complete verse (Luke 23:32)

Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 23:32:

  • Noongar: “They also took out two other men, both thieves, to crucify with Jesus.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
  • Uma: “When Yesus was taken to be crucified, there were also two other people taken with him to be killed. Those two were both people with evil behavior.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “There were also two people other than Isa taken to be killed. Those two had broken the law.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there were also there two robbers that they were taking because they will kill them along with Jesus.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “There were also two criminals whom they took-along-with Jesus to go kill them.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “The soldiers took along also two people who were criminals, for they would be killed together with Jesus.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)

Translation commentary on Luke 23:32

Exegesis:

ēgonto de kai heteroi kakourgoi duo ‘two other criminals were also led out.’ ēgonto is semantically equivalent to apēgagon in v. 26. As v. 33 shows the phrase heteroi kakourgoi duo does not suggest that the word kakourgos applies to Jesus also. But even without this clarification the phrase is not likely to be misunderstood.

kakourgos (also v. 39) ‘evil-doer,’ ‘criminal,’ of a person who commits serious crimes.

sun autō anairethēnai ‘to be put to death with him,’ final infinitive. anaireō (cf. on 22.2) is used here in the meaning, ‘to kill by execution.’

Translation:

Two others also, who were criminals, were led away, restricting the qualification “criminals” to the “two others”; similarly, ‘they (or, the soldiers) took away two others, both of them criminals’ (cf. Good News Translation), ‘there were two other men led away, i.e. two evildoers’ (Bahasa Indonesia 1968).

Put to death, or, ‘executed’ (Bible de Jérusalem), ‘punished by death’ (Javanese, Balinese), or, in this context, ‘crucified’ (Bahasa Indonesia RC).

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.