1
Πρωΐας δὲ γενομένης συμβούλιον ἔλαβον πάντες οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τοῦ λαοῦ κατὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ὥστε θανατῶσαι αὐτόν·
When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus, to put him to death;
2
καὶ δήσαντες αὐτὸν ἀπήγαγον καὶ ⸀παρέδωκαν Πιλάτῳ τῷ ἡγεμόνι.
and having bound him they led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3
Τότε ἰδὼν Ἰούδας ὁ ⸀παραδιδοὺς αὐτὸν ὅτι κατεκρίθη μεταμεληθεὶς ⸀ἔστρεψεν τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια τοῖς ἀρχιερεῦσιν ⸀καὶ πρεσβυτέροις
Then Judas, who had handed him over, seeing that he was condemned, regretted it and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4
λέγων· Ἥμαρτον παραδοὺς αἷμα ⸀ἀθῷον. οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Τί πρὸς ἡμᾶς; σὺ ⸀ὄψῃ.
saying, “I sinned in handing over innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”
Why this rendering
Matt.27.4 Observation
Syntactic observation
ἀθῷος, innocent, occurs at two places in the whole corpus and both are in this chapter — at v.4 Judas says I sinned in handing over innocent blood, and at v.24 Pilate says I am innocent of this blood. One word in the mouth of the betrayer and of the judge. What follows echoes too: the chief priests tell Judas σὺ ὄψῃ, you see to it, and Pilate tells the crowd ὑμεῖς ὄψεσθε, you see to it. The same verb pushes the responsibility away twice. The whole paragraph (vv.3-10) is Matthew's alone — neither Mark nor Luke nor John has Judas's end. μεταμέλομαι stands three times in the corpus, all three in Matthew. μεταμέλομαι, to regret, comes at v.3; two of Matthew's three places for it were the two sons of 21:29, 32. The ἀπονίπτω of v.24, to wash off, is unique in the corpus — νίπτω with ἀπο- prefixed, sharing its root with the νίπτω of Matthew 6:17 and 15:2 and Mark 7:3, and with the word for washing feet in John 13. Luke has νίπτω not once.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “innocent blood” and “I am innocent of this blood” — one word
Basis One word at both places, so one rendering, letting the reader see that betrayer and judge use the same word.
Vary — “innocent” at v.4, “not responsible” at v.24
Basis Different speakers and senses, so each is suited to its context.
Rejected That the word is the same is what this chapter shows; varying it erases that Matthew put one word in two mouths.
5
καὶ ῥίψας τὰ ἀργύρια ⸂εἰς τὸν ναὸν⸃ ἀνεχώρησεν, καὶ ἀπελθὼν ἀπήγξατο.
And flinging the silver into the sanctuary he withdrew, and going away he hanged himself.
6
οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς λαβόντες τὰ ἀργύρια εἶπαν· Οὐκ ἔξεστιν βαλεῖν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν κορβανᾶν, ἐπεὶ τιμὴ αἵματός ἐστιν·
And the chief priests took the silver and said, “It is not lawful to put it into the korbanas, since it is the price of blood.”
7
συμβούλιον δὲ λαβόντες ἠγόρασαν ἐξ αὐτῶν τὸν Ἀγρὸν τοῦ Κεραμέως εἰς ταφὴν τοῖς ξένοις.
And taking counsel they bought with it the potter's field, for burying strangers.
8
διὸ ἐκλήθη ὁ ἀγρὸς ἐκεῖνος Ἀγρὸς Αἵματος ἕως τῆς σήμερον.
Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9
τότε ἐπληρώθη τὸ ῥηθὲν διὰ Ἰερεμίου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Καὶ ἔλαβον τὰ τριάκοντα ἀργύρια, τὴν τιμὴν τοῦ τετιμημένου ὃν ἐτιμήσαντο ἀπὸ υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ,
Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the priced one, whom they priced from among the sons of Israel,
Why this rendering
Matt.27.9 Observation
Syntactic observation
The text ascribes the quotation to **Jeremiah**. But the words quoted are hard to find in that form in Jeremiah and lie close to Zechariah 11:12-13 — thirty pieces of silver, a throwing down, a potter, all there. Matthew uses the frame τὸ ῥηθὲν διά…, spoken through…, twelve times, often naming the prophet, as here. Our task is to render Jeremiah as the base text has it and record the discrepancy here — not to correct the name or to put the source into the translation. The paragraph is full of words only Matthew uses: κορβανᾶς, the temple treasury, unique in the corpus and sharing a Semitic root with the Κορβᾶν, gift, of Mark 7:11; κεραμεύς, potter, twice at vv.7 and 10; ἀγρὸς αἵματος, field of blood, at v.8. And τιμή, price, comes at vv.6 and 9, where v.9 stacks the same root three times — τιμὴν τοῦ τετιμημένου ὃν ἐτιμήσαντο, the price of the priced one whom they priced.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “through Jeremiah the prophet” — as the base text has it
Basis The name the author wrote is not corrected; the discrepancy is recorded in the analysis for the reader to see — which is what this project is for.
