Luke 24
The full text of Luke 24 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared.
2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb,
3 but when they went in, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in dazzling clothes.
5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground. The men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?
6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you while he was still in Galilee,
7 saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified, and on the third day rise.'"
8 Then they remembered his words.
9 When they returned from the tomb, they reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told these things to the apostles.
11 But these words seemed like nonsense to them, and they did not believe the women.
12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the linen strips lying by themselves. Then he went away, wondering to himself about what had happened.
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 And they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and walked along with them,
16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
17 He said to them, "What are you discussing with each other as you walk along?" They stood still, looking sad.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, answered, "Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?"
19 "What things?" he asked. They said to him, "About Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet powerful in deed and word before God and all the people,
20 and how the chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death and crucified him.
21 But we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened.
22 Moreover, some women from our group amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning
23 but did not find his body. They came back saying they had even seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.
24 Some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see."
25 He said to them, "How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then enter into his glory?"
27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
28 As they approached the village where they were going, he acted as if he were going farther.
29 But they urged him strongly, saying, "Stay with us, because it is nearly evening and the day is almost over." So he went in to stay with them.
30 When he reclined at table with them, he took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them.
31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight.
32 They said to each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he was speaking to us on the road, while he was opening the Scriptures to us?"
33 They got up that very hour and returned to Jerusalem. They found the eleven and those with them gathered together,
34 who were saying, "The Lord has truly been raised and has appeared to Simon!"
35 Then the two told what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized him in the breaking of the bread.
36 While they were saying these things, he himself stood among them and said to them, "Peace to you."
37 They were startled and terrified, thinking they were seeing a ghost.
38 He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts?
39 Look at my hands and my feet — it is I myself! Touch me and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have."
40 And when he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet.
41 While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, he asked them, "Do you have anything here to eat?"
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.
44 He said to them, "These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you: everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms must be fulfilled."
45 Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures.
46 He told them, "This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day,
47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.
48 You are witnesses of these things.
49 And look, I am sending upon you what my Father promised. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high."
50 Then he led them out as far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands, he blessed them.
51 While he was blessing them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy.
53 And they were continually in the temple, praising God.
Translation notes (36)
- Luke 24:1a The Greek phrase tē de mia tōn sabbatōn means “on the first of the week.” Literally, it translates to “on the one of the sabbaths,” which was the Jewish method of numbering weekdays starting from the Sabbath.
- Luke 24:3a Some manuscripts omit the phrase “of the Lord Jesus” (tou kyriou Iēsou), reading simply “the body.” However, P75, Aleph, A, B, C, and L include it, and it is likely original.
- Luke 24:4a Gk. andres dyo, two men — Luke describes them as men (not angels), though v.23 retroactively calls them angels. Two witnesses (Deut 19:15).
- Luke 24:5a The Greek phrase ton zōnta meta tōn nekrōn means “the living one among the dead,” which is a title-like designation, “the Living One.”
- Luke 24:6a Some Western manuscripts, such as D and it-a, omit the phrase “He is not here; he has risen.” This omission is a possible “Western non-interpolation,” meaning it might be an original reading that was later expanded in other traditions. However, most scholars retain the phrase because it is present in the majority of manuscripts.
- Luke 24:10a Luke names three women, or four if “the others” are counted. Joanna is unique to Luke, as seen in Luke 8:3, and was the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward.
- Luke 24:11a The Greek word lēros means “nonsense,” “idle talk,” or “delirium.” It was a medical term in Greek literature referring to the ravings of the sick, indicating a strong dismissal.
- Luke 24:12a Verse 24:12 is absent from D (Codex Bezae) and some Old Latin manuscripts. However, it is present in P75, Aleph, A, B, L, and W. Most scholars regard this verse as original to Luke, possibly drawn from the same tradition as John 20:3-10.
- Luke 24:13a The Greek phrase stadia hexēkonta means “sixty stadia,” which is about 7 miles or 11 kilometers. Some manuscripts, however, read 160 stadia, and the exact location of Emmaus is debated.
- Luke 24:16a The Greek phrase ekratounto...tou mē epignōnai auton means “their eyes were held or restrained from recognizing” him. This is an example of the “divine passive,” a grammatical construction implying that God himself prevented their recognition, as also seen in Luke 18:34.
- Luke 24:17a Gk. skythrōpoi, gloomy/sad-faced — only here and Matt 6:16 in NT. Visible grief on their faces.
- Luke 24:18a The Greek name Kleopas is possibly a shortened form of Kleopatros. This person is distinct from Clopas mentioned in John 19:25, and the other disciple with him remains unnamed.
- Luke 24:21a The Greek phrase lytrousthai ton Israēl means “to redeem or liberate Israel.” This reflects the political-messianic hope language of the time, as also seen in Luke 1:68 and 2:38, indicating their hope was for national liberation.
- Luke 24:24a The Greek phrase tines tōn syn hēmin means “some of those with us” and is plural, which contrasts with verse 12 where Peter is alone. This may imply that John also went, as described in John 20:3-4, or it could simply be a general plural statement.
