Translation commentary on Luke 24:6 – 24:7

Exegesis:

ouk estin hōde ‘he is not here,’ i.e. in the tomb.

alla ēgerthē ‘but he has risen,’ cf. on 7.14.

mnēsthēte hōs elalēsen humin ‘remembering how he said to you.’ hōs does not refer to the mode of speaking but to what was said.

(V. 7) legōn ton huion tou anthrōpou hoti dei paradothēnai ‘saying that the Son of man must be delivered up.’ ton huion tou anthrōpou, though syntactically the object of legōn, is the subject of paradothēnai. dei denotes the divine compulsion. For the phrase about the Son of man cf. on 9.44.

anthrōpōn hamartōlōn ‘of sinful men.’ Here hamartōlos is used in the meaning ‘wicked,’ ‘evil.’

kai tē tritē hēmera anastēnai ‘and rise on the third day,’ cf. on 9.7.

Translation:

For has risen and rise cf. on 9.7f.

Remember, see on 16.25.

How he told you, or, ‘what (or, the things) he told you,’ ‘his words to you.’ V. 7. may become then, ‘that is, “The Son of man must…” ,’ or, as a new sentence, ‘He said…,’ followed by the verse in indirect or direct discourse.

Still, cf. on 8.49.

(V. 7) For must cf. on 2.49, for delivered into the hands of sinful men on 9.44. Sinful, i.e. ‘evil.’

And be crucified, or, ‘and these will crucify (see on 23.21) him.’

For on the third day see on 9.22.

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 24:6

24:6

He is not here; He has risen: There is a textual issue concerning the words He is not here; He has risen:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts have these words. For example:

Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death. (Contemporary English Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, English Standard Version, God’s Word, King James Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) Other Greek manuscripts do not have these words.

(Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). It is supported by the great majority of ancient Greek manuscripts. Also, most English versions support this option.

24:6a

He is not here: The phrase He is not here indicates that Jesus was not there in the tomb. Other ways to translate this are:

He is no longer here
-or-
Jesus is not here ⌊in the tomb⌋ anymore!

24:6b

In Greek this part of the verse begins with a conjunction that indicates a contrast between 24:6a and 24:6b. Jesus was no longer in the tomb, instead he had come back to life. In English, this contrast is implied without a conjunction, but some versions also have a conjunction. For example:

He is not here, but has been raised! (NET Bible)

There is another implied connection between 24:6a and 24:6b. The phrase “He has risen” in 24:6b explains why Jesus was no longer in the tomb. In some languages it may be helpful to make this connection explicit. For example:

He’s no longer here, because he has risen from the dead.

He has risen: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has risen is passive, literally “has been raised.” It is God who raised him from death. That statement means that God caused him to live again. It also implies the active meaning “Jesus lives again,” or “Jesus rose ⌊from death⌋.”

The statement He has risen indicates that Jesus’ body and spirit were both alive. He was not a ghost, since he was living again in his body. Be sure to translate this statement in a way that clearly shows that Jesus came alive again as a real human being.

There are several ways to translate this statement:

• Use a passive clause. For example:

He has been raised from death. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He has been brought back to life! (God’s Word)

• Use a clause that emphasizes Jesus’ life. For example:

He lives again!

• Use an active verb and supply God as the subject. For example:

⌊God⌋ has raised him to life.
-or-

⌊God⌋ has caused him to live again.

This is a very important statement. Translate it in a natural and emphatic way in your language.

24:6c

Remember how He told you: The phrase Remember how He told you introduces what Jesus said to the women sometime before his death. The men quoted what Jesus said in 24:7. They quoted this to remind the women of what Jesus had told them. Another way to translate the phrase is:

Remember what he said to you (Good News Translation)

24:6d

while He was still in Galilee: Some English versions word the Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as while He was still in Galilee in a way that makes clear that the women were also in Galilee at that time. For example:

while he was still with you in Galilee (New International Version)
-or-
when you were all still in Galilee

General Comment on 24:6c–d

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder the clauses in 24:6c and 24:6d. For example:

6cRemember how 6dwhen he was still in Galilee 6che told you

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