who was of the number of the twelve,” as in the Revised Standard Version. The phrase indicates that Judas belonged to the group of Jesus’ twelve special disciples, whom he called “apostles” (6:16). In some languages it may be helpful to include the word “apostles” here. For example:
one of the twelve apostles (Contemporary English Version)
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