Drop the name, or correct it to Zechariah
Basis Keeps the reader from stumbling on a wrong ascription.
Rejected The name stands in the text; correcting it removes what is visible here — which name the author gave — and hides from the reader that the translation has altered the text.
10
καὶ ἔδωκαν αὐτὰ εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν τοῦ κεραμέως, καθὰ συνέταξέν μοι κύριος.
and gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”
11
Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ⸀ἐστάθη ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ ἡγεμόνος· καὶ ἐπηρώτησεν αὐτὸν ὁ ἡγεμὼν λέγων· Σὺ εἶ ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων; ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ⸀ἔφη· Σὺ λέγεις.
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned him, saying, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “You say so.”
12
καὶ ἐν τῷ κατηγορεῖσθαι αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῶν ἀρχιερέων ⸀καὶ πρεσβυτέρων οὐδὲν ἀπεκρίνατο.
And while he was accused by the chief priests and elders he answered nothing.
13
τότε λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Οὐκ ἀκούεις πόσα σου καταμαρτυροῦσιν;
Then Pilate says to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”
14
καὶ οὐκ ἀπεκρίθη αὐτῷ πρὸς οὐδὲ ἓν ῥῆμα, ὥστε θαυμάζειν τὸν ἡγεμόνα λίαν.
And he did not answer him, not to a single word, so that the governor marvelled greatly.
15
Κατὰ δὲ ἑορτὴν εἰώθει ὁ ἡγεμὼν ἀπολύειν ἕνα τῷ ὄχλῳ δέσμιον ὃν ἤθελον.
Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted.
16
εἶχον δὲ τότε δέσμιον ἐπίσημον λεγόμενον ⸀Ἰησοῦν Βαραββᾶν.
And they had then a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas.
17
συνηγμένων οὖν αὐτῶν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Τίνα θέλετε ἀπολύσω ὑμῖν, ⸂Ἰησοῦν τὸν⸃ Βαραββᾶν ἢ Ἰησοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον χριστόν;
So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you — Jesus called Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?”
Why this rendering
Matt.27.17 Observation
Syntactic observation
**The base text reads the prisoner's name as Jesus Barabbas.** Verse 16 has δέσμιον ἐπίσημον λεγόμενον Ἰησοῦν Βαραββᾶν, a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas, and v.17 Ἰησοῦν τὸν Βαραββᾶν ἢ Ἰησοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον χριστόν — Jesus called Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ. Pilate's question thus becomes a choice between two men of one name, and what divides them is only what follows: τὸν Βαραββᾶν against τὸν λεγόμενον χριστόν. That both carry λεγόμενον, called, is worth noting too. SBLGNT marks a variant at v.17 (⸂⸃), showing that the manuscripts divide. Mark (15:7, 11, 15), Luke (23:18) and John (18:40 twice) all give only Βαραββᾶς with no first name — the Ἰησοῦν before it stands at Matthew's five places alone. The name Barabbas itself is Semitic for son of the father, and Matthew does not translate it.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Jesus Barabbas” — the name rendered at both places, as the base text has it
Basis Follows the base text; and only with the name does the choice at v.17 show in the text itself.
Render as “Barabbas” only
Basis Follows the manuscripts without the name, matching Mark, Luke and John.
Rejected By our base-text decision we follow SBLGNT; and the direction runs one way — a prisoner's sharing the name Jesus being removed is easy to imagine, the name being added is not.
18
ᾔδει γὰρ ὅτι διὰ φθόνον παρέδωκαν αὐτόν.
For he knew that they had handed him over out of envy.
