The Nugget:
Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The Berean Challenge:
Much of the misunderstanding of this verse stems from the placement of the comma. Modern translations predominately place a comma after the word “you,” giving the impression that the remaining phrase—”today you will be with Me in Paradise”—means that the criminal to whom Jesus was speaking would be with Him in Paradise later that day. However, it must be remembered that none of the ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament contain any punctuation—various translators added it centuries later. Thus, without punctuation, Luke 23:43 reads, “And Jesus said to him assuredly I say to you today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
On the surface, putting a comma after the word “you” seems harmless enough. However, if He indeed had meant that the criminal would be in Paradise with Him that very day, He would have contradicted Himself and the Bible on numerous accounts! Jesus Himself was not in Paradise that day but was dead and buried, awaiting His resurrection three days and three nights later. However, this apparent dilemma is easily resolved if the comma is placed after the word “today.” Properly punctuated, Luke 23:43 reads, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.'”
— David C. Grabbe
My Comment:
Do you detect the doctrinal error in today’s “Daily Verse” from The Berean?
If you missed the error of this message, listen (or rather, read) up!
My Answer:
Though long (it almost always takes more words to answer an error than to state the error), this error is fully answered in my note for Luke 23:43 as given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:
Luke 23:43
Verily. Luk 4:24; Luk 12:37; Luk 18:17; Luk 18:29; Luk 21:32, +*Mat 5:18, +Mar 3:28, +Joh 1:51.
To day. Jesus “promises him immediate and conscious fellowship after death with Christ in Paradise which is a Persian word and is used here not for any supposed intermediate state, but the very bliss of heaven itself” (Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 2, pp. 286, 287).
“A common method of dealing with this text is by altering the punctuation. They would have us read the words, ’Verily I say unto thee today: thou shalt be with me in Paradise.’ But the order of the words in the sentence is all against them. With the emphasis they give it, sēmeron ’today’ should precede the verb. As compare in the Greek, Mat 16:3; Mar 14:30; Luk 19:5; Luk 19:9; Act 13:33; Heb 3:7; Heb 3:15. But, beside this, the Lord is answering a prayer in which a time wherein the thief sought to be remembered was expressed. He had said, ’Lord, remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.’ The Lord says virtually, ’You shall not wait for that: today you shall be with Me.’ This is the simple, intelligible reason for the specification of time: ’Today,’ not when I come merely, ’shalt thou be with me in Paradise’” (F. W. Grant, Facts and Theories as to a Future State, p. 148).
Another authority, Dr. Bartlett (Life and Death eternal, p. 205, et seq.) is cited by Rev. D. B. Byers (Physical Death not the Penalty; A Complete Refutation of the Doctrine of Annihilation, pp. 95, 96): “The representation is sometimes made, that, so far as the language is concerned, this is a simple question of punctuation; whether a comma shall be put before or after to-day (semeron). This is a mistake. It is a question of Greek collocation and emphasis. The Greek language does not involve the ambiguity which exists in the English in this respect. It is admitted on both sides that the semeron (to-day) is strongly emphatic… As a strongly emphatic word, according to the usage of the Greek language, its position conclusively determines that it does not qualify the words ’I say,’ but the words ’thou shalt be with me;’ the strongly emphatic word in any clause preceding the less emphatic. In the Greek, it occupies precisely the position to be the most emphatic word of the last clause; but if transferred to the first clause, to be the least emphatic of the whole. And, as both sides admit its highly emphatic character, the case is settled.” **Luk 9:31 note. +*Deut 4:26, Jer 42:21, +Mar 14:30, Heb 4:7.
shalt thou be. Luk 15:4, 5; Luk 15:20, 21, 22, 23, 24; +*Luk 19:10, =Gen 40:13, 2Ch 33:13, Job 33:27, 28, 29, 30, *Psa 32:5; +*Psa 50:15, *Isa 1:18; *Isa 1:19; *Isa 53:11; **Isa 55:6, 7, 8, 9; +*Isa 65:24, *Mic 7:18, Mat 20:15, 16, *Rom 5:20; *Rom 5:21, *1Ti 1:15; *1Ti 1:16, **Heb 7:25.
with me. This promise certainly declares the conscious existence of the individual after death: how else would the thief know he was with Christ unless he were conscious? **Luk 9:31 note. Gen 5:24, **1Sa 25:29; 1Sa 28:12 note. *2Sa 12:23, *Zec 3:2, Mar 5:18, Joh 11:25; +*Joh 14:3; Joh 17:24, +*2Co 5:8, +*Php 1:23.
in paradise. “This Persian word was used for an enclosed park or pleasure ground (so Xenophon). The word occurs in two other passages in the N.T. (2Co 12:4; Rev 2:7), in both of which the reference is plainly to heaven” (Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 2, p. 287). Luk 16:22, Gen 2:8, Neh 2:8, **Psa 73:24; **Psa 73:25, Ecc 2:5, Song 4:12, 13, Isa 51:3, Act 2:31, **2Co 12:2; **2Co 12:4 g. Eph 4:9, Php 1:21; Php 1:23, *Rev 2:7 g. Rev 7:13, 14, 15, 16, 17; +*Rev 14:13.
Daily Bible Nugget #762, Luke 23:43
The Nugget:
Luk 23:43 And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.
