Luke 23:34

Green's Literal Translation

And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And dividing His garments, they cast a lot. Psa. 22:18

Parallel Translations

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus said, "Dad, don't hold this against them. They have no idea what they are truly doing." Below him, the Roman soldiers were betting on his clothes by rolling dice.

Legacy Standard Bible
But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing up His garments among themselves.

Bible in Basic English
And Jesus said, Father, let them have forgiveness, for they have no knowledge of what they are doing. And they made division of his clothing among them by the decision of chance.

Darby Translation
And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And, parting out his garments, they cast lots.

New King James Version
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." [fn] And they divided His garments and cast lots.

Christian Standard Bible®
[Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they do not know what they are doing." ] And they divided His clothes and cast lots.

World English Bible
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment and cast lots.

Weymouth's New Testament
Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing." And they divided His garments among them, drawing lots for them;

King James Version (1611)
Then said Iesus, Father, forgiue them, for they know not what they doe: And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But Iesus sayde: Father, forgeue them, for they wote not what they do. And they parted his garmentes, and cast lottes therfore.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and Jesus said, "father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." then they divided his raiment among them by throwing lots,

THE MESSAGE
Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them; they don't know what they're doing." Dividing up his clothes, they threw dice for them. The people stood there staring at Jesus, and the ringleaders made faces, taunting, "He saved others. Let's see him save himself! The Messiah of God—ha! The Chosen—ha!"

Amplified Bible
And Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing." And they cast lots, dividing His clothes among themselves.

American Standard Version
And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And parting his garments among them, they cast lots.

Revised Standard Version
And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then sayde Iesus: father forgeve them for they woot not what they do. And they parted his rayment and cast loottes.

Update Bible Version
And parting his garments among them, they cast lots.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them: for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

New Century Version
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, because they don't know what they are doing." The soldiers threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.

New English Translation
[But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing."] Then they threw dice to divide his clothes.

Contemporary English Version
Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing." While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, "He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!"

Complete Jewish Bible
Yeshua said, "Father, forgive them; they don't understand what they are doing." They divided up his clothes by throwing dice .

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then sayd Iesus, Father, forgiue them: for they know not what they doe. And they parted his raiment, and cast lottes.

George Lamsa Translation
And Jesus said, O Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing. And they divided his garments and cast lots over them.

Hebrew Names Version
Yeshua said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.

International Standard Version
Jesus kept saying, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing."Jesus kept saying, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing."">[fn] Then they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice.Matthew 5:44; 27:35; Mark 15:24; John 19:23; Acts 3:17; 7:60; 1 Corinthians 4:12;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
BUT Jeshu himself said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. [fn] And they divided his garments, and cast for them lots.

Murdock Translation
And Jesus said: Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they divided his garments, casting a lot upon them.

New Living Translation
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.

New Life Bible
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing." And they divided His clothes by drawing names.

English Revised Version
And Jesus said, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And parting his garments among them, they cast lots.

Berean Standard Bible
Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up His garments by casting lots.

New Revised Standard
[[Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."]] And they cast lots to divide his clothing.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, when they were parting his garments, they cast lots.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Jesus said: Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. But they, dividing his garments, cast lots.

King James Version
Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

Lexham English Bible
[[But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."]] And they cast lots to divide his clothes.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then said Iesus, Father forgeue the, for they wote not what they do. And they parted his rayment, & cast lottes.

Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus said, "Father, forgive them. They don't know what they are doing." The soldiers threw dice to divide Jesus' clothes between them.

English Standard Version
And Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." And they cast lots to divide his garments.

New American Standard Bible
[But Jesus was saying, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing."] And they cast lots, dividing His garments among themselves.

Good News Translation
Jesus said, "Forgive them, Father! They don't know what they are doing." They divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
But Jhesus seide, Fadir, foryyue hem, for thei witen not what thei doon.

Young's Literal Translation
And Jesus said, `Father, forgive them, for they have not known what they do;' and parting his garments they cast a lot.

Contextual Overview

³² And two others, two criminals, were led with Him to be put to death. ³³ And when they came on the place being called Skull, they crucified Him and the criminals there, one on the right, and one on the left. ³⁴ And Jesus said, Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. And dividing His garments, they cast a lot. Psa. 22:18 ³⁵ And the people stood watching. And the rulers with them also scoffed, saying, He saved others; let Him save Himself, if this One is the Christ, the Elect of God. ³⁶ And coming near, the soldiers also mocked Him and were offering vinegar to Him, ³⁷ and saying, If You are the king of the Jews, save Yourself. ³⁸ And also an inscription was written over Him, in Greek and Latin and Hebrew letters: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS. ³⁹ And one of the hanged criminals blasphemed Him, saying, If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. ⁴⁰ But answering, the other rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, for you are in the same judgment? ⁴¹ And we indeed justly, for we receive things worthy of what we did. But this One did nothing wrong.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Father: Luke 23:47, Luke 23:48, Luke 6:27, Luke 6:28, Genesis 50:17, Psalms 106:16-23, Matthew 5:44, Acts 7:60, Romans 12:14, 1 Corinthians 4:12, 1 Peter 2:20-23, 1 Peter 3:9

they know not: Luke 12:47, Luke 12:48, John 15:22-24, John 19:11, Acts 3:17, 1 Corinthians 2:8, 1 Timothy 1:13

And they: Psalms 22:18, Matthew 27:35, Matthew 27:36, Mark 15:24, John 19:23, John 19:24