19
Καθημένου δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ βήματος ἀπέστειλεν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ λέγουσα· Μηδὲν σοὶ καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ ἐκείνῳ, πολλὰ γὰρ ἔπαθον σήμερον κατ’ ὄναρ δι’ αὐτόν.
And while he was sitting on the judgement seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man; for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20
Οἱ δὲ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρεσβύτεροι ἔπεισαν τοὺς ὄχλους ἵνα αἰτήσωνται τὸν Βαραββᾶν τὸν δὲ Ἰησοῦν ἀπολέσωσιν.
But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.
21
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ ἡγεμὼν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Τίνα θέλετε ἀπὸ τῶν δύο ἀπολύσω ὑμῖν; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· ⸀Τὸν Βαραββᾶν.
And answering, the governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” And they said, “Barabbas.”
22
λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Τί οὖν ποιήσω Ἰησοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον χριστόν; ⸀λέγουσιν πάντες· Σταυρωθήτω.
Pilate says to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus called Christ?” They all say, “Let him be crucified.”
23
ὁ ⸀δὲ ἔφη· Τί γὰρ κακὸν ἐποίησεν; οἱ δὲ περισσῶς ἔκραζον λέγοντες· Σταυρωθήτω.
And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they cried out the more, “Let him be crucified.”
24
ἰδὼν δὲ ὁ Πιλᾶτος ὅτι οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον θόρυβος γίνεται λαβὼν ὕδωρ ἀπενίψατο τὰς χεῖρας ⸀ἀπέναντι τοῦ ὄχλου λέγων· Ἀθῷός εἰμι ἀπὸ τοῦ ⸀αἵματος τούτου· ὑμεῖς ὄψεσθε.
And Pilate, seeing that it was no use but rather that an uproar was starting, took water and washed off his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this blood; you will see to it.”
25
καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς πᾶς ὁ λαὸς εἶπεν· Τὸ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ τέκνα ἡμῶν.
And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
26
τότε ἀπέλυσεν αὐτοῖς τὸν Βαραββᾶν, τὸν δὲ Ἰησοῦν φραγελλώσας παρέδωκεν ἵνα σταυρωθῇ.
Then he released Barabbas to them, and having scourged Jesus he handed him over to be crucified.
27
Τότε οἱ στρατιῶται τοῦ ἡγεμόνος παραλαβόντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν εἰς τὸ πραιτώριον συνήγαγον ἐπ’ αὐτὸν ὅλην τὴν σπεῖραν.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort to him.
28
καὶ ἐκδύσαντες αὐτὸν ⸂χλαμύδα κοκκίνην περιέθηκαν αὐτῷ⸃,
And stripping him they put a scarlet cloak around him,
29
καὶ πλέξαντες στέφανον ἐξ ἀκανθῶν ἐπέθηκαν ἐπὶ ⸂τῆς κεφαλῆς⸃ αὐτοῦ καὶ κάλαμον ⸂ἐν τῇ δεξιᾷ⸃ αὐτοῦ, καὶ γονυπετήσαντες ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ ⸀ἐνέπαιξαν αὐτῷ λέγοντες· Χαῖρε, ⸀βασιλεῦ τῶν Ἰουδαίων,
and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, “Greetings, king of the Jews!”
30
καὶ ἐμπτύσαντες εἰς αὐτὸν ἔλαβον τὸν κάλαμον καὶ ἔτυπτον εἰς τὴν κεφαλὴν αὐτοῦ.
And spitting on him they took the reed and struck him on the head.
31
καὶ ὅτε ἐνέπαιξαν αὐτῷ, ἐξέδυσαν αὐτὸν τὴν χλαμύδα καὶ ἐνέδυσαν αὐτὸν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπήγαγον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ σταυρῶσαι.
And when they had mocked him they stripped off the cloak and put his own garments on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32
Ἐξερχόμενοι δὲ εὗρον ἄνθρωπον Κυρηναῖον ὀνόματι Σίμωνα· τοῦτον ἠγγάρευσαν ἵνα ἄρῃ τὸν σταυρὸν αὐτοῦ.
And going out they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, and forced him to carry his cross.