The Berean Challenge:
Much of the misunderstanding of this verse stems from the placement of the comma. Modern translations predominately place a comma after the word “you,” giving the impression that the remaining phrase—”today you will be with Me in Paradise”—means that the criminal to whom Jesus was speaking would be with Him in Paradise later that day. However, it must be remembered that none of the ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament contain any punctuation—various translators added it centuries later. Thus, without punctuation, Luke 23:43 reads, “And Jesus said to him assuredly I say to you today you will be with Me in Paradise.”
On the surface, putting a comma after the word “you” seems harmless enough. However, if He indeed had meant that the criminal would be in Paradise with Him that very day, He would have contradicted Himself and the Bible on numerous accounts! Jesus Himself was not in Paradise that day but was dead and buried, awaiting His resurrection three days and three nights later. However, this apparent dilemma is easily resolved if the comma is placed after the word “today.” Properly punctuated, Luke 23:43 reads, “And Jesus said to him, ‘Assuredly, I say to you today, you will be with Me in Paradise.'”
— David C. Grabbe
My Comment:
Do you detect the doctrinal error in today’s “Daily Verse” from The Berean?
If you missed the error of this message, listen (or rather, read) up!
My Answer:
Though long (it almost always takes more words to answer an error than to state the error), this error is fully answered in my note for Luke 23:43 as given in The Ultimate Cross Reference Treasury:
Luke 23:43
Verily. Luk 4:24; Luk 12:37; Luk 18:17; Luk 18:29; Luk 21:32, +*Mat 5:18, +Mar 3:28, +Joh 1:51.
To day. Jesus “promises him immediate and conscious fellowship after death with Christ in Paradise which is a Persian word and is used here not for any supposed intermediate state, but the very bliss of heaven itself” (Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 2, pp. 286, 287).
“A common method of dealing with this text is by altering the punctuation. They would have us read the words, ’Verily I say unto thee today: thou shalt be with me in Paradise.’ But the order of the words in the sentence is all against them. With the emphasis they give it, sēmeron ’today’ should precede the verb. As compare in the Greek, Mat 16:3; Mar 14:30; Luk 19:5; Luk 19:9; Act 13:33; Heb 3:7; Heb 3:15. But, beside this, the Lord is answering a prayer in which a time wherein the thief sought to be remembered was expressed. He had said, ’Lord, remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.’ The Lord says virtually, ’You shall not wait for that: today you shall be with Me.’ This is the simple, intelligible reason for the specification of time: ’Today,’ not when I come merely, ’shalt thou be with me in Paradise’” (F. W. Grant, Facts and Theories as to a Future State, p. 148).
Another authority, Dr. Bartlett (Life and Death eternal, p. 205, et seq.) is cited by Rev. D. B. Byers (Physical Death not the Penalty; A Complete Refutation of the Doctrine of Annihilation, pp. 95, 96): “The representation is sometimes made, that, so far as the language is concerned, this is a simple question of punctuation; whether a comma shall be put before or after to-day (semeron). This is a mistake. It is a question of Greek collocation and emphasis. The Greek language does not involve the ambiguity which exists in the English in this respect. It is admitted on both sides that the semeron (to-day) is strongly emphatic… As a strongly emphatic word, according to the usage of the Greek language, its position conclusively determines that it does not qualify the words ’I say,’ but the words ’thou shalt be with me;’ the strongly emphatic word in any clause preceding the less emphatic. In the Greek, it occupies precisely the position to be the most emphatic word of the last clause; but if transferred to the first clause, to be the least emphatic of the whole. And, as both sides admit its highly emphatic character, the case is settled.” **Luk 9:31 note. +*Deut 4:26, Jer 42:21, +Mar 14:30, Heb 4:7.
shalt thou be. Luk 15:4, 5; Luk 15:20, 21, 22, 23, 24; +*Luk 19:10, =Gen 40:13, 2Ch 33:13, Job 33:27, 28, 29, 30, *Psa 32:5; +*Psa 50:15, *Isa 1:18; *Isa 1:19; *Isa 53:11; **Isa 55:6, 7, 8, 9; +*Isa 65:24, *Mic 7:18, Mat 20:15, 16, *Rom 5:20; *Rom 5:21, *1Ti 1:15; *1Ti 1:16, **Heb 7:25.
with me. This promise certainly declares the conscious existence of the individual after death: how else would the thief know he was with Christ unless he were conscious? **Luk 9:31 note. Gen 5:24, **1Sa 25:29; 1Sa 28:12 note. *2Sa 12:23, *Zec 3:2, Mar 5:18, Joh 11:25; +*Joh 14:3; Joh 17:24, +*2Co 5:8, +*Php 1:23.
in paradise. “This Persian word was used for an enclosed park or pleasure ground (so Xenophon). The word occurs in two other passages in the N.T. (2Co 12:4; Rev 2:7), in both of which the reference is plainly to heaven” (Robertson, Word Pictures, vol. 2, p. 287). Luk 16:22, Gen 2:8, Neh 2:8, **Psa 73:24; **Psa 73:25, Ecc 2:5, Song 4:12, 13, Isa 51:3, Act 2:31, **2Co 12:2; **2Co 12:4 g. Eph 4:9, Php 1:21; Php 1:23, *Rev 2:7 g. Rev 7:13, 14, 15, 16, 17; +*Rev 14:13.