Translation commentary on Luke 23:3

Exegesis:

su legeis ‘you say so.’ su is emphatic: you, not me! and the phrase is best understood as a refusal to answer the question directly.

Translation:

Are you. Thai uses here, in contrast to 22.67, a polite form for the pronoun, thus leaving Pilate in a formally neutral position.

For the Jews see on 7.3.

You have said so, or, “the words are yours” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, New English Bible), ‘(it is) you (that) say it.’ The expression resembles the one used in 22.70 but is slightly more evasive.

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 23:3

23:3a

So Pilate asked Him: This clause indicates that after Pilate heard the charges against Jesus, he asked Jesus the question in this verse. Some other ways to introduce this question are:

Then Pilate asked him (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Pilate asked Jesus (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
When Pilate ⌊heard these charges⌋, he asked Jesus

Are You the King of the Jews?: Here Pilate asked Jesus about the accusation of the Jews in 23:2d. He was asking if Jesus really claimed to be the king of the Jews, as the leaders had said. Some other ways to translate the question are:

Are you really the king of the Jews?
-or-
Is it true that you are the king of the Jews?

In Greek the word You is emphatic. It implies here that Pilate was mocking Jesus by implying that he did not seem like a king. If possible, it is good to imply that mocking attitude in your translation. Another way to translate it in English is:

So you are the king of the Jews, are you?

Translate the question in a natural way in your language.

the King of the Jews: The phrase the King of the Jews means “the ruler of the Jewish people.” Some other ways to translate it are:

king/ruler of the Jewish people
-or-
one who rules the Jewish people

Jews: The word Jews appears in 7:3, where the Berean Standard Bible translated it as “Jewish.” You could write it in a similar way here.

23:3b

You have said so: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as You have said so is literally “You(sing) are saying ⌊it⌋.” Jesus agreed that he was the king of the Jews. He was not denying it. However, Jesus was not rebelling against the Roman government. In John 18:33 Jesus said that his kingdom “is not of this world.” For this reason, some English versions, like the Berean Standard Bible, translate Jesus’ answer as an indirect agreement. Other versions translate the answer as a direct agreement. For example:

Yes, it is as you say (New International Version)

Some other ways to translate the clause are:

It is as you say. (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
You say correctly.
-or-
Yes, I am, as you say.

Jesus replied: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus replied comes at the beginning of 23:3b. It is more literally, “and having answered him, he said.” Place this phrase where it is natural in your language. If you place it at the beginning of 23:3b, translate the connection with 23:3a in a natural way in your language. For example:

Then Jesus answered him, saying

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