The Meaning of Luke 23:38 Explained

Luke 23:38

KJV: And a superscription also was written over him in letters of Greek, and Latin, and Hebrew, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

YLT: And there was also a superscription written over him, in letters of Greek, and Roman, and Hebrew, 'This is the King of the Jews.'

Darby: And there was also an inscription written over him in Greek, and Roman, and Hebrew letters: This is the King of the Jews.

ASV: And there was also a superscription over him, THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  a superscription  also  was  written  over  him  in letters  of Greek,  and  Latin,  and  Hebrew,  THIS  IS  THE KING  OF THE JEWS. 

What does Luke 23:38 Mean?

Context Summary

Luke 23:35-46 - Saving Others By Not Saving Himself
Rulers, soldiers, and malefactors all heaped their insults on the dying Lord, little realizing that they were all included in the great love which was pouring itself out as the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. It may be that we shall have to share the same opprobrium, if we drink of His cup and are baptized with His baptism. But God will do for us as He did for Jesus; He will not leave our soul in the grave nor suffer His own to see corruption, Psalms 16:10.
The signs of renewal, wrought in the heart of the penitent thief, showed the sure work of the Holy Spirit. These were the fear of God, the sense of justice in His suffering, the confession of evil deeds, the recognition of our Lord's sinlessness and dignity, and the anticipation of His coming Kingdom. We may begin a day under the dull skies of earth and close it where there is no need of sun or moon. See Philippians 1:23; 2 Corinthians 5:6. For the rent veil, see Hebrews 10:20. Dying saints have often passed home with our Lord's last words on their lips, Psalms 31:5; Acts 7:59. [source]

Chapter Summary: Luke 23

1  Jesus is accused before Pilate, and sent to Herod
8  Herod mocks him
12  Herod and Pilate become friends
13  Barabbas is desired of the people,
24  and is released by Pilate, and Jesus is given to be crucified
26  He tells the women, that lament him, the destruction of Jerusalem;
34  prays for his enemies
39  Two criminals are crucified with him
46  His death
50  His burial

Greek Commentary for Luke 23:38

A superscription [επιγραπη]
Mark 15:26 has “the superscription of his accusation” Matthew 27:37, “his accusation,” John 19:19 “a title.” But they all refer to the charge written at the top on the cross giving, as was the custom, the accusation on which the criminal was condemned, with his name and residence. Put all the reports together and we have: This is Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews. This full title appeared in Latin for law, in Aramaic for the Jews, in Greek for everybody (John 19:20). [source]
Superscription []
See on Mark 15:26. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 23:38

Mark 15:26 The superscription [η επιγραπη]
The writing upon the top of the cross (our word epigraph). Luke 23:38 has this same word, but Matthew 27:37 has “accusation” See Matthew for discussion. John 19:19 has “title” (τιτλον — titlon). [source]
John 5:47 Writings [γράμμασιν]
It is important to understand the precise sense of this word, because it goes to determine whether Jesus intended an antithesis between Moses' writings and His own words, or simply between Moses ( ἐκείνου ) and Himself ( ἐμοῖς ). Γράμμα primarily means what is written. Hence it may describe either a single character or a document. From this general notion several forms develop themselves in the New Testament. The word occurs in its narrower sense of characters, at Luke 23:38; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Galatians 6:11. In Acts 28:21, it means official communications. Paul, with a single exception (2 Corinthians 3:7), uses it of the letter of scripture as contrasted with its spirit (Romans 2:27, Romans 2:29; Romans 7:6; 2 Corinthians 3:6). In Luke 16:6, Luke 16:7, it denotes a debtor's bond (A.V., bill ). In John 7:15, Acts 26:24) it is used in the plural as a general term for scriptural and Rabbinical learning. Compare Sept., Isaiah 29:11, Isaiah 29:12) where a learned man is described as ἐπιτάμενος γράμματα , acquainted with letters. Once it is used collectively of the sacred writings - the scriptures (2 Timothy 3:15), though some give it a wider reference to Rabbinical exegesis, as well as to scripture itself. Among the Alexandrian Greeks the term is not confined to elementary instruction, but includes exposition, based, however, on critical study of the text. The tendency of such exegesis was often toward mystical and allegorical interpretation, degenerating into a petty ingenuity in fixing new and recondite meanings upon the old and familiar forms. This was illustrated by the Neo-Platonists' expositions of Homer, and by the Rabbinical exegesis. Men unacquainted with such studies, especially if they appeared as public teachers, would be regarded as ignorant by the Jews of the times of Christ and the Apostles. Hence the question respecting our Lord Himself: How knoweth this man letters ( γράμματα John 7:15)? Also the comment upon Peter and John (Acts 4:13) that they were unlearned ( ἀγράμματοι ). Thus, too, those who discovered in the Old Testament scriptures references to Christ, would be stigmatized by Pagans, as following the ingenious and fanciful method of the Jewish interpreters, which they held in contempt. Some such feeling may have provoked the words of Festus to Paul: Much learning ( πολλά γράμματα ) doth make thee mad (Acts 26:24). It is well known with what minute care the literal transcription of the sacred writings was guarded. The Scribes ( γραμματεῖς ) were charged with producing copies according to the letter ( κατὰ τὸ γράμμα ). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The one passage in second Timothy cannot be urged in favor of the general use of the term for the scriptures, especially since the best texts reject the article before ἱερὰ γράμμα , so that the meaning is apparently more general: “thou hast known sacred writings.” The familiar formula for the scriptures was αἱ γραφαὶ ἁγίαι . A single book of the collection of writings was known as βιβλίον (Luke 4:17), or βίβλος (Luke 20:42); never γραφή , which was the term for a particular passage. See on Mark 12:10. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
It seems to me, therefore, that the antithesis between the writings of Moses, superstitiously reverenced in the letter, and minutely and critically searched and expounded by the Jews, and the living words ( ῥήμασιν , see on Luke 1:37), is to be recognized. This, however, need not exclude the other antithesis between Moses and Jesus personally. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

