complete verse (Luke 23:6)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 23:6:

  • Noongar: “Hearing this, Pilate asked, ‘This one’s a Galilean, is he?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When Pilatus heard that, he asked: ‘Is he a Galilea person?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “When Pilatus heard this, he said, ‘Is this person from Jalil?'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when Pilate heard this, he asked, ‘Is this man from Galilee?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When Pilato heard this, he inquired whether Jesus was from-Galilea.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “When Pilato heard, ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘is he a taga Galilea?'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 23:6-12)

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 23:6-12:

Galilee was the magic word,
       and since Herod was governor of Galilee,
Pilate decided to send Jesus to Herod,
       who was in Jerusalem at the time.

For some while, Herod had wanted to meet Jesus,
       and he was really pleased to have this chance.
Maybe Jesus would even work a miracle for him!

Herod questioned Jesus intensely,
       but received no answers.
So the priests and professors of religion arose,
       accusing Jesus of all kinds of crimes.

Herod and his soldiers made insulting remarks against Jesus,
then placed an expensive robe on him
       and sent him back to Pilate.
Although Herod and Pilate
had formerly been fierce enemies,
       they now became very good friends.

Translation commentary on Luke 23:6

Exegesis:

Pilatos de akousas ‘when Pilate heard (this),’ i.e. that Jesus originally came from Galilee.

epērōtēsen ei ho anthrōpos Galilaios estin ‘he asked (the accusers) whether the man was a Galilean.’ ho anthrōpos may have here a depreciatory sense but this is not necessary.

Translation:

Whether the man was a Galilean, often better in direct discourse, ‘Is this man a Galilean?’ Cf. also on 22.59.

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 23:6

Section 23:6–12

Pilate sent Jesus to Ruler Herod

In this section Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, who ruled over the region of Galilee, so that Herod could hear the Jewish charges against him. Some English translations have a heading here and some do not. Do what seems best in your language.

Examples of other headings for this section are:

Jesus before Herod (Good News Translation)
-or-
Herod listened to the charges against Jesus

There are no parallel passages for this section.

Paragraph 23:6–7

23:6a–b

When Pilate heard this: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as When Pilate heard this is more literally “and having heard.” It refers to what Pilate heard the Jewish leaders say about Jesus in 23:5c. They said that Jesus started his teaching in Galilee. That was the basis for the question that Pilate asked them in 23:6b. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

When Pilate heard this (Good News Translation)
-or-
After hearing what ⌊the Jewish leaders said⌋
-or-
When ⌊the Jewish leaders said⌋ that, Pilate…

he asked if the man was a Galilean: This clause uses indirect speech. Pilate asked the Jewish leaders if Jesus was a Galilean. In some languages, it may not be natural for Luke to refer to Jesus as the man. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate it are:

• Use direct speech. For example:

Pilate asked, “Is the man a Galilean?”

• Make explicit that Pilate was referring to Jesus. For example:

Pilate asked if Jesus was a Galilean.

Translate Pilate’s question in a natural way in your language.

if the man was a Galilean: The phrase a Galilean refers here to a person who was a legal resident of the district of Galilee. Jesus was not born in Galilee, but he lived there for many years as a child and as a man. Some other ways to translate the question are:

if Jesus lived in Galilee
-or-
Is he a Galilee citizen/person?
-or-
Does he come from Galilee?

The term a Galilean also occurs in 22:59c. You may be able to translate it in the same way here. However, in this context Pilate was using the term in a legal sense, so you may need to translate it in a different way here.

the man: Some Bible scholars think that the phrase the man may be a disrespectful way to refer to Jesus. However, it is not necessary to assume that. Translate in a way that refers clearly to Jesus.

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