The Comma Placement of Luke 23:43

Where Should The Comma Be Placed in Luke 23:43?

In Luke 23:43, it is said: "And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise," (Luke 23:43 NASB1995). Some have questioned the placement of the first comma in Luke. If the statement should be "truly I say to you, today" or "truly I say to you today,". These two statements could assume different eschatologies. They both note that the man will be saved on that day, but they have nuances. The first interpretation implies that the man will be with Jesus on that day, but the second could imply theologies such as soul sleep, meaning he is telling the man today, but he will see the man at a different time.

The problem with desiring to change the comma would be peculiar when we look at how Jesus speaks. Jesus has said "Truly I say to you" on many occasions, however, in all these instances, it would make far more sense to assume the former position (Falk).

In Matthew, it says: "For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished," (Matthew 5:18 NASB1995). The phrase is very similar, and it would be nonsensical to assume a change in the comma placement.

Again, in Matthew we read: "But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you," (Matthew 5:44 NASB1995). Here, the comma placement can again not be changed.

Given these examples, the traditional reading would be far more natural, aligning with other examples found in the Bible. As Dr. Gill notes: "Some would remove the stop, and place it after "today", and read the words thus, "I say unto thee today"; as if Christ only signified the time when he said this, and not when the thief should be with him in paradise; which, besides it being senseless, and impertinent, and only contrived to serve an hypothesis, is not agreeably to Christ's usual way of speaking, and contrary to all copies and versions. Moreover, in one of Beza's exemplars it is read, "I say unto thee, that today thou shalt be with me", &c. and so the Persic and Ethiopic versions seem to read, which destroys this silly criticism," (Gill).

References:

Falk, David. "Live Stream #164: Is Dr. Falk The Biblical David?" YouTube, 21 June 2024, https://youtu.be/l7sVUZAXkas.

Image by James Coleman on Unsplash

Wolever, Terry. John Gill's Exposition of the Old and New Testaments: Some Background on the First Three Editions. United States, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2018.