Grammatical Gender and the Emmaus Road Travelers in Luke 24:33: An Exegetical Inquiry
This exegetical study of Grammatical Gender and the Emmaus Road Travelers in Luke 24:33 is based on a b-greek discussion from April 10, 2002. The initial query posited a suggestion that the unnamed companion of Cleopas on the road to Emmaus might have been his wife, drawing an indirect parallel to John 19:25 which mentions “the wife of Clopas.”
The central exegetical issue revolves around the grammatical flexibility of the masculine plural participle ἀναστάντες in Luke 24:33. The question is whether such a masculine plural form can legitimately refer to a mixed-gender group, specifically a husband and wife, or if a neuter modifier would be grammatically required for such an antecedent. This grammatical point has implications for the traditional understanding of the Emmaus narrative and the identity of the two travelers.
καὶ ἀναστάντες αὐτῇ τῇ ὥρᾳ ὑπέστρεψαν εἰς Ἱερουσαλήμ.
Greek text (Nestle 1904)
Key differences with SBLGNT (2010):
- • The textual reading of Luke 24:33 in the implied Nestle 1904 text (as represented by the ASCII Greek) is identical in its substantive words to the SBLGNT (2010) edition.
- • Differences are limited to modern editorial conventions such as capitalization (e.g., initial Καὶ vs. καὶ), punctuation, and the full rendering of diacritics (breathing marks and accents), which do not constitute textual variants affecting meaning.
Textual Criticism (NA28), Lexical Notes (KITTEL, BDAG)
From a textual critical perspective, the reading of ἀναστάντες in Luke 24:33 is exceptionally stable across the manuscript tradition. The Novum Testamentum Graece (NA28) presents no significant textual variants for this word or the surrounding clause, indicating a high degree of certainty regarding its original form.
Lexically, the terms in question are straightforward. ἀναστάντες is the masculine nominative plural aorist active participle of ἀνίστημι, meaning “to stand up,” “to rise,” or “to arise.” BDAG (p. 86, s.v. ἀνίστημι, 1.a.γ) notes its common use for people in general, including in Luke 24:33. The verb ὑποστρέφω, from which ὑπέστρεψαν (third person plural aorist active indicative) is derived, simply means “to turn back” or “to return” (BDAG, p. 1039, s.v. ὑποστρέφω, 1). The theological dictionary Kittel’s TDNT (vol. 1, p. 368ff for ἀνίστημι; vol. 8, p. 587ff for ὑποστρέφω) reinforces these basic meanings without introducing specific gender implications beyond what is inherent in the grammatical form.
Crucially, concerning the question of gender, Greek grammar frequently employs the masculine plural to refer to a mixed group of individuals, encompassing both males and females. This is a well-attested phenomenon often termed “generic masculine” or “masculine predominating.” An illustrative example cited in the original discussion is Luke 2:41, where οἱ γονεῖς (the parents), a masculine plural substantive, clearly refers to both Joseph (male) and Mary (female). Therefore, grammatically, the masculine plural participle ἀναστάντες does not preclude the possibility of the group consisting of a man and a woman.
Translation Variants
The grammatical structure of Luke 24:33 features the participle ἀναστάντες (“having stood up”) modifying the implied subject of the finite verb ὑπέστρεψαν (“they returned”). The participle functions adverbially, describing the manner or timing of their return. The core of the exegetical challenge lies in how translators render the masculine plural participle when the antecedent’s gender composition is ambiguous or potentially mixed. Rhetorically, the use of the generic masculine plural allows for flexibility in interpretation, permitting the audience to infer the composition of the group based on narrative context or cultural assumptions, without the grammar dictating a purely male assembly. The Lukan narrative does not explicitly name the second traveler in 24:13, opening the door for various identifications, including a female companion.
Conclusions and Translation Suggestions
Grammatically, the masculine plural participle ἀναστάντες in Luke 24:33 permits the possibility of a mixed-gender antecedent, such as a husband and wife. This is consistent with common Greek linguistic practice, where the masculine plural can function generically to refer to a group containing both males and females. Therefore, the grammatical form itself does not rule out the suggestion that Cleopas’s companion was his wife.
- “And having stood up that very hour, they returned to Jerusalem.”
This translation is very literal and maintains the grammatical ambiguity, allowing the reader to infer the gender composition. - “Then, rising at that very moment, the two travelers returned to Jerusalem.”
This option clarifies “they” as the two travelers, emphasizing their number while remaining open to their individual identities, including a husband and wife. - “Without delay, they got up and went back to Jerusalem.”
This more dynamic translation captures the immediacy and action, using a pronoun “they” that is naturally inclusive of both genders in English, consistent with the flexibility of the Greek masculine plural.