Luke 22:15 With desire I have desired to eat this passover

Spoken to
Apostles

After sitting down with his students for the Last Supper.

KJV

Luke 22:15 With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer:

NIV

Luke 22:15 I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.

LISTENERS HEARD

With a hunger, I hunger for this, the Passover, to eat among you before this my suffering.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The first two words are the noun and verb form of the same root, meaning "desire" or "appetite". The English words "hunger" have the same sense and a noun and verb form.

The punchline at the end of the verse is a similar play on words. The final word, translated as "suffering" is the verb form of "passover," but it is in the form of a gerund, a verbal noun.

MY TAKE

We are not usually hunger before suffering. 

GREEK ORDER

 

Ἐπιθυμίᾳ         ἐπεθύμησα τοῦτο   τὸ   πάσχα    φαγεῖν μεθ᾽   ὑμῶν πρὸ     τοῦ με  παθεῖν
With a hunger, I hunger     for this, the passover, to eat among you    before this my suffering.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4

With desire I have(WT) desired to eat this (MW) passover with you before I (MW) suffer(WF):

  •  WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "passover" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "suffering" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but a passive infinitive, "suffering".
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5

I have(WT) eagerly(WW) desired to eat this (MW) passover with you before I (MW) suffer(WF):

  •  WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "eagerly" should be something more like "desire".
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "passover" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "suffering" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  This is not an active verb but a passive infinitive, "suffering".
EACH WORD of KJV

With -- This word "with" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with", "in", "of", "as", "by", "for", "at" or "on" depending on the context.

desire -- "With desire" is from a Greek noun that means "desire", "yearning", "appetite", "lust", "sexual desire" and "the object of desire". Of course, in the context of a meal, the word would mean "appetite" or appetite, but in the few other places Jesus uses it he uses it to refer to sexual desire or lust.

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

have -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

desired --- "I have desired" is a Greek verb that means "to set one's heart upon", "to desire", "to covet" and "to long for".  This is the verb form of the previous noun. Again, it is mostly used to describe sexual desire, but here would be heard as the desire for food. It is not in the past or perfect tense as translated, but a tense that indicates a specific point in time that can mean past, present, or future. Since the next active verb is the present tense, that seems the best translation.

to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.

eat -- The word translated as "to eat" is one of the two common words used to mean "eat". It means "to eat", "to eat up" and "to devour". However, this verb comes later in the sentence, part of a separate clause.

this --  "This" is a demonstrative pronoun that means "this", "here", "the nearer" and "the familiar".

missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these" and "those"). See this article for more. 

passover -- "Passover" is the Greek word that means the "paschal feast".  It has an article before it, so "the passover". This is what is hungered for or desired.

with -- "With" is the Greek word that usually means "with" or a related concept such as "among" or "by the means of". 

you --  The word translated as "you" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners.

before -- "Before" is a Greek preposition that means (of place) "before", "in front of", (of time) "before", (of preference) "before", "rather than", "more than" and so on.

I -- This is from the pronoun in the form of an infinitive's subject. However, in English, the verb here is a verbal noun that takes a possessive subject. 

missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. Here, it precedes the infinitive, making it act like a noun describing the action. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these" and "those"). See this article for more. 

suffer -- (WF) The verb primarily means "to have done to one",  "to have happen to", "to be treated so" or "to pay a penalty". However, it is nothing like an active verb. First, the nature of this verb is passive. The form is an infinitive ("to suffer") but when introduced by an article an infinitive acts like a noun, as we would use an "ing" word (gerund), so "the suffering". But since the word takes an object, "me",  the sense is really "this happening to me". This is not an active verb but an infinitive.

EACH WORD of NIV

With -- This word "with" comes from the indirect object form of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object. However, the translator can choose other prepositions: "with", "in", "of",  "as", "by", "for", "at" or "on", depending on the context.

