Luke 24:13-35
24:13 Now on that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem,
24:14 and talking with each other about all these things that had happened.
24:15 While they were talking and discussing, Jesus himself came near and went with them,
24:16 but their eyes were kept from recognizing him.
24:17 And he said to them, “What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?” They stood still, looking sad.
24:18 Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
24:19 He asked them, “What things?” They replied, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people,
24:20 and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him.
24:21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place.
24:22 Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning,
24:23 and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive.
24:24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.”
24:25 Then he said to them, “Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared!
24:26 Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?”
24:27 Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures.
24:28 As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on.
24:29 But they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.” So he went in to stay with them.
24:30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them.
24:31 Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight.
24:32 They said to each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?”
24:33 That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together.
24:34 They were saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!”
24:35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread.
13 Καὶ ἰδοὺ δύο ἐξ αὐτῶν ἦσαν πορευόμενοι ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ εἰς κώμην ἀπέχουσαν σταδίους ἑξήκοντα ἀπὸ Ἱερουσαλήμ, ᾗ ὄνομα Ἐμμαούς.
14 Καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡμίλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους περὶ πάντων τῶν συμβεβηκότων τούτων.
15 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ ὁμιλεῖν αὐτοὺς καὶ συζητεῖν καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐγγίσας συνεπορεύετο αὐτοῖς·
16 οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ἐκρατοῦντο τοῦ μὴ ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτόν.
17 Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτούς· τίνες οἱ λόγοι οὗτοι οὓς ἀντιβάλλετε πρὸς ἀλλήλους περιπατοῦντες καί ἐστεσκυθρωποί;
18 Ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ εἷς, ᾧ ὄνομα Κλεόπας, εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· σὺ μόνος παροικεῖς ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ οὐκ ἔγνως τὰ γενόμενα ἐν αὐτῇ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις;
19 Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· ποῖα; οἱ δὲ εἶπον αὐτῷ· τὰ περὶ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναζωραίου, ὃς ἐγένετο ἀνὴρ προφήτης δυνατὸς ἐν ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ,
20 ὅπως τε παρέδωκαν αὐτὸν οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ ἄρχοντες ἡμῶν εἰς κρῖμα θανάτου καὶ ἐσταύρωσαν αὐτόν.
21 Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἠλπίζομεν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ μέλλων λυτροῦσθαι τὸν Ἰσραήλ· ἀλλά γε σὺν πᾶσι τούτοις τρίτην ταύτην ἡμέραν ἄγει σήμερον ἀφ᾿ οὗ ταῦτα ἐγένετο.
22 Ἀλλὰ καὶ γυναῖκές τινες ἐξ ἡμῶν ἐξέστησαν ἡμᾶς γενόμεναι ὄρθριαι ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον,
23 καὶ μὴ εὑροῦσαι τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ἦλθον λέγουσαι καὶ ὀπτασίαν ἀγγέλων ἑωρακέναι, οἳ λέγουσιν αὐτὸν ζῆν.
24 Καὶ ἀπῆλθόν τινες τῶν σὺν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τὸ μνημεῖον, καὶ εὗρον οὕτω καθὼς καὶ αἱ γυναῖκες εἶπον, αὐτὸν δὲ οὐκ εἶδον.
25 Καὶ αὐτὸς εἶπε πρὸς αὐτούς· ὦ ἀνόητοι καὶ βραδεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ πιστεύειν ἐπὶ πᾶσιν οἷς ἐλάλησαν οἱ προφῆται!
26 Οὐχὶ ταῦτα ἔδει παθεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ;
27 Καὶ ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ Μωυσέως καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν προφητῶν διηρμήνευεν αὐτοῖς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς γραφαῖς τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ.
28 Καὶ ἤγγισαν εἰς τὴν κώμην οὗ ἐπορεύοντο, καὶ αὐτὸς προσεποιεῖτο πορρωτέρω πορεύεσθαι·
29 καὶ παρεβιάσαντο αὐτὸν λέγοντες· μεῖνον μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν, ὅτι πρὸς ἑσπέραν ἐστὶ καὶ κέκλικεν ἡ ἡμέρα. Καὶ εἰσῆλθε τοῦ μεῖναι σὺν αὐτοῖς.
30 Καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ κατακλιθῆναι αὐτὸν μετ᾿ αὐτῶν λαβὼν τὸν ἄρτον εὐλόγησε, καὶ κλάσας ἐπεδίδου αὐτοῖς.
31 Αὐτῶν δὲ διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί, καὶ ἐπέγνωσαν αὐτόν· καὶ αὐτὸς ἄφαντος ἐγένετο ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν.
32 Καὶ εἶπον πρὸς ἀλλήλους· οὐχὶ ἡ καρδία ἡμῶν καιομένη ἦν ἐν ἡμῖν, ὡς ἐλάλει ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ καὶ ὡς διήνοιγεν ἡμῖν τὰς γραφάς;
33 Καὶ ἀναστάντες αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ, καὶ εὗρον συνηθροισμένους τοὺς ἕνδεκα καὶ τοὺς σὺν αὐτοῖς,
34 λέγοντας ὅτι ἠγέρθη ὁ Κύριος ὄντως καὶ ὤφθη Σίμωνι.
35 Καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐξηγοῦντο τὰ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ καὶ ὡς ἐγνώσθη αὐτοῖς ἐν τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου.
Comments: Debate and conversation between two of Jesus’ followers; at length they recognise him, hence verbs of debating and (re)cognition. The present tenses in the reported speech in vv. 21 & 23 lend emphasis and evoke continuity into the present and future. We note the standard reproach by a divinity before revealing divine law (v. 25).
