Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 23:26-43)

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 23:26-43:

As Jesus was being led away,
some soldiers grabbed a man named Simon Cyrene,
       who was on his way home from the fields —
they put the cross on his shoulders,
       and forced him to drag it behind Jesus.

A large crowd was following along,
among them some women,
       weeping and wailing for him.

Jesus turned toward the women and said:

       “Cry for yourselves, not for me, women of Jerusalem!
       Someday everyone will agree,
              ‘It’s better to be barren than blest with children.’
       If sparks ignite so quickly when someone is innocent,
              a volcano will surely erupt when the nation rebels,
       causing people to beg for mountains and hills
              to rush to their rescue.”

Two criminals were led out to be executed with Jesus,
and when they reached the place called “Skull,”
       each of them was nailed to a cross,
              with Jesus in between.

“Father,” prayed Jesus, “forgive these people —
       they don’t know what they’re doing.”

While the crowd was stunned and staring at the spectacle,
the soldiers gambled for his garments,
       as their leaders hurled spiteful insults,
“He saved others! If he’s God’s Favorite,
       then let him save himself.”

“So you’re king of this nation,” mocked the soldiers,
       offering Jesus a goblet of wine. “Ok, save yourself!”

On the cross above Jesus was posted a sign:
       “Here Hangs Your National Hero!”

One of the dying criminals also insulted Jesus,
       “Aren’t you God’s Favorite? Save yourself and us!”

The other criminal replied with a sharp rebuttal,
“Don’t you fear God? This man’s innocent,
       but we’re guilty as sin.”
Then turning to Jesus, he said,
       “Remember me when you come into power!”

“Today you’ll be with me in paradise,”
       Jesus assured the man.

complete verse (Luke 23:31)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 23:31:

  • Noongar: “Because if they do things like this when the tree is green, what will happen when the tree is dry?'” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “Because if they do like this to Me, who has no fault/wrong, how much for will [they do] to you!” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “For,’ said Isa, ‘if they do like this to a person who has no sin, they will do worse to the people who have sin on that day.'” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “Because,’ said Jesus to them, ‘if this is what they’re doing to me whom am like a tree that’s not yet dried up because I don’t have any sin, how much more is it that they will do to you who are like a tree that has already dried up.'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Because if this is what they will do to me who am like not yet dried wood, surely worse is what they will do to you who are like already-dried.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For if like this is caused to happen to me who have no sin, what I wonder will happen to you (pl.) Judio? For if a still live tree will be completely-burned-up, of course much more will one already dead be completely burned up.'” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 23:31

Exegesis:

hoti ‘for,’ introducing Jesus’ explanation of the quotation in v. 30.

ei en tō hugrō xulō tauta poiousin ‘if they do this to the green wood.’ tauta refers to what is being done to Jesus. poiein en means ‘to do to,’ i.e. ‘affect by doing,’ here used in a pejorative sense.

hugros ‘moist,’ ‘pliant,’ here of wood, ‘green,’ ‘fresh.’ For this metaphor see below.

en tō xērō ti genētai ‘what will happen to the dry (wood)?’ ginesthai en lit. ‘to happen in the case of,’ hence ‘to happen to,’ is equivalent to the passive of poiein en (see above). The subjunctive has the force of an interrogative future. xēros contrasts with hugros. Since the latter, because of tauta and of the underlying contrast between Jesus and the women (v. 28), refers to Jesus, xēros must refer to the generation that will have to go through the ordeals implied in v. 29f. The saying appears to be proverbial (see commentaries) and implies that when the innocent Jesus has to suffer death how much more will the far from innocent Jews have to suffer.

Translation:

Where the metaphor would be unacceptable a shift to a simile will be helpful, e.g. ‘if they do this to me, who am comparable to green wood, what will happen to you, who are comparable to dry wood’; where one has to adjust the “if”-clause (cf. on 11.20) and the rhetorical question, the result will become something like, ‘(you see that) they are doing this when the wood is green (or, to me who am…, etc., see above); they certainly will do worse when the wood is dry (or, to you who are…, etc.).’

Green wood and dry wood, or, ‘live tree’ and ‘dry tree’ (Ekari), ‘wet tree’ and ‘dry one’ (Marathi).

