^19:28After Jesus⁷⁸ had said this, he continued on ahead,⁷⁹ going up to Jerusalem.⁸⁰^19:29Now⁸¹ when he approached Bethphage⁸² and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives,⁸³ he sent two of the disciples, ^19:30telling them,⁸⁴ “Go to the village ahead of you.⁸⁵ When⁸⁶ you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden.⁸⁷ Untie it and bring it here. ^19:31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs⁸⁸ it.’ ” ^19:32So those who were sent ahead found⁸⁹ it exactly⁹⁰ as he had told them. ^19:33As⁹¹ they were untying the colt, its owners asked them,⁹² “Why are you untying that colt?” ^19:34They replied, “The Lord needs it.” ^19:35Then⁹³ they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks⁹⁴ on the colt,⁹⁵ and had Jesus get on⁹⁶ it.

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Footnotes

78 Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
79 This could mean “before [his disciples],” but that is slightly more awkward, requiring an elided element (the disciples) to be supplied.
80 This is yet another travel note on the journey to Jerusalem. See also Luke 18:31; 19:11. Jesus does not actually enter Jerusalem until 19:45. For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
81 Grk “And it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
82 The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most locate it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.
83 Grk “at the mountain called ‘of Olives.’ ” This form of reference is awkward in contemporary English, so the more familiar “Mount of Olives” has been used in the translation. “Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 1.8 mi (3 km) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 100 ft (30 m) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.
84 Grk “saying.”
85 Grk “the village lying before [you]” ( κατέναντι 2.a).
86 Grk “in which entering.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but because of the length and complexity of the construction a new sentence was started here in the translation.
87 Grk “a colt tied there on which no one of men has ever sat.”
88 The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.
89 Grk “sent ahead and went and found.”
90 Exactly as he had told them. Nothing in Luke 19–23 catches Jesus by surprise. Often he directs the action.
91 Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
92 Grk “said to them.”
93 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
94 Grk “garments”; but this refers in context to their outer cloaks. The action is like 2 Kgs 9:13.
96 Although ἐπεβίβασαν (epebibasan) is frequently translated “set [Jesus] on it” or “put [Jesus] on it,” when used of a riding animal the verb can mean “to cause to mount” (L&N 15.98); thus here “had Jesus get on it.” The degree of assistance is not specified.

Cross references

95 See Zech 9:9.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And when he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. When he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount that is called Olivet, he sent two of the disciples, saying, “Go into the village in front of you, where on entering you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever yet sat. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you shall say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went away and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” And they said, “The Lord has need of it.” And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

After Jesus had said this, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany at the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and as you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

Those who were sent ahead went and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

They replied, “The Lord needs it.”

They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

When he had said these things, he went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. As he approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

So those who were sent left and found it just as he had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?”

“The Lord needs it,” they said. Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their clothes on the colt, they helped Jesus get on it.

NLTNew Living Translation

After telling this story, Jesus went on toward Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples. As he came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead. “Go into that village over there,” he told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here. If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ”

So they went and found the colt, just as Jesus had said. And sure enough, as they were untying it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”

And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord needs it.” So they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their garments over it for him to ride on.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And after he had said these things, he traveled on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. And it happened that when he drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, to the hill called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, saying, ‘Go into the village in front of you, in which as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no person has ever sat, and untie it and bring it. And if anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ you will say this: ‘The Lord has need of it.’ ” So those who were sent went and found it just as he had told them. And as they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, ‘Why are you untying the colt?’ So they said, ‘The Lord has need of it.’ And they brought it to Jesus, and throwing their cloaks on the colt, they put Jesus on it.

KJV 1900King James Version

And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called the mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, Saying, Go ye into the village over against you; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring him hither. And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose him? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? And they said, The Lord hath need of him. And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon.

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