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

have -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

eagerly  (WW) "Eagerly" is from a Greek noun that means "desire", "yearning", "appetite", "lust", "sexual desire" and "the object of desire". Over course, in the context of a meal, the word would mean "appetite" or appetite, but in the few other places Jesus uses it he uses it to refer to sexual desire or lust. This word doesn't mean "eagerly".  

desired --- "I have desired" is a Greek verb that means "to set one's heart upon", "to desire", "to covet" and "to long for".  This is the verb form of the previous noun. Again, it is mostly used to describe sexual desire, but here would be heard as the desire for food. It is not in the past or perfect tense as translated, but a tense that indicates a specific point in time that can mean past, present, or future. Since the next active verb is the present tense, that seems the best translation.

to -- This "to" is added to create the infinitive form of the following verb.

eat -- The word translated as "to eat" is one of the two common words used to mean "eat". It means "to eat", "to eat up" and "to devour". However, this verb comes later in the sentence, part of a separate clause.

this --  "This" is a demonstrative pronoun that means "this", "here", "the nearer" and "the familiar".

missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these" and "those"). See this article for more. 

Passover -- "Passover" is the Greek word that means the "paschal feast".  It has an article before it, so "the passover". This is what is hungered for or desired.

with -- "With" is the Greek word that usually means "with" or a related concept such as "among" or "by the means of". 

you --  The word translated as "you" is plural addressing a group of Jesus's listeners.

before -- "Before" is a Greek preposition that means (of place) "before", "in front of", (of time) "before", (of preference) "before", "rather than", "more than" and so on.

I -- This is from the pronoun in the form of an infinitive's subject. However, in English, the verb here is a verbal noun that takes a possessive subject.

missing "the/this" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the", which usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. Here, it precedes the infinitive, making it act like a noun describing the action. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these" and "those"). See this article for more

suffer -- (WF) The verb primarily means "to have done to one",  "to have happen to", "to be treated so" or "to pay a penalty". However, it is nothing like an active verb. First, the nature of this verb is passive. The form is an infinitive ("to suffer") but when introduced by an article an infinitive acts like a noun, as we would use an "ing" word (gerund), so "the suffering". But since the word takes an object, "me",  the sense is really "this happening to me". This is not an active verb but an infinitive.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Ἐπιθυμίᾳ [[3 verses] noun sg fem dat ) "With desire" is from epithymia, which means "desire", "yearning", "appetite", "lust", "sexual desire" and "the object of desire".

ἐπεθύμησα ( verb 1st sg aor ind act ) "I have desired" is epithymeo, which means "to set one's heart upon", "to desire", "to covet" and "to long for".

τοῦτο ( adj sg neut acc ) "This" is toutou, which is a demonstrative pronoun that means "this", "here", "the nearer" and "the familiar". 

τὸ [821 verses](article sg  neut acc) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). It usually precedes a noun or changes the word it precedes (adjective, infinitive, participle, etc.) to act like a noun. When not preceding a word that can become a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones".

πάσχα (irreg sg neut acc) "Passover" is from pascha, which means the "paschal feast".

φαγεῖν ( verb aor inf act ) "To eat" is phago which is a form of the word, phagein, which means to eat", "to eat up" and "to devour".

μεθ᾽ (prep) "With" is meta, which means "with", "in the midst of", "among", "between", "in common", "along with", "by the aid of", "in one's dealings with", "into the middle of", "coming into", "in pursuit of", "after", "behind", "according to", "after", "behind" and "next afterward".

ὑμῶν (pron 2nd pl gen) "You" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you".

πρὸ (prep) "Before" is pro, which means (of place) "before", "in front of", (of time) "before", (of preference) "before", "rather than", "more than" and so on.

τοῦ ( article sg masc gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones".

με ( pron 1st sg masc acc ) "Me" is eme, which means "I", "me" and "my".

παθεῖν: ( verb aor inf act) "Suffer" is from pascho, which means "to have done to one", "to suffer", "to be treated so", "to come to be in a state", "to pay a penalty", "to suffer legal punishment" and "to be ill".

Front Page Date