[13] ἦσαν πορευόμενοι: periphrastic impf., common in koine, as in Engl. ‘they were walking, journeying’. In v. 15 Jesus ‘was walking along/ walked along with them’, συνεπορεύετο αὐτοῖς (< συμπορεύομαι).
[14] ὡμίλουν πρὸς ἀλλήλους: ὁμιλέω/ ῶ in the sense ‘I converse’ is a koine usage. Cf. Engl. homily.
[15] συζητεῖν: the vb is philosophical, ‘to search or examine together with’ someone, as in Plato. Here the meaning is ‘to discuss’ (Exeg. Dict. NT, s.v.).
[16] οἱ δὲ ὀφθαλμοὶ αὐτῶν ἐκρατοῦντο τοῦ μὴ ἐπιγνῶναι αὐτόν: ἐκρατοῦντο, pass. impf., ‘were kept, as if confined’ (EDNT, s.v. κρατέω/ῶ). Something was holding back their vision.
τοῦ μὴ ἐπιγνῶναι: ἐπιγνῶναι, aor. inf. < ἐπιγι(γ)νώσκω, already in Homer = ‘I recognise’ (ἐπί/ ‘after’ + γιγνώσκω, ‘I come to know’). Cf. Epimetheus, ‘He who has an afterthought’. τοῦ + inf. here indicates consequence or result, ‘so that they did not recognise him’.
[17] ἀντιβάλλετε πρὸς ἀλλήλους : ἀντιβάλλω, ‘throw against or in turn’ (cl. Gr.), hence ‘dispute’. They are bandying about arguments.
[21] ἠλπίζομεν ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν: ἠλπίζομεν, impf. < ἐλπίζω, ‘hope to do, hope or expect that’ (LSJ), in cl. Gr. construed with an inf. In later Greek, it seems, the vb is construed with a ὅτι clause. Lit. ‘We hoped/ we were hoping that he is…’ A secondary tense in the reported thought (or speech) would have been possible; but the present ‘he is’ lends vividness to their hope, and is not unusual, strange though it may sound in English. This syntax implies that the action or state of the verb in the οτι clause (i.e., ἐστιν) arose in the past but continues into the present and future. Cf. Isocrates 5, 23, ἔλεγον ὅτι ἐλπίζουσιν…. (‘they said that they hope…’).
[22] ἐξέστησαν ἡμᾶς: < ἐξίστημι, ‘Ι shock, astound’ (cl. Gr.).
[23] ἦλθον λέγουσαι καὶ ὀπτασίαν ἀγγέλων ἑωρακέναι: ‘they came saying that they saw/ had seen (ἑωρακέναι) an appearance (ὀπτασίαν) of angels (ἀγγέλων). ὀπτασία, ‘apparition’; cf. Engl. optical. I.e., angels had appeared to the women.
οἳ λέγουσιν αὐτὸν ζῆν: i.e. the women said they saw angels ‘who say that he is alive’. Again Cleopas slips into the vivid form of reported speech. Cf. on v. 21.
[25] ὦ ἀνόητοι καὶ βραδεῖς τῇ καρδίᾳ τοῦ πιστεύειν: ὦ ἀνόητοι, ‘Oh fools!’, occurs in Aristophanes (Lysistrata 572). τοῦ πιστεύειν: here τοῦ + inf. is explanatory, ‘slow of heart in your belief’.
In Hesiod Theogony 26, the Muses in their epiphany reproach the poet for being a crude shepherd, a member of a lowly group, ‘shepherds that camp in the wild, disgraces, merest bellies’. In moments of revelation, esp. when a divine law is delivered to a mortal the divinity may rebuke him before communicating a higher truth. There are ample exx. from ancient Mesopotamia and the OT.
[26] Οὐχὶ ταῦτα ἔδει παθεῖν τὸν Χριστὸν: Οὐχὶ introduces a question to which an affirmative answer is expected. Christ asks about Himself in the third person!
[27] διηρμήνευεν αὐτοῖς ἐν πάσαις ταῖς γραφαῖς τὰ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ: St Luke uses the compound δι-ερμη-νεύω, a koine verb that contains a pagan god, Hermes (Ἑρμῆς)! Ιt means ‘I interpret, expound’.
[28] προσεποιεῖτο πορρωτέρω πορεύεσθαι: προσποιέομαι/ προσποιοῦμαι c. inf., ‘pretend to do or be’ (cl. Gr.).
[29] παρεβιάσαντο: παραβιάζομαι, mid. voice, ‘I force, prevail upon’. Cf. βία = ‘force, coercion’. They twisted Christ’s arm as it were.
[31] Αὐτῶν δὲ διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί: διανοίγω, ‘prise open’, used in Plato, Lysis 210a of a medical procedure on the eyes. Cf. v.32.
[32] διήνοιγεν ἡμῖν τὰς γραφάς: here διανοίγω is meant figuratively = ‘reveal, explain’. Jesus laid bare the Scriptures.
[35]ἐν τῇ κλάσει τοῦ ἄρτου: κλάσις, a noun < κλάω. The vb is never used in ancient Greek of ‘breaking’ bread except in Je. 16.7 (pass. voice) and then in St Paul: 1 Cor. 10.16 (act. voice), ibid. 11. 24 (pass.). Other instances of ‘breaking bread’:
Last Supper — Mt 26:26; Mk 14:22; Luke 22:19
Report on the common life of early converts—Acts 2:42
Paul’s final visit to Troas –Acts 20:7
Sharing of bread on shipboard before shipwreck– Acts 27:35
* In pagan Greek literature the verb κλάω may refer to ‘breaking or snapping off’ a shoot of a plant, a reed or a vine. To share a meal or to participate in a symposium (a drinking and snacking party) created and/ or consolidated social bonds in ancient Greece. To ‘share salt’ was an idiom for friendship and trust.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 