33
Καὶ ἐλθόντες εἰς τόπον λεγόμενον Γολγοθᾶ, ὅ ἐστιν ⸂Κρανίου Τόπος λεγόμενος⸃,
And coming to a place called Golgotha — which means Place of a Skull —
34
ἔδωκαν αὐτῷ πιεῖν ⸀οἶνον μετὰ χολῆς μεμιγμένον· καὶ γευσάμενος οὐκ ⸀ἠθέλησεν πιεῖν.
they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall; and having tasted it he would not drink.
35
σταυρώσαντες δὲ αὐτὸν διεμερίσαντο τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ βάλλοντες κλῆρον,
And having crucified him they divided his garments, casting lots;
36
καὶ καθήμενοι ἐτήρουν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ.
and sitting down they kept watch over him there.
37
καὶ ἐπέθηκαν ἐπάνω τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένην· Οὗτός ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν Ἰουδαίων.
And above his head they put the charge against him, written: “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
38
Τότε σταυροῦνται σὺν αὐτῷ δύο λῃσταί, εἷς ἐκ δεξιῶν καὶ εἷς ἐξ εὐωνύμων.
Then two robbers were crucified with him, one at the right and one at the left.
39
οἱ δὲ παραπορευόμενοι ἐβλασφήμουν αὐτὸν κινοῦντες τὰς κεφαλὰς αὐτῶν
And those passing by blasphemed him, shaking their heads
40
καὶ λέγοντες· Ὁ καταλύων τὸν ναὸν καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις οἰκοδομῶν, σῶσον σεαυτόν· εἰ υἱὸς εἶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ⸀κατάβηθι ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ.
and saying, “You who destroy the sanctuary and build it in three days, save yourself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41
ὁμοίως ⸀καὶ οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς ἐμπαίζοντες μετὰ τῶν γραμματέων καὶ ⸀πρεσβυτέρων ἔλεγον·
So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocking him said,
42
Ἄλλους ἔσωσεν, ἑαυτὸν οὐ δύναται σῶσαι· ⸀βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ ἐστιν, καταβάτω νῦν ἀπὸ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ πιστεύσομεν ἐπ’ ⸀αὐτόν.
“He saved others; himself he cannot save. He is the king of Israel — let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him.
43
πέποιθεν ἐπὶ τὸν θεόν, ῥυσάσθω ⸀νῦν εἰ θέλει αὐτόν· εἶπεν γὰρ ὅτι Θεοῦ εἰμι υἱός.
He trusted in God; let him rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am God's Son.'”
44
τὸ δ’ αὐτὸ καὶ οἱ λῃσταὶ οἱ συσταυρωθέντες ⸀σὺν αὐτῷ ὠνείδιζον αὐτόν.
And the robbers crucified with him reviled him in the same way.
45
Ἀπὸ δὲ ἕκτης ὥρας σκότος ἐγένετο ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ἕως ὥρας ἐνάτης.
Now from the sixth hour there was dark over all the land until the ninth hour.
46
περὶ δὲ τὴν ἐνάτην ὥραν ⸀ἀνεβόησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς φωνῇ μεγάλῃ λέγων· ⸂Ἠλὶ ἠλὶ⸃ λεμὰ σαβαχθάνι; τοῦτ’ ἔστιν· Θεέ μου θεέ μου, ἱνατί με ἐγκατέλιπες;
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, eli, lema sabachthani?” — that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Why this rendering
Matt.27.46 Observation
Syntactic observation
The two books write the cry from the cross in different Semitic forms — Matthew Ἠλὶ ἠλί, Mark 15:34 Ἐλωΐ ἐλωΐ. What follows, λεμὰ σαβαχθάνι, is the same. The way each glosses it differs too: Mark has ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον, which translated is, and Matthew τοῦτ’ ἔστιν, that is. The gloss itself differs: Mark ὁ θεός μου, a nominative used as address in Semitic fashion, and Matthew θεέ μου, a Greek vocative; Mark εἰς τί, to what end, and Matthew ἱνατί, why. Matthew's is the more finished Greek. Even the verb of crying differs — Mark ἐβόησεν, Matthew ἀνεβόησεν. SBLGNT marks two variants here (⸀ the verb, ⸂⸃ the Semitic words), this being a famously unstable place in the manuscripts. Both authors keep the Semitic and attach a gloss — as Mark does with his other Semitic words. **Luke and John have no such cry at all**: Luke 23:46 has πάτερ, εἰς χεῖράς σου παρατίθεμαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου, Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit, and John 19:30 τετέλεσται, it is finished. So the last words divide three ways across four books, and only Matthew and Mark keep the Semitic. Matthew's opening ἀναβοάω is unique in the corpus, while Mark's βοάω stands at eight places across the four books.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Eli, eli, lema sabachthani” — kept distinct from Mark's “Eloi”
Basis The authors wrote different forms, so the transliterations divide; the gloss the author supplied is rendered in the flow of the text, not in brackets (fixed at John 1:38).
