John 19:23-24

19:23 Now when the soldiers crucified ¹  Jesus, they took his clothes and made four shares, one for each soldier, ²  and the tunic ³  remained. (Now the tunic ⁴  was seamless, woven from top to bottom as a single piece.) ⁵  19:24 So the soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it, but throw dice ⁶  to see who will get it.” ⁷  This took place ⁸  to fulfill the scripture that says, “They divided my garments among them, and for my clothing they threw dice.” ⁹  So the soldiers did these things.

[19:23]  ¹ sn See the note on Crucify in 19:6.

[19:23]  ² sn Four shares, one for each soldier. The Gospel of John is the only one to specify the number of soldiers involved in the crucifixion. This was a quaternion, a squad of four soldiers. It was accepted Roman practice for the soldiers who performed a crucifixion to divide the possessions of the person executed among themselves.

[19:23]  ³ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.

[19:23]  ⁴ tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). See the note on the same word earlier in this verse.

[19:23]  ⁵ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[19:24]  ⁶ tn Grk “but choose by lot” (probably by using marked pebbles or broken pieces of pottery). A modern equivalent, “throw dice,” was chosen here because of its association with gambling.

[19:24]  ⁷ tn Grk “to see whose it will be.”

[19:24]  ⁸ tn The words “This took place” are not in the Greek text but are implied.

[19:24]  ⁹ tn Grk “cast lots.” See the note on “throw dice” earlier in the verse.