Translation commentary on Luke 22:31

Exegesis:

Simōn Simōn ‘Simon, Simon,’ emphatic repetition of Simon’s original name, as contrasted with Petre in v. 34, the name given to Simon by Jesus as a name of honour, cf. 6.14. The absence of a clause, or phase to indicate the transition is awkward.

idou ‘look’ (cf. on 1.20), strengthens the emphasis on what follows.

ho Satanas exētēsato humas ‘Satan has claimed you.’ humas (plural) refers to Simon and the other disciples (see also on v. 32).

exaiteomai ‘to ask for,’ ‘to claim (with success),’ ‘to obtain by asking.’

tou siniasai hōs ton siton ‘in order to sift (you) like wheat,’ final articular infinitive in the genitive, with humas understood.

siniazō ‘to shake in a sieve,’ ‘to sift,’ here in the figurative meaning of putting to the test, or, on trial.

Translation:

Satan, see on 10.18.

Demanded to have you, preferably, “obtained permission” (An American Translation), “has been given leave” (New English Bible). The translator should not hesitate to mention God as the one who gives the permission, if the linguistic structure of the receptor language requires it.

Sift you like wheat, or, ‘sift you like people sift wheat,’ ‘shake you many times as people do to wheat’ (cf. Kekchi). To sift, i.e. ‘to shake in a sieve’ (Zürcher Bibel), or, ‘to winnow’ (cf. on 3.17), ‘to sort’ (Tzeltal). For wheat see on 3.17. The Four Gospels – a New Translation prefers a non-metaphorical rendering, “to put you all on trial”; Kituba has a rendering that combines non-metaphorical meaning with simile, ‘to put-to-the-test you, as a woman sifts kernels of corn’; cf. also Good News Translation.

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 22:31

Section 22:31–38

Jesus predicted that Peter would deny him

In this section Jesus warned Peter that Satan wanted to test the disciples severely. Peter told Jesus that he would always be faithful to him, but Jesus said to him, “This same night you (Peter) will say three times that you do not know me.”

In the second part of the section, Jesus reminded his apostles of the time that he sent them out to preach and heal (chapters 9–10). At that time, they did not need to take anything with them. People welcomed them and took care of them as they preached about Jesus. But now, people would say that Jesus was an evil doer, just as the prophets had written in the Scriptures. So Jesus warned his apostles to prepare for this time of difficulty and danger.

Some other examples of headings for this section are:

Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial (Good News Translation)
-or-
Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Tested (Contemporary English Version)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 26:31–35, Mark 14:27–31, and John 13:36–38.

Paragraph 22:31–34

22:31a

At the end of the preceding section, Jesus was speaking to all the apostles. Here in 22:31 he spoke to Peter. In many languages it may be helpful to introduce his words to Peter with a short phrase. For example:

Then Jesus said to Peter

When Jesus spoke to Peter in this verse, he used his original name “Simon.” In some languages it is helpful to include the name Simon in the introductory phrase. For example:

And Jesus said to Simon Peter

Simon, Simon: Simon was Peter’s original name. In 6:14 Luke mentioned that Jesus gave Simon the name Peter. After that verse, he is usually called “Simon Peter” in Luke. However, you should not add the name “Peter” to Jesus’ words here. The name Peter means “rock,” and it implies strength and courage. Jesus predicted in this section that Satan was about to sift Simon and the other disciples like wheat.

Jesus said Simon’s name twice to emphasize what he was about to tell Simon. After Simon’s name, the Greek text has a word that versions such as the Revised Standard Version translate as “behold.” This word emphasizes that Jesus wanted Simon to pay special attention to what he was about to say. It does not imply that Simon had not been listening to Jesus before.

Here Jesus was about to warn Simon about a great danger. Languages have different ways to introduce such warnings and to emphasize them. In some languages, it may not be natural to repeat Simon’s name in this context. Be sure to translate the warning in a natural and emphatic way in your language.

Some other ways to do that are:

Simon, listen to me! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Hey Simon, I have something to say to you.
-or-
Oh Simon, I must warn/tell you about this:
-or-
Listen well, Simon, ⌊and remember this⌋:

22:31b

Satan’s request in this clause is similar to what he requested to do to Job in Job 1:6–12 and 2:1–6.

Satan has asked to: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has asked to means “to request or demand.” Here it indicates that Satan requested or demanded to be allowed to do something. It does not imply that he asked a question. Some other ways to translate this are:

Satan has demanded to (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Satan has demanded the right to (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Satan has requested ⌊opportunity⌋ to

In this context God was the one whom Satan asked for permission. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

Satan has demanded ⌊permission⌋ ⌊from God⌋

The verb has asked to implies that God had agreed to Satan’s request: God agreed that Satan could sift the apostles. In some languages it may be helpful to make God’s agreement explicit. For example:

Satan has received permission (Good News Translation)
-or-
God has given Satan ⌊permission⌋

22:31c

sift each of you like wheat: The phrase sift each of you like wheat is a metaphor. Jesus compared what Satan wanted to do to the apostles with what a farmer does to wheat. A farmer sifts the wheat to separate the good grain from the worthless husks, straw, and other parts of the plant. Satan wanted to cause the apostles to be like the husks and straw. He wanted to cause all the apostles to leave Jesus and stop trusting him.

In some languages people may not understand this metaphor. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate it are:

• Use a simile that indicates the meaning. For example:

He wants to separate you from me as a farmer separates wheat from husks. (God’s Word)
-or-
Like rice that is winnowed, like that also will be the severity of the temptation that strikes you.

• Use a metaphor that has the same meaning in your language. For example:

to shake you away from me

• Translate the meaning without a figure of speech. For example:

to test you to see if he can cause you to stop trusting/following me
-or-
to try to make you be unfaithful to me

Translate the metaphor in a natural way in your language. It is used in a similar way in Amos 9:9.

sift: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sift means: “to shake in a sieve.” This word occurs only once in the New Testament. Scholars are not sure exactly how the sifting was done or what type of sieve was used. The farmer may have shaken the wheat violently in the sieve to make the husks and straw blow away in the wind. If you keep the metaphor, use appropriate terms in your culture to describe the sifting.

each of you: The pronoun you is plural here. Jesus referred to all the apostles, not only to Peter. If the pronoun in your language does not make this clear, you can indicate it in another way. For example:

you apostles (God’s Word)
-or-
all of you (Revised English Bible)
-or-
each of you (New Living Translation (2004))

wheat: The word wheat refers to a certain type of grain plant and to the grain that the plant produces. Wheat plants have a stalk. On top of the stalk there are clusters of seeds, which are the wheat grains.

In some areas wheat may not be known. If that is true in your area, other ways to translate it are:

• Use a more general term. For example:

grain

• Use a different type of grain that is grown in your area and is similar to wheat. For example:

barley
-or-
rice

This word also occurs in 3:17 and 16:7. See how you translated it there.

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