Luke 5:18

5:18 Just then ¹  some men showed up, carrying a paralyzed man ²  on a stretcher. ³  They ⁴  were trying to bring him in and place him before Jesus. ⁵ 

Luke 23:26

The Crucifixion

23:26 As ⁶  they led him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene, ⁷  who was coming in from the country. ⁸  They placed the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus. ⁹ 

[5:18]  ¹ tn Grk “And behold.” Here καὶ ἰδού (kai idou) has been translated as “just then” to indicate the somewhat sudden appearance of the men carrying the paralytic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1), especially in conjunction with the suddenness of the stretcher-bearers’ appearance.

[5:18]  ² tn Grk “a man who was paralyzed”; the relative clause in Greek has adjectival force and has been simplified to a simple adjective in the translation.

[5:18]  ³ tn Traditionally, “on a bed,” but this could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, κλίνη (klinh) may be translated “bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier” (in the case of a corpse). See L&N 6.106.

[5:18]  ⁴ tn Grk “stretcher, and.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Instead, because of the tendency of contemporary English to use shorter sentences, a new sentence was begun here in the translation.

[5:18]  ⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[23:26]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[23:26]  ⁷ sn Jesus was beaten severely with a whip before this (the prelude to crucifixion, known to the Romans as verberatio, mentioned in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:1), so he would have been weak from trauma and loss of blood. Apparently he was unable to bear the cross himself, so Simon was conscripted to help. Cyrene was located in North Africa where Tripoli is today. Nothing more is known about this Simon. Mark 15:21 names him as father of two people apparently known to Mark’s audience.

[23:26]  ⁸ tn Or perhaps, “was coming in from his field” outside the city (BDAG 15-16 s.v. ἀγρός 1).

[23:26]  ⁹ tn Grk “they placed the cross on him to carry behind Jesus.”