23:53a
Then he took it down: The clause Then he took it down implies that Joseph went to the place where Jesus was crucified and took Jesus’ body down from the cross. Joseph did not do that by himself. John 19:39–40 indicates that Nicodemus helped him, and other people also may have helped. Joseph may have asked some of his servants to help also.
Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:
Then he went and lowered it from the cross
-or-
He took the body down from the cross (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Joseph ⌊with the help of other men⌋ took his body down ⌊from the cross⌋
Translate this clause in a clear way in your language.
23:53b
wrapped it in a linen cloth: It was a Jewish custom to wrap a dead person’s body in a cloth before burying it. The word wrapped in this context indicates that Joseph and his helpers wrapped the cloth around the body many times. The cloth was first cut into strips, and then the strips were wrapped around the body. At times, a whole linen cloth (a “shroud”) was also placed around the wrapped corpse.
Some other ways to translate this are:
wrapped linen cloth around the body/corpse
-or-
wrapped him/it in ⌊strips of⌋ the linen/cloth
-or-
took linen cloth and wrapped it around the body
-or-
shrouded it
a linen cloth: linen cloth is a fabric that is woven from thread made out of the fibers of the flax plant. It was an expensive, good quality fabric. It was normally white or cream-colored. In some areas linen cloth is unknown. If that is true in your area, you may use a more general term. For example:
fine cloth (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
cloth (New Century Version)
23:53c–d
and placed it in a tomb cut into the rock: The phrase a tomb cut into the rock describes the type of grave into which Joseph put Jesus’ body. This tomb was like a cave. Some men had dug it in a solid mass of rock. It was not a hole that men dug in the ground. Such tombs were often dug into a hillside of solid rock.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
placed-it-inside a cave that had been chipped-from rock
-or-
laid it in a tomb that was carved into ⌊a hill of⌋ rock
In some languages it is more natural to introduce the cave before saying that Jesus’ body was buried there. For example:
And there was a burial cave dug out of a limestone cliff…. And there Joseph placed the body of Jesus
cut into the rock: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cut is a descriptive word. It is not a verb. However, in some languages it may be necessary to translate it as a verb. If you use an active verb, you may need to supply a general subject. For example:
that ⌊someone/people⌋ cut/carved out of the rock
where no one had yet been laid: This phrase indicates that no dead body had ever been placed in the tomb where they buried Jesus. That type of tomb was usually large enough for several dead bodies. It was also large enough for several people to enter carrying a dead body.
Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
That grave was still new; it had never yet been used as a burial place.
-or-
This tomb had never been used before. (New Century Version)
The parallel passage in Matthew 27:60 indicates that this tomb was Joseph’s own tomb. He had already told men to make this tomb for himself before he knew when Jesus would die.
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