John 5:47 His writings [τοις εκεινου γραμμασιν]
Dative case with πιστυετε — pistuete See Luke 16:31 for a like argument. The authority of Moses was the greatest of all for Jews. There is a contrast also between writings Γραμμα — Gramma may mean the mere letter as opposed to spirit (2 Corinthians 3:6; Romans 2:27, Romans 2:29; Romans 7:6), a debtor‘s bond (Luke 16:6.), letters or learning (John 7:15; Acts 26:24) like αγραμματοι — agrammatoi for unlearned (Acts 4:13), merely written characters (Luke 23:38; 2 Corinthians 3:7; Galatians 6:11), official communications (Acts 28:21), once ιερα γραμματα — hiera grammata for the sacred writings (2 Timothy 3:15) instead of the more usual αι αγιαι γραπαι — hai hagiai graphai Γραπη — Graphē is used also for a single passage (Mark 12:10), but βιβλιον — biblion for a book or roll (Luke 4:17) or βιβλος — biblos (Luke 20:42). Jesus clearly states the fact that Moses wrote portions of the Old Testament, what portions he does not say. See also Luke 24:27, Luke 24:44 for the same idea. There was no answer from the rabbis to this conclusion of Christ. The scribes (οι γραμματεις — hoi grammateis) made copies according to the letter (κατα το γραμμα — kata to gramma). [source]

What do the individual words in Luke 23:38 mean?

There was now also an inscription over Him The King of the Jews This in letters Greek and Latin Hebrew
Ἦν δὲ καὶ ἐπιγραφὴ ἐπ’ αὐτῷ Ο ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ ΤΩΝ ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ ΟΥΤΟΣ {γράμμασιν Ἑλληνικοῖς καὶ Ρωμαϊκοῖς Ἑβραϊκοῖς}

Ἦν  There  was 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
δὲ  now 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: δέ  
Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
καὶ  also 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
ἐπιγραφὴ  an  inscription 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular
Root: ἐπιγραφή  
Sense: an inscription, title.
ἐπ’  over 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
ΒΑΣΙΛΕΥΣ  King 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: βασιλεύς  
Sense: leader of the people, prince, commander, lord of the land, king.
ΤΩΝ  of  the 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ΙΟΥΔΑΙΩΝ  Jews 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: Ἰουδαῖος  
Sense: Jewish, belonging to the Jewish race.
ΟΥΤΟΣ  This 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
{γράμμασιν  in  letters 
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: γράμμα  
Sense: a letter.
Ἑλληνικοῖς  Greek 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: Ἑλληνικός  
Sense: a Grecian.
Ρωμαϊκοῖς  Latin 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: Ῥωμαϊκός  
Sense: the language spoken by the Romans.
Ἑβραϊκοῖς}  Hebrew 
Parse: Adjective, Dative Neuter Plural
Root: Ἑβραϊκός  
Sense: Hebrew.