Below is a rough translation and some preliminary comments regarding Luke 24:1-12, one of the readings for Easter Sunday in the Revised Common Lectionary for Year C. The other option is John 20:1-18, which you can find here.
1 τῇ δὲ μιᾷ τῶν σαββάτων ὄρθρου βαθέως ἐπὶ τὸ μνῆμα ἦλθον φέρουσαι ἃ
ἡτοίμασαν ἀρώματα.
Yet on the first of the Sabbaths at the break of dawn they came to the tomb carrying spices which they had prepared.
ἦλθον : AAI 3pl ἔρχομαι, 1) to come 1a) of persons 1a1) to come from one place to another, and used both of persons arriving and of those returning
φέρουσαι : PAPart nfpl, φέρω, 1) to carry
ἡτοίμασαν : AAI 3pl, ἑτοιμάζω 1) to make ready, prepare
1. “on the first of the Sabbaths”: If you google this phrase, prepare yourself for all manner of conspiracy-theorist venom. The phrase is typically translated as “the first day of the week,” which – according to the venom – is an anti-Semitic means of hiding the Jewish roots of Christianity. A kindlier interpretation – which recognizes that lexicons and commentaries are all written from and shaped by some manner of perspective, and that some of those perspectives were indeed tainted with anti-Semitism – could be something like this: We may be looking at a colloquial expression that we can only make sense of by seeing its use in NT and contemporary sources, then guessing what the pattern is. So, e.g., when the Pharisee in Luke 18:12 says, “I fast twice a Sabbath,” it would seem that “Sabbath” can mean “week,” as opposed to this man boasting that he fasts twice in one day. If “Sabbath” can mean “week,” then interpreting our verse to say “on the first day of the week,” is not an attempt to erase the Sabbaths from the story, but to figure out the meaning of the colloquial expression and express it meaningfully today.
2. Still, it is a curious phrase that shows up in every gospel account of the resurrection (Mk. 16:2, Mt.28:1, Jn.20:1). For a good time, compare Mk.16:1-2 with Matthew 28:1 and we might see that the reference to “the first day of the Sabbaths” was under interpretive construction even in the 1st century!
3. The antecedent for “they” here is given in 23:55, “The women who had come with him from Galilee.” They had scouted out where the tomb was and went back to where they were staying to prepare the spices and ointments before resting on the Sabbath. Only in v.10 of our story does Luke name some of these women: “Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary of James” before adding, “and the rest of the women with them.”
4. Some of the later manuscripts – as shown by their use in the KJV and YLT – add “and certain others with them” to the end of this verse.
5. The word for spices is the plural form of ἄρωμα, which transliterates as aroma.
2 εὗρον δὲ τὸν λίθον ἀποκεκυλισμένον ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου,
Yet they found the stone had been rolled away from the tomb,
εὗρον: AAI 3p εὑρίσκω, 1) to come upon, hit upon, to meet with
ἀποκεκυλισμένον : PerfPassPart ἀποκυλίω, 1) to roll off or away
3 εἰσελθοῦσαι δὲ οὐχ εὗρον τὸ σῶμα τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ.
yet having gone in they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
εἰσελθοῦσαι : AAPart nfp, εἰσέρχομαι, 1) to go out or come in: to enter
εὗρον : AAI 3p, εὑρίσκω, 1) to come upon, hit upon, to meet with
1. vv. 2-3 clarify what they did find and what they did not, using εὗρον twice.
4 καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ἀπορεῖσθαι αὐτὰς περὶ τούτου καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο
ἐπέστησαν αὐταῖς ἐνἐσθῆτι ἀστραπτούσῃ.
And they became perplexed about this and behold two men were standing before them in dazzling apparel.
ἐγένετο: AMI 3s, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be
ἀπορεῖσθαι : PMInf (!)ἀπορέω, 1) to be without resources, to be in straits, to be left wanting, to be embarrassed, to be in doubt, not to know which way to turn 2) to be at a loss with one's self, be in doubt 3) not to know how to decide or what to do, to be perplexed
ἰδοὺ: AMImpv εἶδον, a particle serving to call attention.
ἐπέστησαν : AAI 3pl, ἐφίστημι, 1) to place at, place upon, place over 1a) to stand
ἀστραπτούσῃ: PAPart dsf, ἀστράπτω, 1) to lighten 1a) of dazzling objects
1. I never quite know what to do with ἐγένετο. It is the term that the KJV quaintly translates as “It came to pass.” At times ἐγένετο works as something like a ‘helping verb,’ as it seems to do here, pointing toward ἀπορεῖσθαι (“perplexed”).
