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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
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Yhn 19 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41
OET (OET-LV) Therefore the soldiers when they_executed_on_a_stake the Yaʸsous, took the clothes of_him, and they_made four parts, a_part to_each soldier, and the tunic.
And the tunic was seamless, from the_ top _parts woven through all.
OET (OET-RV) After the soldiers had fastened Yeshua to the stake, they took his clothes and placed them in four piles, one for each of them. This left his robe, which had been woven from top to bottom in one piece.
This section describes how the soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross to die. Pilate ordered that they put a sign on the cross saying that Jesus was the King of the Jews. The chief priests complained to Pilate, but he did not change it. While Jesus was dying, the soldiers divided his clothes among themselves. Also, Jesus gave his mother into the care of the disciple whom he loved.
Here are other possible titles for this section:
Jesus’ enemies crucified him
Jesus on the cross
The crucifixion of Jesus
This paragraph tells how the soldiers divided Jesus’ clothes and decided who would get his tunic by casting lots.
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus,
¶ As for the soldiers, after they crucified Jesus,
¶ When the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross,
When the soldiers had crucified Jesus: This clause introduces what happened after the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross and placed the sign above his head. The action changes from what Pilate and the chief priests said to what the soldiers did. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
After the soldiers had nailed Jesus to the cross (CEV)
When the soldiers had finished crucifying Jesus (NJB)
As for the soldiers, when they had nailed Jesus to the cross (Kankanaey Back Translation)
they divided His garments into four parts,
they divided Jesus’ clothes into four,
they divided his clothes into four shares,
they divided His garments into four parts: Before they nailed Jesus to the cross, the soldiers removed his clothes, which was their custom. These clothes then belonged to the men who crucified the person. In this case there were four soldiers, so they divided the clothes into four parts. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
they took his clothing and divided it into four shares (NJB)
they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares (NET)
they divided His garments into four parts: The Greek word that the BSB translates as divided is more literally “made.” That could mean that there were four pieces of clothing, including a belt, head cover, and sandals. Or they could have divided the pieces of cloth that were sewn together to make one piece of clothing. Translate this idea using the term that is natural in your language. For example:
they put/made his garments into four shares
they divided His garments: In some languages it may be natural to keep the idea that the soldiers took Jesus’ clothes explicit like in the Greek text. For example:
they took his clothes and divided them into four parts (NRSV)
garments: It is good to translate garments with a general word that can include items such as sandals and belt.
one for each soldier,
one part/piece for each of them.
and each man took a share/part.
one for each soldier: This phrase indicates that each of the four soldiers there received one part or share of Jesus’ clothes. Possibly each soldier received one item. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
one for each of them (CEV)
so that each soldier could have a share (GW)
with each soldier getting one part (NCV)
In some languages it may be natural to combine 19:23b–c. For example:
they divided his clothes among the four of them (NLT)
with the tunic remaining.
Then they took his tunic too.
And there was also his long shirt,
with the tunic remaining: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as with the tunic remaining is more literally “and/also the tunic.” It indicates that in addition to the clothes that had been divided into four parts, there was also a tunic. This tunic was also an item of clothing. However, the soldiers did not include it in the clothes that they divided into four parts.
the tunic: There are two ways that English translations have understood the Greek word that the BSB translates as tunic:
It was a long garment (piece of clothes) like a shirt that was worn under other clothes. For example:
his long shirt (NCV)
undergarment (NJB) (NIV, NASB, NCV, NJB)
It was a long garment like a robe or cloak that was worn outside other clothes. For example:
outer garment (CEV) (GNT, KJV, GW, NLT, CEV)
Other translations use the word tunic, which can be understood either way. (NASB also uses tunic, but contrasts it with the outer garments.) It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and most Bible scholars.
It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
The tunic had been woven in one piece, not sewn together.
which had been made by weaving it as one piece all the way down.
The Greek begins this clause with a conjunction that introduces an explanation of the situation, some background information. Some translations, like the BSB, leave this word implied. The NET puts this clause in parentheses. Introduce this background information in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
But (CEV)
It was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom: The term seamless indicates that the tunic had no seams (places where two pieces of cloth join). It was made from one piece of cloth, not from two or more pieces of cloth sewn together. A piece of clothes in one piece was more valuable than four separate pieces would be. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
which was all one piece of cloth, woven from top to bottom (NCV)
It didn’t have a seam because it had been woven in one piece from top to bottom. (GW)
In some languages it may be natural to rearrange the information in 19:23e. For example:
his long shirt was made from a single piece of cloth which did not have any seams
which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it (GNT)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
καὶ τὸν χιτῶνα
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Οὖν στρατιῶται ὅτε ἐσταύρωσαν τόν Ἰησοῦν ἔλαβον τά ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καί ἐποίησαν τέσσαρα μέρη ἑκάστῳ στρατιώτῃ μέρος καί τόν χιτῶνα ἦν Δέ ὁ χιτών ἄραφος ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντός διʼ ὅλου)
The next verse implies that the soldiers kept the tunic separate from the clothes that they divided. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [and the tunic they did not divide]
Note 2 topic: writing-background
δὲ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Οὖν στρατιῶται ὅτε ἐσταύρωσαν τόν Ἰησοῦν ἔλαβον τά ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καί ἐποίησαν τέσσαρα μέρη ἑκάστῳ στρατιώτῃ μέρος καί τόν χιτῶνα ἦν Δέ ὁ χιτών ἄραφος ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντός διʼ ὅλου)
There is a break from the main storyline that begins with the word Now and continues to the end of the next verse. In this break John tells us how this event fulfills Scripture. Use the natural form in your language for expressing background information.
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ὑφαντὸς δι’ ὅλου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οἱ Οὖν στρατιῶται ὅτε ἐσταύρωσαν τόν Ἰησοῦν ἔλαβον τά ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ καί ἐποίησαν τέσσαρα μέρη ἑκάστῳ στρατιώτῃ μέρος καί τόν χιτῶνα ἦν Δέ ὁ χιτών ἄραφος ἐκ τῶν ἄνωθεν ὑφαντός διʼ ὅλου)
If your language does not use the passive form in this way, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [someone had woven it in one piece]
OET (OET-LV) Therefore the soldiers when they_executed_on_a_stake the Yaʸsous, took the clothes of_him, and they_made four parts, a_part to_each soldier, and the tunic.
And the tunic was seamless, from the_ top _parts woven through all.
OET (OET-RV) After the soldiers had fastened Yeshua to the stake, they took his clothes and placed them in four piles, one for each of them. This left his robe, which had been woven from top to bottom in one piece.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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