Reciprocal: Genesis 45:5 - be not grieved Exodus 32:32 - if thou Numbers 12:13 - General Numbers 15:25 - forgiven them 2 Samuel 18:5 - Deal gently 1 Kings 13:6 - besought Psalms 109:4 - but I Proverbs 29:10 - but Isaiah 53:12 - made Matthew 12:32 - whosoever Luke 9:56 - And Luke 12:10 - General Acts 8:32 - opened Acts 16:28 - cried Colossians 3:13 - forgiving 1 Timothy 2:8 - without 1 Peter 2:23 - when he was

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them,.... When he was crucified between the two thieves, and as he hung upon the cross, and while insulted and abused by all sorts of men, and put to the greatest pain and torture, he addressed himself to God his Father: the Arabic version reads, "my Father", who was so to him, not as he was man; for as such he had no father; but as he was God, being as a divine person, his beloved, and only begotten Son: and this he uses, whilst, as man, he is praying to him; partly to express his faith of relation to him; his confidence of being heard; and partly to set believers an example of praying, as he has directed, saying, "our Father", c. and the petition put up by him is for forgiveness which is with God, and with him only; and that for his enemies, his crucifiers: not for those who sinned the sin unto death, the sin against the Holy Ghost, who knowing him to be the Messiah, maliciously crucified him, for whom prayer is not to be made; but for those who were ignorantly concerned in it, as the next clause shows, even for his own elect, whom the Father had given him out of the world, which were among his crucifiers; for those, and not the world, he prays: and the fruit of this his prayer quickly appeared, in the conversion of three thousand of them under Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost, next following, in six weeks time. Though such might be his affection, as man, in general, as to wish for, and desire, as such, was it consistent with the divine will, forgiveness for all of them; adding,

for they know not what they do, or "are doing", meaning, in crucifying him, which was the case of many of them, and of their rulers; they did not know that Jesus was the Messiah, nor the prophecies concerning him, nor the evil they were committing in putting him to death: not that their ignorance excused their sin; nor was it without sin; nor does Christ use it as a plea for pardon, or found his intercession upon it, which is always done upon his own propitiatory sacrifice; but this is mentioned as descriptive of the persons Christ prays for, and points out a branch of his priestly office he exercises, in having compassion on the ignorant, and them that are out of the way;

and they parted his raiment, and cast lots: that is, upon his vesture, or seamless coat, and so fulfilled the prophecy in Psalms 22:18.

Psalms 22:18- :.

Psalms 22:18- :.

Psalms 22:18- :.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Father, forgive them - This is a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:12; “He made intercession for the transgressors.” The prayer was offered for those who were guilty of putting him to death. It is not quite certain whether he referred to the “Jews” or “to the Roman soldiers.” Perhaps he referred to both. The Romans knew not what they did, as they were really ignorant that he was the Son of God, and as they were merely obeying the command of their rulers. The Jews knew, indeed, that he was “innocent,” and they had evidence, if they would have looked at it, that he was the Messiah; but they did not know what would be the effect of their guilt; they did not know what judgments and calamities they were bringing down upon their country. It may be added, also, that, though they had abundant evidence, if they would look at it, that he was the Messiah, and enough to leave then without excuse, yet they did not, “in fact,” believe that he was the Saviour promised by the prophets, and had not, “in fact,” any proper sense of his rank and dignity as “the Lord of glory.” If they had had, they would not have crucified him, as we cannot suppose that they would knowingly put to death their own Messiah, the hope of the nation, and him who had been so long promised to the fathers. See the notes at 1 Corinthians 2:8. We may learn from this prayer:

1. The duty of praying for our enemies, even when they are endeavoring most to injure us.
2. The thing for which we should pray for them is that “God” would pardon them and give them better minds.
3. The power and excellence of the Christian religion. No other religion “teaches” people to pray for the forgiveness of enemies; no other “disposes” them to do it. Men of the world seek for “revenge;” the Christian bears reproaches and persecutions with patience, and prays that God would pardon those who injure them, and save them from their sins.
4. The greatest sinners, through the intercession of Jesus, may obtain pardon. God heard him, and still hears him “always,” and there is no reason to doubt that many of his enemies and murderers obtained forgiveness and life. Compare Acts 2:37, Acts 2:42-43; Acts 6:7; Acts 14:1.

They know not what they do - It was done through ignorance, Acts 3:17. Paul says that, “had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory,” 1 Corinthians 2:8. Ignorance does not excuse altogether a crime if the ignorance be willful, but it diminishes its guilt. They “had” evidence; they “might” have learned his character; they “might” have known what they were doing, and they “might” be held answerable for all this. But Jesus here shows the compassion of his heart, and as they were “really” ignorant, whatever might have been the cause of their ignorance, he implores God to pardon them. He even urges it as a “reason” why they should be pardoned, that they were ignorant of what they were doing; and though people are often guilty for their ignorance, yet God often in compassion overlooks it, averts his anger, and grants them the blessings of pardon and life. So he forgave Paul, for he “did it in ignorance, in unbelief,” 1 Timothy 1:13. So God “winked” at the ignorance of the Gentiles, Acts 17:30. Yet this is no excuse, and no evidence of safety, for those who in our day contemptuously put away from them and their children the means of instruction.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 34. They know not what they do. — If ignorance do not excuse a crime, it at least diminishes the atrocity of it. However, these persons well knew that they were crucifying an innocent man; but they did not know that, by this act of theirs, they were bringing down on themselves and on their country the heaviest judgments of God. In the prayer, Father, forgive them! that word of prophecy was fulfilled, He made intercession for the transgressors, Isaiah 53:12.