Luke 23:35-39

23:35 The people also stood there watching, but the rulers ridiculed ¹  him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save ²  himself if ³  he is the Christ ⁴  of God, his chosen one!” 23:36 The soldiers also mocked him, coming up and offering him sour wine, ⁵  23:37 and saying, “If ⁶  you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” 23:38 There was also an inscription ⁷  over him, “This is the king of the Jews.”

23:39 One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, “Aren’t ⁸  you the Christ? ⁹  Save yourself and us!”

¹ tn A figurative extension of the literal meaning “to turn one’s nose up at someone”; here “ridicule, sneer at, show contempt for” (L&N 33.409).

² sn The irony in the statement Let him save himself is that salvation did come, but later, not while on the cross.

³ tn This is a first class condition in the Greek text.

⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

⁵ sn Sour wine was cheap wine, called in Latin posca, and referred to a cheap vinegar wine diluted heavily with water. It was the drink of slaves and soldiers, and the soldiers who had performed the crucifixion, who had some on hand, now used it to taunt Jesus further.

⁶ tn This is also a first class condition in the Greek text.

⁷ sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.

⁸ tc Most mss (A C³ W Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) read εἰ σὺ εἶ (ei su ei, “If you are”) here, while οὐχὶ σὺ εἶ (ouci su ei, “Are you not”) is found in overall better and earlier witnesses (Ì⁷⁵ א B C* L 070 1241 pc it). The “if” clause reading creates a parallel with the earlier taunts (vv. 35, 37), and thus is most likely a motivated reading.

⁹ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”