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 23:31

23:31a–b

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces a proverb. It gives a reason why the things that Jesus predicted in 23:29–30 were certain to happen. It also connects what Jesus said about the future in 23:30 with the suffering and death that he was enduring. Some ways to introduce it in English are:

⌊I say this⌋ because
-or-

⌊This is certain,⌋ for
-or-
For ⌊you see what is happening to me, and⌋

In some languages the connection may be implied without a conjunction.

if men do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry: This saying is a type of proverb. It is also a rhetorical question. Jesus used it as an emphatic warning to sinful people. It indicates that since Jesus suffered terribly even though he was innocent, we should expect that guilty people will suffer much more. In some languages it is more natural to emphasize the warning without using a rhetorical question. For example:

if men do these things when a tree is green, they will certainly do even more terrible things when it is dry

This warning uses a metaphor. Dry wood burns faster than green wood. Burning is an implied metaphor for suffering or punishment. Jesus was like green wood because he did not deserve to burn (suffer). The people who rejected Jesus were like dry wood. They deserved to burn (suffer) because of their sins. In some languages a literal translation of the metaphor implies a wrong meaning. Some other ways to translate this metaphor are:

• Use a simile. For example:

if this is what they will do to me who am like not yet dried wood, surely worse is what they will do to you who are like already-dried

• Use a simile and make the meaning more explicit. For example:

if this is what they are doing to me who am like a tree that is not yet dried up because I do not have any sin, how much more is it that they will do to you who are like a tree that has already died up
-or-
as people are taking me who am like a fresh tree and putting me in the fire like this, will you who are like dry firewood be spared?

• Translate both the metaphor and the meaning. For example:

since even a green tree ⌊burns⌋ ⌊and an innocent person suffers⌋, a dry tree will certainly ⌊burn quickly⌋ and ⌊guilty people will suffer more terribly⌋

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

if they do like this to a person who has no sin, they will do worse to the people who have sin on that day.
-or-
you see what is done to ⌊me,⌋ an innocent person, so think about the terrible things that will be done to guilty people.

You should translate this warning in a meaningful way in your language. Your translation should not imply that Jesus cursed the women. He did not refer to the women as dry trees. He referred to sinful men and women in general.

23:31a

if men do these things: In Greek this clause is more literally:

if they do these things (English Standard Version)

In this context the clause is similar to a passive clause. It does not specify who was doing those things. It may imply that God did them or caused them to happen, or it may refer to the Jews who demanded his crucifixion. It is not likely that Jesus referred to the specific Roman soldiers who did the crucifixion.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

• Use a passive clause:

if such things as these are done when the wood is green (Good News Translation)

• Use an active clause and supply a subject. For example:

If people do this to a green tree (God’s Word)
-or-
if they do these things (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
if ⌊fire⌋ burns even a green tree

• Use a clause that indicates that God allowed or caused the events to happen. For example:

If ⌊God⌋ allows this to happen to a green tree

In this clause the word if introduces a situation that is true. It does not imply that Jesus doubted what was happening. Indicate that in a natural way in your language. Some other ways to translate it in English are:

since people do these things
-or-
people are doing these things…so…

the tree: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tree also means “wood,” as in the Revised Standard Version, or “piece of wood.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word the, which is not in the Greek text. Jesus was using a tree or piece of wood in his proverb. You should translate the word in the most appropriate way for this context in your language.

green: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as green means “moist.” Here it describes a tree that is damp or fresh. Green/damp wood is not good for burning. Use a natural way in your language to describe moist trees or wood.

23:31b

what will happen when it is dry: The clause what will happen when it is dry is a rhetorical question. It gives a conclusion from the first part of the proverb in 23:31a. Jesus was suffering terribly as an innocent person, so we can conclude that guilty people will suffer much more.

In some languages it may be natural to translate this conclusion as a separate sentence. For example:

So what do you think they will do to dry trees/wood?
-or-
So ⌊you can be sure that⌋ it will much worse when the tree is dry.

See the examples in the notes at 23:31a–b. See also the examples in 23:31a. You should translate 23:31b in a way that fits with your translation of 23:31a.

when it is dry: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as when it is dry is more literally “in the dry.” It probably refers in general to a dry tree or wood. It does not imply that the green tree/wood in 23:31a has dried up. In the proverb it probably represents sinful people who are like dry trees that deserve burning. Another way to translate it is:

to a dry one (God’s Word)

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