Scriptures Plain & Simple (Luke 22:31-38)

Barclay Newman, a translator on the teams for both the Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version, translated passages of the New Testament into English and published them in 2014, “in a publication brief enough to be non-threatening, yet long enough to be taken seriously, and interesting enough to appeal to believers and un-believers alike.” The following is the translation of Luke 22:31-38:

Jesus said, “Peter, listen carefully!
Satan has demanded the right
       to severely test each of you.
But I’ve prayed for your faith to be strong,
and when you’ve endured the testing,
       then turn and help the others endure.”

Peter replied, “Lord, I’m willing to face prison
       ;or even death with you!”

“Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning,” said Jesus,
       “you’ll say three times you don’t even know me.”

Then Jesus spoke to all his followers,
       “When I sent you out on your first mission,
       I told you not to take along a traveling bag
              or extra clothes and sandals.
       But now I tell you to take all these
              and possibly even a sword,
       because I’ll be treated like a criminal,
              just as the Bible says.”

“We have two swords!” shouted his followers.
       “Enough of this!” replied Jesus.

Translation commentary on Luke 22:35

Exegesis:

kai eipen autois ‘and he said to them,’ marking the transition to a new subject.

hote apesteila humas ‘when I sent you out,’ referring to one specific event in the past (as brought out by hote and by the aorist tense of apesteila), i.e. that of 10.3ff.

ater ballantiou kai pēras kai hupodēmatōn ‘without a purse and a knapsack and sandals,’ cf. on 10.4.

mē tinos husterēsate ‘did you lack anything?,’ cf. on 15.14. mē in interrogative clauses does not presume an affirmative or negative answer.

outhenos (scil. husterēsamen) ‘(we lacked) nothing.’

Translation:

With no purse or bag or sandals, or, ‘not taking with you a purse or bag or sandals,’ or using different verbs, ‘not having with you a purse, not carrying-on-the-back a knapsack, not wearing sandals.’ For the nouns see on 10.4 and references.

Did you lack anything, or, ‘were you ever short of anything,’ ‘was there anything you wanted but could not get’ (Tae’ 1933).

Nothing, or, filling out the expression, ‘we lacked nothing.’

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 22:35

Paragraph 22:35–38

22:35a–b

Then Jesus asked them: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then Jesus asked them is more literally, “And he said to them,” as in the Revised Standard Version. It introduces another topic that Jesus wanted his apostles to think about. Translate it in a natural way in your language.

When I sent you out without purse or bag or sandals: In this clause Jesus reminded his apostles of a past time when he sent them to visit different towns and villages. This happened in 9:1–6, and he sent out a larger group of disciples in 10:1–16. Before Jesus sent them, he gave them instructions about what they should not take with them.

Languages have different ways to introduce instructions. You should introduce the instructions here in a natural way in your language. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

You remember how I sent you out without purse, bag, or sandals.
-or-
At one time, I said to you, “Go ⌊preach⌋ but do not take a purse, a bag, or sandals.”
-or-
Do you remember when I sent you ⌊to different towns and villages⌋? I told you not to take a purse, bag, or sandals.

When I sent you out: Jesus referred here to the times when he sent his disciples out to preach about the kingdom of God and to heal people. He told them to travel through different towns and villages. In some languages it may be necessary to make the meaning of sent more explicit. For example:

When I sent you out ⌊to preach⌋
-or-
When I told you to ⌊travel to different towns and villages⌋

without purse or bag or sandals: The phrase without purse or bag or sandals indicates that Jesus told his disciples not to take any of these things with them. Another way to translate this is:

I told you not to take a purse or a bag or sandals.

purse: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as purse refers to a small bag that people used for carrying money with them. It was probably made from leather. This word was also used in 10:4. Translate it in the same way in both these verses.

In some cultures men do not carry money in purses or bags. If that is true in your culture, you may mention the money itself. For example:

When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money (New Living Translation (2004))

bag: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bag refers to another type of bag. It is different from a purse that people used to carry money. This bag was probably used for carrying extra clothes, food, or other items that might be needed during a journey. You should use a natural word for this in your language. For example:

traveler’s bag (NET Bible)
-or-
pack (Revised English Bible)
-or-
load

The same word was used in 9:3 and 10:4. Translate it in the same way in all these verses.

sandals: The word sandals refers to open shoes that were tied to a person’s feet with straps. Jesus referred here to taking an extra pair of sandals. The disciples wore one pair of sandals, and Jesus told them not to carry another pair with them. In some languages it may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

⌊extra/spare⌋ sandals

If people in your area are not familiar with sandals, you may use a general term for footwear or the term for a similar type of local footwear. For example:

shoes (Good News Translation)
-or-
thongs/flip-flops

The word sandals was also used in 10:4. Translate it in the same way in both verses.

22:35c

did you lack anything?: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lack means “to be in need.” Jesus knew the answer to this question. So in this context the question reminded the disciples that they had everything they needed on their journey. Even though they took no money with them, people took care of them as they traveled. They trusted and obeyed Jesus, and they had enough food and other things that they needed.

Some other ways to translate this question are:

…were you in need?
-or-
…did you ever lack anything ⌊that you needed⌋?
-or-
…you did not lack anything, did you? (New American Standard Bible)

22:35d

Nothing: Here the apostles agreed with what Jesus implied. They agreed that they never lacked anything on their journey. They had what they needed. Some other ways to translate the answer in English are:

No, ⌊we had everything we needed⌋.
-or-
No, ⌊we never lacked anything⌋.

Translate this answer in a natural way in your language. In some languages it may be more natural to phrase the question in a way that has a positive answer. See the General Comment on 22:35c–d for an example.

The situation implies that people gave the apostles what they needed. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that people provided what the apostles needed. For example:

No, ⌊people gave us⌋ everything that we needed.

they answered: In the Greek text, the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they answered occurs before the disciples’ answer. Place this phrase where it is most natural in your language. The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as answered is the common verb that means “said.” The Berean Standard Bible has translated this as answered because of the context. Use the verb that is most natural in your language.

General Comment on 22:35c–d

In some languages it may be more natural to phrase the question and answer in 22:35c–d in a positive way. For example:

35c“Did you have everything that you needed?” 35dThey answered, “Yes, we had all that we needed.”

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