2. Speaking of ἀπορεῖσθαι, it is a fairly rare term in the NT and this is Luke’s only use. I am using “perplexed” because I think the word “perplexed” itself is a bit perplexing in its look and sound and meaning. However, ἀπορεῖσθαι is in the infinitive mood, as an indirect object of the preposition ἐν , with τῷ as its definite article. So I’m not entirely satisfied with losing the richness of this phrase. If I could figure out how to do it, it would be something like, “They became in the perplexity about this,” but that’s not terribly smooth.
3. Every translator tries to capture the moment here in the way we interpret ἐνἐσθῆτι ἀστραπτούσῃ: “gleamed like lightning” (NIV); “dazzling apparel” (ESV); “glittering apparel” (YLT); “shining garments” (KJV); “dazzling clothes” (NRSV). If this were a modern scene I think we’d have to go to an episode of “Empire” to find the right outfits.
4. In Luke, ἀστράπτω only appears 2x, here and with reference to lightning, in 17:24. The nominal version of this word, ἀστράπτω, is also translated “lightning” in 10:18 and17;24, and as a bright shining candle in 11:36. There is also the related term, ἐξαστράπτω, used in Luke’s transfiguration story in 9:29 to refer to the dazzling quality of Jesus’ clothes. It seems a common idea that clothing of this quality is a way of identifying heavenly, non-earthly radiance. I’ll buy that.
5 ἐμφόβων δὲ γενομένων αὐτῶν καὶ κλινουσῶν τὰ πρόσωπα εἰς τὴν γῆν
εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτάς (AFP), Τί ζητεῖτε τὸν ζῶντα μετὰ τῶν νεκρῶν;
Yet having become afraid and bowing their faces to the ground, they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”
γενομένων : AMPart, gfpl, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
κλινουσῶν : PAPart, gfpl, κλίνω, 1) transitively 1a) to incline, bow
εἶπαν : AAI 3pl, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
ζητεῖτε : PAI 2pl, ζητέω, 1) to seek in order to find
1. We have a nebulous “they said to them” phrase, which might make us wonder which group (the women or the men) is the “they” and which is the “them.” Fortunately, Greek pronouns have genders, so while the first “they” is implied in the 3rd person plural form of the verb, the “to them” is in the accusative feminine plural form. The men ask the women.
2. I think this is one of the most stunning questions in the world: Why do you seek the living among the dead?
6 οὐκ ἔστιν ὧδε, ἀλλὰ ἠγέρθη. μνήσθητε ὡς ἐλάλησεν ὑμῖνἔτι ὢν ἐν τῇ
Γαλιλαίᾳ,
He is not here, but has been raised. Remember what he said to you while in Galilee,
ἔστιν: PAI 3s, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
ἠγέρθη: API, 3s, ἐγείρω, 1) to arouse, cause to rise
ἐλάλησεν : AAI, 3s, λαλέω, 1) to utter a voice or emit a sound 2) to speak
μνήσθητε : APImpv, 2pl, μνάομαι, 1) to woo to wife, court, sue for, solicit.
1. The Bullinger lexicon has a long explanation of how μνάομαι goes from “wooing a wife” to almost always being translated simply as “remember.”
7 λέγων τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὅτι δεῖ παραδοθῆναι εἰς χεῖρας ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτωλῶν καὶ σταυρωθῆναι καὶ τῇ τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀναστῆναι.
saying that the Son of Man is bound to be handed over into hands of sinful men and to be crucified and on the third day to rise up.
λέγων: PAPart nsm, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
δεῖ : PAI, 3s δέω, 1) to bind tie, fasten 1a) to bind, fasten with chains, παραδοθῆναι : APInf, παραδίδωμι, 1) to give into the hands (of another)
σταυρωθῆναι: APInf, σταυρόω, 1) to stake, drive down stakes 2) to fortify with driven stakes, to palisade 3) to crucify
ἀναστῆναι: AAI, ἀνίστημι, 1) to cause to rise up, raise up
1. Jesus will say to the disciples in 24:46 that “it is written” for the Christ “to suffer and rise out of death on the third day.” The two men here simply remind the women that Jesus had disclosed this death and resurrection to them already.
Jesus disclosed his forthcoming death three times in Luke: 9:21-22, 9:44-45 and 18:31-34.
8 καὶ ἐμνήσθησαν τῶν ῥημάτων αὐτοῦ,
And they were reminded of his words,
ἐμνήσθησαν : API 3p, μνάομαι, 1) to woo to wife, court, sue for, solicit.
1. For the definition of μνάομαι, see verse 6, note 1.
2. The phrase “of his words” is an indirect object, and ἐμνήσθησαν is passive, so I’m going with the intransitive “were reminded” rather than “remembered.”