Match the two books to one form
Basis One cry, so the reading is evened out.
Rejected The difference in the Semitic spelling is the datum; matching erases that the two authors heard or wrote it differently.
47
τινὲς δὲ τῶν ἐκεῖ ⸀ἑστηκότων ἀκούσαντες ἔλεγον ὅτι Ἠλίαν φωνεῖ οὗτος.
And some of those standing there, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48
καὶ εὐθέως δραμὼν εἷς ἐξ αὐτῶν καὶ λαβὼν σπόγγον πλήσας τε ὄξους καὶ περιθεὶς καλάμῳ ἐπότιζεν αὐτόν.
And at once one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave him to drink.
49
οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ ⸀ἔλεγον· Ἄφες ἴδωμεν εἰ ἔρχεται Ἠλίας σώσων ⸀αὐτόν.
But the rest said, “Leave him; let us see whether Elijah comes to save him.”
50
ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς πάλιν κράξας φωνῇ μεγάλῃ ἀφῆκεν τὸ πνεῦμα.
But Jesus, crying out again with a loud voice, gave up his spirit.
51
καὶ ἰδοὺ τὸ καταπέτασμα τοῦ ναοῦ ἐσχίσθη ⸂ἀπ’ ἄνωθεν ἕως κάτω εἰς δύο⸃, καὶ ἡ γῆ ἐσείσθη, καὶ αἱ πέτραι ἐσχίσθησαν,
And behold, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth was shaken and the rocks were split;
52
καὶ τὰ μνημεῖα ἀνεῴχθησαν καὶ πολλὰ σώματα τῶν κεκοιμημένων ἁγίων ⸀ἠγέρθησαν,
and the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;
53
καὶ ἐξελθόντες ἐκ τῶν μνημείων μετὰ τὴν ἔγερσιν αὐτοῦ εἰσῆλθον εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν καὶ ἐνεφανίσθησαν πολλοῖς.
and coming out of the tombs after his rising they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
54
Ὁ δὲ ἑκατόνταρχος καὶ οἱ μετ’ αὐτοῦ τηροῦντες τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἰδόντες τὸν σεισμὸν καὶ τὰ ⸀γενόμενα ἐφοβήθησαν σφόδρα λέγοντες· Ἀληθῶς ⸂θεοῦ υἱὸς⸃ ἦν οὗτος.
And the commander of a hundred and those with him keeping watch over Jesus, seeing the earthquake and the things that happened, were greatly afraid and said, “Truly this was God's Son.”
55
Ἦσαν δὲ ἐκεῖ γυναῖκες πολλαὶ ἀπὸ μακρόθεν θεωροῦσαι, αἵτινες ἠκολούθησαν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας διακονοῦσαι αὐτῷ·
And many women were there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him;
56
ἐν αἷς ἦν Μαρία ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ Μαρία ἡ τοῦ Ἰακώβου καὶ ⸀Ἰωσὴφ μήτηρ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ τῶν υἱῶν Ζεβεδαίου.
among them Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57
Ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης ἦλθεν ἄνθρωπος πλούσιος ἀπὸ Ἁριμαθαίας, τοὔνομα Ἰωσήφ, ὃς καὶ αὐτὸς ⸀ἐμαθητεύθη τῷ Ἰησοῦ·
And when evening came, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph came, who also himself was a disciple of Jesus.
58
οὗτος προσελθὼν τῷ Πιλάτῳ ᾐτήσατο τὸ σῶμα τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. τότε ὁ Πιλᾶτος ἐκέλευσεν ⸀ἀποδοθῆναι.
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given over.
59
καὶ λαβὼν τὸ σῶμα ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐνετύλιξεν ⸀αὐτὸ σινδόνι καθαρᾷ,
And taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in a clean linen cloth
60
καὶ ἔθηκεν αὐτὸ ἐν τῷ καινῷ αὐτοῦ μνημείῳ ὃ ἐλατόμησεν ἐν τῇ πέτρᾳ, καὶ προσκυλίσας λίθον μέγαν τῇ θύρᾳ τοῦ μνημείου ἀπῆλθεν.
and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and rolling a great stone to the door of the tomb, he went away.
