Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | Luke 23:43 And He said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Luke 23:43 Jesus said to him, "I assure you and most solemnly say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." [2 Cor 12:4; Rev 2:7] |
Bible Question: My understanding of the Bible is that no commas were in the original biblical languages. If so, then the placement of commas was the choice of the translators. Jesus didn't rise from the dead until the first day of the week. What is it about the wording of this verse that makes the placement of the comma more appropriate before "today" than after it? Did the thief make it to heaven before his Saviour? |
Bible Answer: Greetings Pudge! You are correct that there was limited or no punctuation in the original manuscripts. Therefore, context and historical patterns determine the usage. In this case, 'I say' is always (or almost always - I checked but could not find any contrary examples in a quick search) immediately follwed by the content of the speach or a pronoun identifying to whom the speaker is speaking. Further, there is not a single example of "I say today..." in any other passage in the New Testament. I have yet to find a single serious scholar who believes that Luke 23:43 should be punctuated in this manner. Finally, the verses says that the thief would be in paradise with Jesus, not Heaven. Many believe that paradise is a reference to Abraham's bosom, where the Old Testament saints resided until Christ's resurrection. I hope this helps! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |