Luke 23:37-39

New English Translation

³⁷and saying, “If^[a] you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” ³⁸There was also an inscription^[b] over him, “This is the king of the Jews.”

³⁹One of the criminals who was hanging there railed at him, saying, “Aren’t^[c] you the Christ?^[d] Save yourself and us!”

Luke 23:37 tn This is also a first class condition in the Greek text.
Luke 23:38 sn Mention of the inscription is an important detail, because the inscription would normally give the reason for the execution. It shows that Jesus was executed for claiming to be a king. It was also probably written with irony from the executioners’ point of view.
Luke 23:39 tc Most mss (A C³ W Θ Ψ ƒ^1,13 33 M lat) read εἰ σὺ εἶ (ei su ei, “If you are”) here, while οὐχὶ σὺ εἶ (ouchi su ei, “Are you not”) is found in overall better and earlier witnesses (P⁷⁵ א B C* L 070 1241 it). The “if” clause reading creates a parallel with the earlier taunts (vv. 35, 37), and thus is most likely a motivated reading. sn The question in Greek expects a positive reply and is also phrased with irony.
Luke 23:39 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”sn See the note on Christ in 2:11.

New English Translation (NET)