9 καὶ ὑποστρέψασαι ἀπὸ τοῦ μνημείου ἀπήγγειλαν ταῦτα πάντα τοῖς ἕνδεκα καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖςλοιποῖς.
And having turned back from the tomb they reported all these things to the eleven and to all the rest.
ὑποστρέψασαι: AAPart npf, ὑποστρέφω, 1) to turn back
ἀπήγγειλαν: AAI 3pl, ἀπαγγέλλω, 1) to bring tidings … to report
10 ἦσαν δὲ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ Μαρία καὶ Ἰωάννα καὶ Μαρία ἡ Ἰακώβου: καὶ αἱ
λοιπαὶ σὺν αὐταῖς ἔλεγον πρὸς τοὺς ἀποστόλους ταῦτα.
Yet it was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary of James; and the rest of the women with them [who] were saying these things to the apostles.
ἦσαν : IAI 3p, εἰμί, 1) to be, to exist, to happen, to be present
ἔλεγον : IAI 3p, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
1. Luke really seems uninformed or uninterested in the details here, doesn’t he? All the lists seem to end with “and the rest,” like the original ending of the ballad of “Gilligan’s Island.”
11 καὶ ἐφάνησαν ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ὡσεὶ λῆρος τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα, καὶ ἠπίστουν αὐταῖς.
And these words appeared before them as nonsense, and they were not believing them.
ἐφάνησαν : API, 3pl, φαίνω, 1) to bring forth into the light, cause to shine, shed light 2) shine 2a) to shine, be bright or resplendent 2b) to become evident, to be brought forth into the light, come to view, appear
ἠπίστουν : IAI 3pl, ἀπιστέω, 1) to betray a trust, be unfaithful 2) to have no belief, disbelieve
1. Gender studies rightly have a field day with this story. Women first learn of and remember the promise of the resurrection and women first share the story. But the men – perhaps with the slight exception of Peter – think they are talking nonsense, the one and only time λῆρος appears in the NT. λῆρος is variously translated as “idle talk” “tales” “silly talk” and sometimes in other literature is used to describe the language of children. Condescension abounds.
2. And they were “not believing them.” This is the EASTER STORY, GUYS! One would think that the women included the part where Jesus repeatedly said he would rise on the 3rd day. And still, the eleven and the rest are the first recorded persons to treat the good news of the resurrection as a nonsensical tale.
3. This is a serious failure. In not believing the women, the eleven and the rest are not believing the disclosures of Jesus. Or the prophets, per the next note.
4. The travelers to the Road to Emmaus, the very next story, would have been among these eleven and the rest. They know what the women said, and yet they don’t believe. And Jesus will say to them, “O how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all the prophets have declared!”
5. Luke uses the verb ἀπιστέω one other time, but there clarifies that it is “not believing for joy” (24:41). Perhaps there is a fluidity between unbelief and disbelief at work here.
12 Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἀναστὰς ἔδραμεν ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ παρακύψας βλέπει τὰ ὀθόνια μόνα: καὶ ἀπῆλθεν πρὸς ἑαυτὸν θαυμάζων τὸ γεγονός.
Yet Peter, having risen up, ran to the tomb, and having stooped sees only the linen cloth; and went away marveling to himself at what happened.
ἀναστὰς : AAPart, ἀνίστημι, 1) to cause to rise up, raise up
ἔδραμεν : AAI, 3s, τρέχω, 1) to run
παρακύψας : AAPart, nms, παρακύπτω, 1) to stoop to a thing in order to look at it
βλέπει: PAI 3s, βλέπω to see
ἀπῆλθεν: AAI, 3s ἀπέρχομαι, 1) to go away, depart
θαυμάζων : PAPart, nms, θαυμάζω, 1) to wonder, wonder at, marvel
γεγονός: PerfActPart, ans, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be
1. The other gospel option for Easter Sunday in Year C is John 20, where Peter engages in a race to the tome with the Beloved Disciple. Here, it is simply Peter, who rises, runs, stoops, sees, and goes away marveling. Is marveling believing?
Luke uses the term 13x, in the following: 1:21, 1:63, 2:18, 2:33, 4:22, 7:9, 8:25, 9:43, 11:14, 11:38, 20:26, here, and 24:41. Have fun with those references.
2. In the Emmaus story, v.24 describes this moment as “some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.” So, more than just Peter took this journey for verification, apparently.
3. Also in the Emmaus story, v.34, after the two travelers returned to Jerusalem, they were told that “The Lord is risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!” Whether this is a different Simon than Simon Peter, I cannot say. More likely to me is that this Easter story and the Emmaus story were from different avenues of the oral tradition and Luke weaves them together untidily.
