SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 23:43

23:43a

Truly I tell you: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Truly I tell you occurs five times previously in Luke. Jesus used it to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. It indicates that the statement is important and reliable. Jesus wanted the man on the cross to listen carefully and trust what he was about to say. Some ways to translate it here are:

I promise you that (Good News Translation)
-or-
I assure you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
You can be sure of this:

For more information and translation examples, see the note on 18:17a. You may also want to refer to how you translated this clause in 4:24, 12:37, 18:17, and 18:29.

23:43b

today you will be with Me in Paradise: Here Jesus promised that he and the criminal would be together in paradise that same day. Both of them would die that day, and then they would enter paradise. In the Greek clause the words today and with Me are emphasized. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

this very day you will be with me in paradise (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
today you and I will be together in the land of those made immortal

today: A Jewish day ended at sunset, and a new day began. Jesus and the criminal did die before sunset and went to paradise.

Paradise: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Paradise refers to a place of happiness where people who love God go when they die. In this context its meaning is similar to the meaning of the Greek word that is used for “heaven,” the place where God lives. The English and Greek words for Paradise came from the Hebrew word that can refer to a beautiful garden with many fruit trees.

Some other ways to translate it are:

the beautiful place where people stay with God
-or-
the wonderful/glorious home of God

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