Luke 24:37-39

24:37 But they were startled and terrified, thinking ¹  they saw a ghost. ²  24:38 Then ³  he said to them, “Why are you frightened, ⁴  and why do doubts ⁵  arise in your hearts? 24:39 Look at my hands and my feet; it’s me! ⁶  Touch me and see; a ghost ⁷  does not have flesh and bones like you see I have.”

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¹ sn The disciples were still not comfortable at this point thinking that this could be Jesus raised from the dead. Instead they thought they saw a spirit.

² tc This is not a reference to “a phantom” as read by the Western ms D. For πνεῦμα (pneuma) having the force of “ghost,” or “an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical senses,” see BDAG 833-34 s.v. πνεῦμα 4.

³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁴ tn Or “disturbed,” “troubled.”

⁵ tn The expression here is an idiom; see BDAG 58 s.v. ἀναβαίνω 2. Here καρδία (kardia) is a collective singular; the expression has been translated as plural in English.

sn Jesus calls the disciples to faith with a gentle rebuke about doubts and a gracious invitation to see for themselves the evidence of his resurrection.

⁶ tn Grk “that it is I myself.”

⁷ tn See tc note on “ghost” in v. 37.