Translation commentary on Luke 22:29 – 22:30

Exegesis:

kagō diatithemai humin … basileian ‘and I assign to you dominion.’ kagō means here ‘I on my part.’ basileian is object of both diatithemai and dietheto and has in both cases the same general and abstract meaning, i.e. ‘dominion,’ ‘royal power.’

diatithemai ‘to ordain,’ ‘to decree,’ ‘to assign.’

kathōs dietheto moi ho patēr mou ‘just as my father assigned (dominion) to me.’

(V. 30) hina esthēte kai pinēte epi tēs trapezēs mou ‘in order that you may eat and drink at my table,’ i.e. that you have fellowship with me at the Messianic banquet, cf. on 5.30. The clause indicates the intended result of the assigning of the royal power to the disciples: they will reign in fellowship with Christ in his kingdom.

en tē basileia mou ‘in my kingdom,’ i.e. ‘when my Messianic kingdom has come.’

kai kathēsesthe epi thronōn ‘and you will sit on thrones,’ syntactically no longer dependent upon hina and describing, together with what follows, the situation in which the royal power will be exercised.

tas dōdeka phulas krinontes tou Israēl ‘judging the twelve tribes of Israel,’ referring to the eschatological judgment. phulē also 2.36.

Translation:

One may have to render v. 29 in two sentences, e.g. ‘my Father appointed a kingdom for me; I on my part appoint (it) for you in the same way,’ or to keep to the clause order of the Greek, e.g. ‘I appoint a kingdom for you in the same way as my Father (on his part) appointed it for me,’ ‘I determine that you receive kingship, just as the Father granted it to me’ (cf. Balinese, where an honorific term for God’s act is required).

My Father, cf. on 2.49.

Appointed a kingdom for me, i.e. caused me to be king/ruler, or, to have royal power/rule/dominion, cf. “made me King” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), ‘gave me to rule’ (Chol), ‘gave me the right (or, the position) to rule’ (cf. Good News Translation, Otomi).

I appoint for you will require similar adjustments, ‘I cause you to be king,’ etc., or, ‘the same (or, that also) I cause you to be,’ etc.

(V. 30) That you may eat …, or as a new sentence, ‘(so/then) you shall eat….’

Eat and drink at my table, or, ‘eat and drink at-the-same-table (or, from the-same-dish) with me’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC, Malay), and cf. on “eat (and drink) with” in 7.36.

Sit on thrones. For the noun see on 1.32. If a literal rendering is impossible or culturally irrelevant, one may say, ‘to reign in splendour.’

Twelve tribes of Israel, cf. on 2.36; in Huixtec one must say, ‘twelve groups of our (inclus.) people, we who are descendants of (the patriarch) Israel.’

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 22:30

22:30a–b

so that…and: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that indicates that 22:30a is a result. Jesus gave his apostles authority, and as a result, he and they will eat joyfully together in his kingdom. The clause that begins with and (22:30b) also expresses result. Jesus gave the apostles authority, and as a result, they will judge the twelve tribes of Israel. See the General Comment on 22:29–30 at the end of 22:30b for examples of ways to translate these results.

22:30a

you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom: In many cultures it is a custom for the king to invite important officials and elders to eat with him. It is a great honor to eat with the king. Jesus indicated here that when he rules as king, he will give his apostles the honor and the right to eat with him.

In some cultures people do not eat at tables. You should use a natural way in your language to describe eating with Jesus. Some other ways to translate this meaning are:

you will thus eat-with me in my ruling
-or-
We will feast together there in my kingdom.

eat and drink: The phrase eat and drink was a common way in that culture to refer to having a meal. See how you translated this phrase in 17:8.

in My kingdom: The phrase in My kingdom refers to the future time when Jesus will reign over everything. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this phrase as a clause with a subject and verb. For example:

when I will rule ⌊the people⌋ as king
-or-
in the future when I rule

22:30b

sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel: This clause tells a second action that the apostles will do as a result of 22:29. In some languages it may be more natural to begin a new sentence or clause here. For example:

And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. (New Century Version)

This clause indicates that when the apostles sit on their thrones, their work will be to lead and rule people. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

…and you will sit on thrones to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. (Good News Translation)
-or-
…and sit on thrones as judges of the twelve tribes of Israel. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
You will also sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. (God’s Word)

sit on thrones: The word thrones refers to special seats that are used by kings. A king often sits on his throne when he speaks to his people as their leader. In this context the phrase sit on thrones is a figure of speech. It indicates that the apostles will rule people with authority, as kings rule.

Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Translate the figure of speech by referring in some way to a seat or to sitting. For example:

sit on king’s chairs
-or-
sit in places/seats of honor

• Translate the meaning without the figure of speech:

rule as kings
-or-
be honored rulers/leaders

judging the twelve tribes of Israel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as judging is used in different ways. It can refer to deciding whether people are guilty or innocent, and deciding how the guilty people must be punished. It can also refer more generally to whatever rulers do as they govern a group of people. These activities include judging and many other actions.

It this context it is good to translate in a general way. This agrees with 22:29, where Jesus indicated that he was giving his apostles authority to rule. Jesus probably implied here that the apostles would have general responsibility to govern the tribes of Israel.

Some other ways to translate judging the twelve tribes of Israel are:

to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel (Good News Translation)
-or-
governing the twelve tribes of Israel

the twelve tribes of Israel: The phrase the twelve tribes of Israel refers to the descendants of the twelve sons of Israel. Each of his sons had many descendants, and these descendants became large groups. Languages have different terms to describe such groups of descendants, such as “clans” or “tribes.” These tribes together formed the nation called Israel.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

the descendants of the twelve sons of Israel
-or-
the twelve clans/groups among the Israel people

Use a natural term in your language.

General Comment on 22:29–30

The clauses in 22:30 tell the result of the statement in 22:29. In some languages the context will make it clear that 22:30 is the result of 22:29. In those languages a conjunction may not be needed. In other languages it will be necessary to use a special conjunction or other way to make the connection clear. Some ways to translate these verses in English are:

29and just as my Father has given me the right to rule, so I will give you the same right. 30aYou will eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, and you will sit on thrones to rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. (Good News Translation)
-or-

29Now I give you authority to rule ⌊people⌋, just as my Father gave me authority. 30So when I come to rule, you will eat with me at my table, and you will also rule over the twelve tribes of Israel.

Use a natural way in your language to show that 22:30 is the result of 22:29.

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