The Greek in Luke 24:37 that is translated as “that they were seeing a ghost” or similar in English is translated in the German New Testament translation by Berger / Nord (publ. 1999) with ein Gespenst, das Jesu Gestalt nachäffte or “a ghost that mimicked (verbatim: “copied like a monkey”) the figure of Jesus.”
Come and see that he is alive (image)
“Jesus allows himself to be touched by all. This picture shows a selection of all types of people from various regions and even a foreigner.”
Drawing by Sawai Chinnawong who employs northern and central Thailand’s popular distinctive artistic style originally used to depict Buddhist moral principles and other religious themes; explanation by Paul DeNeui. From That Man Who Came to Save Us by Sawai Chinnawong and Paul H. DeNeui, William Carey Library, 2010.
For more images by Sawai Chinnawong in TIPs see here.
See also Thomas with the risen Christ (image).
complete verse (Luke 24:37)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 24:37:
- Noongar: “They were very terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
- Uma: “They were terrified, because they thought they were seeing a ghost.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
- Yakan: “They were startled and afraid for they thought-mistakenly that they were seeing a ghost.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
- Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And they were very much afraid because they thought it was just the soul of Jesus that appeared to them.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
- Kankanaey: “But they were startled and their fear was excessive, because they thought it was a ghost they were seeing.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
- Tagbanwa: “But their insides quaked (lit. livers turned over) anyway and they were scared, for they thought-mistakenly that what they were seeing was the spirit of someone who had died.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Sung version of Luke 24
Translation commentary on Luke 24:37
Exegesis:
ptoēthentes de kai emphoboi genomenoi ‘startled and terrified.’ For ptoeomai cf. on 21.9, for emphobos cf. on v. 5. There is little difference between the two and they serve to reinforce one another.
edokoun pneuma theōrein ‘they thought that they were looking at a ghost.’ For dokeō cf. on 8.18. pneuma (in this meaning †) means here ‘ghost,’ i.e. a bodyless being yet perceptible to the eye.
Translation:
Startled and frightened, or, “full of fear and terror” (Good News Translation), ‘very much frightened.’ For terms rendering the concept ‘fear’ see on 1.12.
Supposed, see on 2.44.
Spirit, or, ‘ghost,’ in the sense of that portion of the personality which leaves the body at death and is believed to appear to the living in bodily likeness.
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 24:37
24:37
This verse tells the reactions of Jesus’ followers when he suddenly appeared to them. They did not rejoice immediately, because they were afraid. The reason for their fear was that they thought they were seeing Jesus’ ghost (24:37b). In some languages it is more natural to change the order of 24:37a and 24:37b so that the reason for the fear comes first. For example:
37bbut they thought he was a ghost, 37aso they were terrified
See the General Comment on 24:37a–b at the end of 24:37b for another example.
24:37a
But: In Greek this verse begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But. It introduces how the disciples felt when Jesus appeared to them. Many English versions do not have a conjunction here. Do what is natural in your language. In some languages it may be natural to introduce the verse with a clause. For example:
When they saw him
they were startled and frightened: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they were startled and frightened are very similar in meaning. The Greek word for startled probably indicates that the disciples felt shocked when they saw Jesus so suddenly. The word for frightened refers to the fear that they felt because they thought that they were seeing a ghost. They did not realize that they were seeing the living Jesus himself.
Luke used these two words together to emphasize the disciples’ surprise and fear when Jesus suddenly appeared to them. In some languages it may be more natural to express their reaction in a different way. Some other ways to describe their reaction are:
And they were very much afraid
-or-
But they were startled and their fear was excessive
-or-
They were terrified
24:37b
thinking they had seen a spirit: The phrase thinking they had seen a spirit in the reason that the disciples were afraid. Another way to translate it is:
because they thought they were seeing a ghost (Contemporary English Version)
Translate this reason in a natural way in your language.
thinking: The disciples were wrong in what they were thinking. Jesus was not a ghost, as they feared. In some languages it is good to use a word or phrase that implies a wrong thought or belief. For example:
assuming
-or-
⌊wrongly⌋ thinking
a spirit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a spirit refers to the spirit of a dead person. It does not refer here to an evil spirit. Use the appropriate word to refer to it in your language.
General Comment on 24:37a–b
In this verse 24:37b is the reason for the result in 24:37a. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:
37bBecause they thought he was a spirit, 37athey were startled and afraid.
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