The Greek that is translated into English as “crucify” is translated in various ways:
Naro: xgàu or “to stretch” (as is done with a skin after slaughtering in order to dry it. The word is also widely accepted in the churches.) (Source: Gerrit van Steenbergen)
Yatzachi Zapotec: “fasten him to the cross” (source for this and two above: M. Larson / B. Moore in Notes on Translation February 1970, p. 1-125)
Noongar: “kill on a tree” (source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Apali: “nail to a tree piece put cross-wise, lift up to stand upright (for the crucified person) to die (and in some contexts: “to die and rise again”)” (source: Martha Wade)
In British Sign Language it is signed with a sign that signifies “nails hammered into hands” and “arms stretched out.” (Source: Anna Smith)
“Crucify” or “crucifixion” in British Sign Language (source: Christian BSL, used with permission)
Following is a painting by Wang Suda 王肅達 (1910-1963):
Housed by Société des Auxiliaires des Missions Collection – Whitworth University
(click image to enlarge)
Image taken from Chinese Christian Posters . For more information on the “Ars Sacra Pekinensis” school of art, see this article , for other artworks of that school in TIPs, see here.
Click or tap here to see a short video clip showing how crucifixion was done in biblical times (source: Bible Lands 2012)
Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 23:23:
Noongar: “But the crowd did not stop shouting that they should hammer Jesus to a tree to die. At last, after a long time, Pilate heard their angry shouting and gave them what they asked.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “But they just all-the-harder asked that Yesus be crucified. Finally they really won.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “But they really insisted and continued to shout that Isa should be nailed to the post. Finally their wish was followed.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And then they shouted all the more that Jesus be nailed to a cross, and after a long while, Pilate could no longer resist,” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “But they continued shouting insisting that Jesus be nailed to the cross until Pilato was defeated,” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “But those people were noisy-and-excited. They were insistent that it really was necessary to nail Jesus to a cross. Well, since it was now like that, they won.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
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 23:13-25:
Pilate called together the chief priests,
the religious authorities, and all their cohorts.
Then he said:
“You brought Jesus into my court,
accusing him of being a troublemaker.
But you’re witnesses that I’ve found him innocent,
and so has Herod, who sent him back to me.
This man doesn’t deserve the death penalty.
I’ll have him beaten, then released.”
“Kill him! Set Barabbas free!” shouted the angry mob.
Now Barabbas had been in prison,
charged with terrorism and murder.
Pilate wanted to set Jesus free,
so he repeated himself to the mob.
But they shouted even louder,
“Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!”
“What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate once again.
“I’ve found him guilty of nothing deserving death.
I’ll have him beaten and released.”
“Kill him! Kill him! Kill him!”
came the incessant cry of the crowd.
Finally, Pilate gave in to the demands of the frenzied mob.
He freed Barabbas, the terrorist and murderer,
then handed Jesus over to face certain death.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
hoi de epekeinto … aitoumenoi ‘but they persisted in demanding.’ For epikeimai cf. on 5.1; here it is used of applying mental pressure, with following participial clause indicating what was pressed for, i.e. that Jesus should be crucified.
phōnais megalais ‘with loud voices,’ elsewhere in the singular (cf. 19.37), in a clause with plural subject, here in the plural, without difference in meaning.
katischuon hai phōnai autōn ‘their voices, i.e. their shouting prevailed.’
katischuō here ‘to prevail,’ ‘to win the day.’
Translation:
They were urgent, demanding, or, ‘they insisted on their demand,’ ‘they pressed (lit. made to walk) their earnest entreaty’ (Marathi), ‘they kept on demanding,’ cf. “they kept on shouting” (Good News Translation, choosing a verb more in tune with the next phrase). The person to whom the demand is addressed may have to be indicated, cf. e.g. ‘they pressed him (or, Pilate) and asked,’ or, shifting the main verb, ‘they demanded him/Pilate urgently.’
With loud cries, or, ‘shouts,’ ‘crying/shouting loudly.’ The phrase may better become the main clause, cf. e.g. ‘they made-loud (lit. blazing) their voice to press him, asking’ (Batak Toba).
That he should be crucified, or, ‘that he (i.e. Pilate) should crucify him/Jesus, or, should have him/Jesus crucified.’
Their voices prevailed, or, ‘won-the-victory’ (Pohnpeian), is variously rendered, cf. e.g. ‘their noises defeated him’ (Fulah), ‘their words conquered, or, were obeyed’ (cf. Shona 1963, Tzeltal), ‘their voices made authority’ (Zarma, an idiom for a pronouncement one is forced to obey whether right or wrong), ‘success came to their yelling’ (Marathi), ‘they won-out’ (Kituba).
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.
But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces a strong contrast between what Pilate said in 23:22d and what the people continued to demand. Pilate wanted to release Jesus, but the people demanded that he order Jesus to be crucified. Indicate this contrast between 23:23a and 23:22d in a way that is natural in your language.
they were insistent, demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified: This statement indicates that the people continued to loudly demand that Jesus be crucified. Some ways to translate the statement in English are:
they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified (New Revised Standard Version) -or-
the crowd pressured Pilate. They shouted that Jesus had to be crucified (God’s Word) -or-
the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified (New Living Translation (2004))
Some languages use an idiom to describe people shouting loud demands like this. For example:
they kept on shouting at the top of their voices that Jesus should be crucified (Good News Translation)
In some languages it may be more natural to use direct speech for the people’s shouts. For example:
they continued to shout again and again, “Crucify him! He must be crucified!”
for Jesus to be crucified: The clause to be crucified is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to translate it as an active clause and supply a subject. For example:
that ⌊he/Pilate order his soldiers⌋ to crucify Jesus -or-
that ⌊Pilate must sentence⌋ Jesus to die by crucifixion
crucified: See the note on “Crucify him” in 23:21b for translation suggestions.
23:23c
And their clamor prevailed: The clause And their clamor prevailed indicates that the people shouted so much that Pilate finally decided to do what they wanted. He was not able to continue to resist their demand. Other ways to translate this are:
finally their shouting succeeded (Good News Translation) -or-
after a long while, Pilate could no longer resist their shouting
In some languages there may be an idiom to describe this. Translate it in a natural way in your language.
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