Luke 23:47

47 Now [when] the centurion saw what had happened, he began to praise God, saying, "Certainly this man was righteous!"

Luke 23:47 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 23:47

Now when the centurion saw what was done
The eclipse of the sun, the darkness upon the land, the earthquake, the rocks rent, and Jesus expire in so uncommon a manner:

he glorified God;
by confessing that Christ was the Son of God, and declaring him an innocent person:

saying, certainly, this was a righteous man;
clear of the charges exhibited against him, and has suffered wrongfully; and this he concluded from those unusual appearances, and which he considered as tokens of divine resentment.

Luke 23:47 In-Context

45 [because] [the light] of the sun failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn apart [down] the middle.

46 And Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, "Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit!" And [after he] said this, he expired.

47 Now [when] the centurion saw what had happened, he began to praise God, saying, "Certainly this man was righteous!"

48 And all the crowds that had come together for this spectacle, [when they] saw the things that had happened, returned [home] beating [their] breasts.

49 And all his acquaintances, and the women who had followed him from Galilee who saw these [things], stood at a distance.

Footnotes

• [a] *Here "[when]" is supplied as a component of the participle ("saw") which is understood as temporal
• [b] *The imperfect tense has been translated as ingressive here ("began to praise")