Translation commentary on Luke 4:9

Exegesis:

egagēn de auton eis Ierousalēm ‘and he led him to Jerusalem’; subject again ho diabolos ‘the devil.’ For the character of the event described in this clause cf. on v. 5. For Ierousalēm cf. on 2.22.

estēsen epi to pterugion tou hierou ‘he made him stand on the pinnacle of the temple’; object is auton understood from the preceding clause.

histēmi ‘to set,’ ‘to place.’

pterugion lit. ‘little wing,’ denotes “the tip or extremity of anything”, horizontal or vertical. As no ‘little wing’ of the temple is mentioned elsewhere the exact reference of the word is impossible to ascertain. For the translator’s choice two considerations may be determining, i.e. (1) that to hieron refers to the temple as a whole and not to the central building only, and (2) that to pterugion because of the article refers to something which was generally known and, as shown by the use of the word elsewhere (cf. L-Sc, s.v.), has a concrete meaning.

ei huios ei tou theou ‘if you are the Son of God,’ cf. on v. 3.

bale seauton enteuthen katō ‘throw yourself down from here.’

enteuthen (also 13.31) ‘from here.’

katō ‘downwards.’

Translation:

He took him. It may be preferable to specify one or both of the pronouns.

And set him, or, ‘placed/put him,’ ‘made him stand.’

Pinnacle. So long as it is not clear which specific part of the temple is meant it seems the wisest solution to use a generic rendering, e.g. “summit” (An American Translation), ‘top part’ (Marathi), ‘highest beam/pole/ridge/stone.’ There is no serious loss of information then, since it is height rather than architectural detail that is important in this context.

Throw yourself down, or, ‘cause-to-fall yourself (downwards)’ (Trukese, some Indonesian languages), ‘jump … downwards’ (Pohnpeian, Javanese).

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 4:9

Paragraph 4:9–12

In this paragraph, Luke reported another way that the devil tempted Jesus. In this paragraph, the devil tempted Jesus to put himself in danger. If Jesus had put himself in danger, he would have sinned, because he would have tested God.

Then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then is a common connecting word. It does not necessarily imply a time reference, and so some English versions, such as the English Standard Version, translate it as “and.” Other versions, such as the New International Version, do not translate this conjunction.

The events in this paragraph may have occurred before the temptation in 4:5–8. So if it is natural in your language to begin this paragraph with a connecting word or phrase, you should be as general as possible. For example:

Also
-or-
Another time

In some languages, certain time words may not necessarily indicate that this paragraph occurred immediately after 4:5–8. If that is true in your language, a word such as Then may be appropriate. Connect 4:4a to 4:3b in a way that is natural in your language.

4:9a

the devil led Him to Jerusalem: In this context, the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translated here as led can also be translated as “took, brought, or guided.” For example:

the Devil took him to Jerusalem (Good News Translation)
-or-
the devil brought him to Jerusalem (NET Bible)

Him: The pronoun Him refers to Jesus. Since this is the beginning of a new paragraph, it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

the devil brought Jesus to Jerusalem

to Jerusalem: The Greek preposition that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as to may also be translated as “into.” The temple was inside the city of Jerusalem, so the devil took Jesus into the city. For example:

the devil took him into Jerusalem (God’s Word)

4:9b

set Him: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as set Him is literally “placed him.” It means “caused him to stand.” Some other ways to translate this are:

had him stand (New International Version)
-or-
put him (New Century Version)

the pinnacle of the temple: The pinnacle of the temple probably refers to the top of one of the temple towers. Towers were built into the outer wall of the temple complex. Below this particular tower was a valley. If a person jumped from there, he would fall approximately 150 meters (450 feet).

Another way to translate this is:

the highest point of the temple (New International Version)

temple: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as temple refers to the temple building and the walls and courtyards that surrounded it. The temple was in Jerusalem and was the most important place where Jews worshiped God.

Some ways to translate the word temple are:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

house/building of God
-or-
place of sacrifice
-or-
house/place of worship
-or-
holy/sacred house

• If your language has a word for “temple,” consider using it. But you may need to modify it by saying:

temple of the Jews/Lord

Be sure to use a different term from the one you have chosen for “synagogue.” There was only one temple, but there were many synagogues where the Jews met regularly for worship.

See temple, Meaning 1 in the Glossary for more information about the temple and how to translate it.

4:9c

If You are the Son of God: The words If You are the Son of God are the same words as in 4:3a.

he said: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as he said is literally “and he said to him.” In Greek, these words come before “If you are the Son of God.” You should place these words where it is natural in your language to identify the speaker of this quotation.

4:9d

throw Yourself down from here: The phrase throw Yourself down means “leap off,” “jump down,” or “make yourself fall down.” For example:

jump from here (God’s Word)
-or-
jump down (New Century Version)

Normally someone who jumped from such a great height would die. If Jesus had jumped, he would have sinned, because he would have tested God to prove that God would protect him.

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