Translation commentary on Luke 22:48

Exegesis:

philēmati ton huion tou anthrōpou paradidōs ‘is it with a kiss that you deliver up the Son of man?’ philēmati (cf. on 7.45) is emphatic. For huios tou anthrōpou cf. on 5.24; for paradidōmi cf. on v. 4.

Translation:

Would you betray … with a kiss?, or, ‘are you betraying … by giving him a kiss?,’ ‘you are kissing … in order to deliver him up?’ (Sranan Tongo). If the indirect object has to be mentioned explicitly, one may say, ‘to his enemies,’ or, ‘to those who arrest (him)’ (Tae’ 1933).

For betray see on 22.4.

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 22:48

22:48a

But Jesus asked him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But is a common conjunction that can be translated in different ways. Here it introduces Jesus’ response after Judas greeted him with a kiss. Some English versions translate it as “but” here, probably because Jesus did not respond in the usual way that people respond to such greetings. The conjunction can also be translated as “then” or “and then.”

You should translate it in a natural way in your language for this context. In some languages a conjunction is not needed, as in several English versions.

22:48b

Judas: Here Jesus addressed Judas directly by name. In some languages it is more natural to put this direct address in a different part of the sentence. See 22:48b in the Display for an example.

are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses the surprise and sorrow that Jesus felt when Judas used a kiss to betray him. It was terrible for a friend to betray him, but it was even more terrible for the friend to betray him with a kiss of greeting.

Some ways to translate this surprise and sorrow are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

So is it a kiss that you use to betray me, the Son of Man?
-or-
Why did you choose a friendly greeting to betray me, the Son of Man?
-or-
How can you betray me, the Son of Man, with a kiss?
-or-
Like this, Judas, you betray the Son of Mankind?

• As a statement or exclamation. For example:

So you take the kiss of a friend to give me, the Son of Man, to my enemies!

Use a natural way to express this surprise and sorrow in your language.

betraying: The word betraying refers here to handing Jesus over to his enemies. This word also occurred in 22:4. In some languages it is necessary to specify the people to whom Judas was betraying Jesus. If that is true in your language, you can use a general term like “enemies.” See the note on 22:4c.

Son of Man: Here Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man. He also referred to himself in that way in 22:22. See how you translated it there.

kiss: See the note in 22:47c for information and translation suggestions.

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