Passage

Luke 23.43

Book: Luke · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV

41. And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42. And he said, Jesus, remember me when thou comest in thy kingdom.

43. And he said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise.

And it was now about the sixth hour, and a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, 45. the sun's light failing: and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:41-45, ASV)

WEB

41. And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42. He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

43. Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. 45. The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two. (Luke 23:41-45, WEB)

KJV

41. And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss. 42. And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.

43. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. ^{earth: or, land} 45. And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:41-45, KJV)

YLT

41. and we indeed righteously, for things worthy of what we did we receive back, but this one did nothing out of place;' 42. and he said to Jesus, 'Remember me, lord, when thou mayest come in thy reign;'

43. and Jesus said to him, 'Verily I say to thee, To-day with me thou shalt be in the paradise.'

And it was, as it were, the sixth hour, and darkness came over all the land till the ninth hour, 45. and the sun was darkened, and the vail of the sanctuary was rent in the midst, (Luke 23:41-45, YLT)

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Setting

Speaker: Jesus
Audience: The repentant criminal crucified beside him (23:40-42)
Location: The place "which is called Calvary" (23:33), outside Jerusalem
Time period: The day of the crucifixion, c. AD 30 or 33

Theological reading

"And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Luke 23:43, KJV).

Where does "today" belong? Greek manuscripts of the period have no punctuation, so the comma is an editor's decision. The New World Translation places it after "today": "Truly I tell you today, You will be with me in Paradise," which supports the Witness teaching that the dead are unconscious until the resurrection. Most translations place it before.

Why most translations read it as they do. "Verily I say unto thee" (amēn soi legō) is the singular form of a formula Jesus uses throughout the Gospels, "Verily I say unto you," and the formula never elsewhere takes "today" as part of the introduction. In Luke alone it appears at 4:24, 12:37, 18:17, 18:29 and 21:32, each time leading straight into the statement. Adding "today" to the formula here would be unique. And the word answers the man's request: he asked to be remembered when Jesus comes into his kingdom, at some future time; Jesus promises more, and sooner.

With me. The heart of the promise is not a place but a person. Paul says the same of death: "to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Philippians 1:23).

Assurance for the dying. The Islam vs the Christian God comparison pairs this with John 10:28 and 1 John 5:13: Christian assurance rests on a promise made to a man who had nothing to offer. The Hinduism vs the Christian God comparison uses it against the need for further lives. See Luke 23.42-43.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

G2424 - Iesous, Iesous, Strong's G2424
G3004 - lego, lego, Strong's G3004

Quoted in

Arguments and defeaters:

Concepts:

Passages:

Luke 23.42-43

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.