61
ἦν δὲ ἐκεῖ ⸀Μαριὰμ ἡ Μαγδαληνὴ καὶ ἡ ἄλλη Μαρία καθήμεναι ἀπέναντι τοῦ τάφου.
And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the grave.
62
Τῇ δὲ ἐπαύριον, ἥτις ἐστὶν μετὰ τὴν παρασκευήν, συνήχθησαν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι πρὸς Πιλᾶτον
On the next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate,
63
λέγοντες· Κύριε, ἐμνήσθημεν ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ὁ πλάνος εἶπεν ἔτι ζῶν· Μετὰ τρεῖς ἡμέρας ἐγείρομαι·
saying, “Lord, we remember that that deceiver said, while still alive, ‘After three days I rise.'
64
κέλευσον οὖν ἀσφαλισθῆναι τὸν τάφον ἕως τῆς τρίτης ἡμέρας, μήποτε ἐλθόντες οἱ μαθηταὶ ⸀αὐτοῦ κλέψωσιν αὐτὸν καὶ εἴπωσιν τῷ λαῷ· Ἠγέρθη ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν, καὶ ἔσται ἡ ἐσχάτη πλάνη χείρων τῆς πρώτης.
So command that the tomb be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead'; and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65
⸀ἔφη αὐτοῖς ὁ Πιλᾶτος· Ἔχετε κουστωδίαν· ὑπάγετε ἀσφαλίσασθε ὡς οἴδατε.
Pilate said to them, “You have a custodia; go, secure it as you know how.”
Why this rendering
Matt.27.65 Observation
Syntactic observation
κουστωδία is Latin custodia in Greek letters and stands at three places in the corpus, all three in Matthew — 27:65, 66, and 28:11. It is in neither Mark nor John, and the guarding of the tomb (vv.62-66) is Matthew's alone. At v.54 Matthew writes ἑκατόνταρχος, completing his three places (8:5, 8, 27:54). Three books name the man before the cross with three words: Matthew ἑκατόνταρχος, Mark κεντυρίων (Latin centurio; 15:39, 44, 45), **Luke 23:47 ἑκατοντάρχης**. The first and third are Greek and only the middle is Latin — Mark alone chose it. And Matthew divides even within himself: 8:5 and 8:8 have ἑκατόνταρχος while 8:13, in the same story, has ἑκατοντάρχης. Luke's three places (7:2, 6, 23:47) are all ἑκατοντάρχης. And yet in this same chapter Matthew uses the Latin κουστωδία — so it is not that Matthew avoids Latin, but that for the officer he chose the Greek. The πλάνος of v.63, deceiver, is unique in the corpus and shares its root with the πλάνη, deception, of v.64, so the two interlock within one exchange.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “custodia” transliterated; “centurion” at v.54
Basis Latin terms have been transliterated (centurion, legion, praetorium, kensos, modios); ἑκατόνταρχος and ἑκατοντάρχης are both Greek and are rendered by sense, kept apart from Mark's κεντυρίων — as fixed at Matthew 8:5. Between the two Greek forms no division is made: the stem is the same and the sense does not differ, as Matthew 8 itself shows by mixing them within one story. That mixing is recorded in the analysis.
Render as “a guard”
Basis The reader sees at once what is meant.
Rejected Breaking the transliteration rule here alone would hide the contrast — that in this very chapter Matthew uses a Latin word while choosing Greek for the officer.
Lost in translation
ἑκατόνταρχος against κεντυρίων To divide the two, Korean uses 백부장 and 켄투리온, and English a commander of a hundred and centurion (as fixed at Matthew 8:5 and Mark 15:39). The division is made, but at a cost: Korean gains an unfamiliar transliteration, and in English one word becomes three, changing the weight of the sentence. In Greek it was simply one word against another. And the ἑκατοντάρχης of Matthew 8:13 goes unmarked in every locale.
Survives in · ko / en
66
οἱ δὲ πορευθέντες ἠσφαλίσαντο τὸν τάφον σφραγίσαντες τὸν λίθον μετὰ τῆς κουστωδίας.
And they went and secured the tomb, sealing the stone, together with the custodia.