Luke 24:36-37

Jesus Makes a Final Appearance

24:36 While they were saying these things, Jesus ¹  himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.” ²  24:37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking ³  they saw a ghost. ⁴ 

¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

² tc The words “and said to them, ‘Peace be with you’” are lacking in some Western mss (D it). But the clause is otherwise well attested, being found in Ì⁷⁵ and the rest of the ms tradition, and should be considered an original part of Luke.

³ sn The disciples were still not comfortable at this point thinking that this could be Jesus raised from the dead. Instead they thought they saw a spirit.

⁴ tc This is not a reference to “a phantom” as read by the Western ms D. For πνεῦμα (pneuma) having the force of “ghost,” or “an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical senses,” see BDAG 833-34 s.v. πνεῦμα 4.