Luke 24:37

24:37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking ¹  they saw a ghost. ² 

Luke 24:5

24:5 The ³  women ⁴  were terribly frightened ⁵  and bowed ⁶  their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living ⁷  among the dead?

[24:37]  ¹ 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.

[24:37]  ² 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.

[24:5]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:5]  ⁴ tn Grk “they”; the referent (the women) has been specified in the translation for clarity (the same has been done in v. 8).

[24:5]  ⁵ tn Or “They were extremely afraid.”

[24:5]  ⁶ sn Bowed their faces to the ground. Such respect for angels is common: Dan 7:28; 10:9, 15.

[24:5]  ⁷ sn By referring to Jesus as the living, the angels make it clear that he is alive. There should be no surprise.