- Luke 24:25a The Greek phrase anoētoi kai bradeis tē kardia means “senseless and slow in heart.” This was not a gentle rebuke, but strong language highlighting their failure to connect the Scriptures with the events they had witnessed.
- Luke 24:26a The Greek phrase ouchi tauta edei pathein ton Christon means “was it not necessary for the Christ to suffer?” The Greek word dei, meaning “must,” indicates a necessity that is both scriptural and divinely ordained.
- Luke 24:27a The Greek word diermēneusen, meaning 'interpreted' or 'explained,' is a term related to interpretation, referring to a systematic reading of the entire Old Testament that points to Christ. Luke does not specify which passages Jesus interpreted.
- Luke 24:28a The Greek word prosepoiēsato means 'pretended' or 'acted as though.' This action was not meant as deception, but as a courtesy, indicating that Jesus was waiting to be invited rather than imposing himself.
- Luke 24:30a The four verbs used here—'took,' 'blessed,' 'broke,' and 'gave'—recall the feeding of the 5,000 in Luke 9:16 and the Last Supper in Luke 22:19. This is language often used to describe the Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper.
- Luke 24:31a The Greek phrase aphantos egeneto ap autōn means 'he became invisible' or 'unseen from them.' This suggests that the resurrected body has different characteristics than a physical body before resurrection.
- Luke 24:32a The Greek word kaiomenē means 'burning.' This indicates that their hearts burned during Jesus' explanation of the Scriptures, not afterward, suggesting that their inner spiritual awareness preceded their visual recognition of him.
- Luke 24:34a This appearance to Simon/Peter is mentioned only here and in 1 Cor 15:5. No Gospel narrates it directly. It confirms Peter's restoration after his denial.
- Luke 24:35a The Greek phrase en tē klasei tou artou, meaning 'in the breaking of the bread,' is a specific term used for the Eucharist, or the Lord's Supper, in Acts 2:42 and 20:7. This suggests that recognition of Jesus often comes during the shared meal.
- Luke 24:36a Some early manuscripts, including manuscript D and some Old Latin manuscripts, do not include the phrase 'and said to them, Peace to you.' However, other important early manuscripts such as P75, Aleph, A, B, L, and W do include it, and most scholars believe it should be retained.
- Luke 24:37a The Greek word pneuma, meaning 'spirit' or 'ghost,' indicates that the disciples thought they were seeing a spirit without a body, not a resurrected body. Jesus corrects this misunderstanding in verses 39-40.
- Luke 24:39a Gk. sarka kai ostea, flesh and bones (not 'flesh and blood' — cf. 1 Cor 15:50). The resurrection body is physical but transformed.
- Luke 24:40a This verse is not found in manuscript D and some Old Latin manuscripts, possibly due to a textual theory suggesting that some Western manuscripts tend to omit certain passages. However, it is present in other important early manuscripts such as P75, Aleph, A, B, C, L, and W, and most scholars believe it should be retained.
- Luke 24:41a The Greek phrase apistounto apo tēs charas means 'disbelieving from joy.' This is a realistic human detail, showing that their overwhelming joy made them disbelieve, as if it were too good to be true.
- Luke 24:42a Some later manuscripts add the phrase 'and a honeycomb' (Greek: kai apo melissiou kēriou). However, this phrase is not found in early manuscripts, and the critical Greek text omits it.
- Luke 24:44a The 'Law, Prophets, and Psalms' refers to the three-part Hebrew Bible (Torah, Nevi'im, and Ketuvim/Writings). Psalms represents the third section as its largest and first book.
- Luke 24:45a The Greek phrase diēnoixen autōn ton noun means 'opened their mind' or 'understanding.' This describes a divine act that enabled them to understand, paralleling the opening of their eyes in verse 31 and the burning of their hearts in verse 32.
- Luke 24:47a This verse is the programmatic statement for the book of Acts (compare Acts 1:8). The mission begins in Jerusalem and extends to all nations.
- Luke 24:49a The Greek phrase tēn epangelian tou patros mou, meaning 'the promise of my Father,' refers to the Holy Spirit, as seen in Acts 1:4-5 and 2:33. The phrase dynamin ex hypsous means 'power from on high.'
- Luke 24:51a The words 'and was carried up into heaven' (Greek: kai anephereto eis ton ouranon) are not found in some early manuscripts, including Aleph*, D, and some Old Latin manuscripts. However, they are present in other important early manuscripts such as P75, Aleph-2, A, B, C, L, and W, and the critical Greek text retains them. The shorter reading may reflect that scribes might have omitted it to avoid a perceived contradiction with Acts 1:3, which describes the ascension after 40 days.
- Luke 24:52a The Greek phrase proskynēsantes auton means 'having worshiped him.' Some manuscripts, including manuscript D, omit the words 'worshiped him.' If the preceding phrase in verse 51 about Jesus being carried up into heaven is omitted, then the act of worship might seem to lack a clear reason, suggesting these two readings are connected.
- Luke 24:53a Some manuscripts add 'Amen' at the end. The Gospel ends as it began, in the temple (compare Luke 1:8-9), which is a literary device called an inclusio structure, where a work begins and ends with a similar theme or phrase.
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