Translation commentary on Luke 2:47

Exegesis:

existanto de pantes hoi akouontes autou ‘all who heard him were amazed’; the clause is the last part of the description of the situation which Mary and Joseph found. This is brought out by the imperfect tense of existanto, ‘were amazed,’ as compared with the aorists in v. 46 and v. 48.

existamai ‘to be amazed.’

epi tē sunesei kai tais apokrisesin autou ‘at his insight and his answers.’ The latter word implies that Jesus did not only ask questions but was also questioned; this supports the idea of a discussion at which also eperōtōnta ‘asking questions’ in v. 46 hints (cf. last note on v. 46).

sunesis ‘insight,’ here best taken as referring to both questions and answers.

apokrisis (also 20.26) ‘answer.’

Translation:

All who heard him, or, .’.. heard his words,’ cf. on 1.41.

Were amazed at, or more positively, ‘admired’; for the verb cf. on “wondered at” in 1.21.

His understanding and his answers. Though the two terms are in themselves neutral the intention in this context is clearly positive; hence the first noun may be rendered by, ‘his insight,’ “his intelligence” (New English Bible), “his quick understanding” (Knox), ‘his cleverness’ (Tae’ 1933), ‘the acuteness of his mind’ (Batak Toba); and the second by, ‘his wise answers,’ ‘the rightness of his answers’ (Tae’ 1933). Shifts to a verbal clause may result in something like, ‘the way how he understood and answered,’ ‘the fact that (or, because) he understood things very well and answered wisely.’ For to understand a figurative rendering is sometimes used, e.g. ‘to receive in the heart,’ ‘to see clearly,’ ‘to reach (or, find, or, hear) with the mind/heart.’

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.

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 24:7

24:7a

In the Greek text this verse begins with a word that means “saying.” It introduces the words of Jesus that the men quoted. These were words that Jesus had said in the past. You should introduce them in a natural way in your language. Some ways to introduce them are:

He said (God’s Word)
-or-
saying

In some languages it may be more natural to translate the quote as indirect speech. See the General Comment on 24:7a–c at the end of 24:7c for examples.

The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men: In Greek this clause is more literally, “it is necessary for the Son of Man to be delivered into the hands of sinners.” In the Bible the verb “it is necessary” usually implies that God has already decided that a certain action must happen. In this context God had decided that the Son of Man must be put into the power/control of sinful men. Some other ways to make this clear are:

it is necessary for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners
-or-

⌊God⌋ has determined/decided that the Son of Man will be handed over to sinners

In 18:32 Jesus mentioned that he would be delivered into the power of the Gentiles, but in Greek the statement there does not include the verb “it is necessary.”

The Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The Son of Man occurs often in Luke. It occurs for the first time in 5:24. You should translate it in the same way as you did there. See the note on The Son of Man at 17:22a–b for more information and translation suggestions.

In this context the angel was quoting something that Jesus had said about himself. In some languages it may be necessary to use a form such as “I” or “me” in the quote to indicate that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

I/me, the Son of Man

If you translate the quote as indirect speech, use an appropriate way to indicate that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

he/him, the Son of Man

See also “Son of Man” in Key Biblical Terms for more information.

must be delivered: The verb must be delivered is passive. Some ways to translate it in this verse are:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

The Son of Man must be handed over to sinful people (God’s Word)

• Use an active verb and supply a subject. This subject should be either God or an impersonal subject. For example:

⌊God⌋ has decided to put/give the Son of Man into the power of sinners
-or-
It is necessary that ⌊someone/they⌋ give the Son of Man into the power of sinners.

sinful men: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sinful men is more literally “sinful people.” It refers to people who habitually do things that are against God’s will. This includes acts, thoughts, and attitudes. These sinners violate God’s standard of what is right and good. They also fail to do and think the things that please him.

Here sinful men refers especially to the men to whom Judas betrayed Jesus. Then those men caused Jesus to be crucified (24:7b).

Other ways to translate it are:

sinners
-or-
evildoers

24:7b

be crucified: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be crucified is passive. The implied subject of the verb is the “sinful men” in 24:7a. In some languages it is more natural to use an active verb. For example:

they will crucify him/me
-or-
those sinners will crucify him/me

For information on translating the verb “crucify,” see the note at 23:21b.

24:7c

on the third day: The phrase on the third day refers to the third day after Jesus was crucified. When the Jews counted time, they counted part of a day as a whole day. Jesus was buried on the first day (Friday), he was in the tomb all of the second day (Saturday). Then he rose from the dead on the third day (Sunday) before daybreak. (A Jewish day began at sundown, so the first day of the week began at sundown on Saturday night.)

Translate the meaning of on the third day in a way that is natural in your language.

rise again: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rise again means “rise/live again.” This passive form of the verb was also used in 24:6b. See the note there.

General Comment on 24:7a–c

In some languages it may be more natural to translate the quote in 24:7 as indirect speech. For example:

…that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again. (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
He said that he the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful people, be crucified, and rise to life on the third day.

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