Luke 23:33

Luke 23:33
(KJV) And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
(1611 KJV) And when they were come to the place which is called Caluarie, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand, and the other on the left.
(1587 Geneva Bible) And when they were come to the place, which is called Caluarie, there they crucified him, and the euill doers: one at the right hand, and the other at the left.
(1526 Tyndale) And when they were come to the place which is called Calvary there they crucified him and the evyll doers one on ryght honde and the other on the lefte.
1388 Wycliffe) And `aftir that thei camen in to a place, that is clepid of Caluerie, there thei crucifieden hym, and the theues, oon on the riyt half, and `the tother on the left half.

Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) And when they came unto the place which is called The skull, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
(1901 ASV) And when they came unto the place which is called The skull, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand and the other on the left.
(AMP) And when they came to the place which is called The Skull [Latin: Calvary; Hebrew: Golgotha], there they crucified Him, and [along with] the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
(CEB) When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right and the other on his left.
(CEV) When the soldiers came to the place called “The Skull,” they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus.
(CSB) When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
(ERV) They were led to a place called “The Skull.” There the soldiers nailed Jesus to the cross. They also nailed the criminals to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the other on the left.
(ESV) And when they came to the place that is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
(GNB) When they came to the place called “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, and the two criminals, one on his right and the other on his left.
(HCSB) When they arrived at the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there, along with the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
(LB) Two others, criminals, were led out to be executed with him at a place called “The Skull.”
(THE MESSAGE) When they got to the place called Skull Hill, they crucified him, along with the criminals, one on his right, the other on his left.
(NASV) When they came to the place called The Skull, there they crucified Him and the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.
(NCV) When they came to a place called the Skull, the soldiers crucified Jesus and the criminals—one on his right and the other on his left.
(NET) So when they came to the place that is called “The Skull,” they crucified him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
(NIRV) The soldiers brought them to the place called The Skull. There they nailed Jesus to the cross. He hung between the two criminals. One was on his right and one was on his left.
(NIV) When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
(NLV) When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.
(NRSV) When they came to the place that is called The Skull, they crucified Jesus there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.
(RSV) And when they came to the place which is called The Skull, there they crucified him, and the criminals, one on the right and one on the left.
(VOICE) When they came to the place known as “The Skull,” they crucified Jesus there, in the company of criminals, one to the right of Jesus and the other to His left.
(2011 NAB-Roman Catholic) When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him and the criminals there, one on his right, the other on his left.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) And when they got to the place called Skull, they nailed him to the stake there alongside the criminals, one on his right and one on his left

Textus Receptus - Traditional Text
και οτε απηλθον επι τον τοπον τον καλουμενον κρανιον εκει εσταυρωσαν αυτον και τους κακουργους ον μεν εκ δεξιων ον δε εξ αριστερων

Hort-Westcott - Critical Text
και οτε ηλθον επι τον τοπον τον καλουμενον κρανιον εκει εσταυρωσαν αυτον και τους κακουργους ον μεν εκ δεξιων ον δε εξ αριστερων

Corrupted Manuscripts
None

Affected Teaching
The word “kranion” in the Greek can be translated as skull. It is translated that way in:

Matthew 27:33 (KJV) And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

Mark 15:22 (KJV) And they bring him unto the place Golgotha, which is, being interpreted, The place of a skull.

John 19:17 (KJV) And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:

These three usages of “kranion” are in the Genitive case (kraniou) which is the case of possession. In other words, the place where they crucified Jesus was a place where other executions have taken place and that is why it would be in the possessive case. However, when we come to the book of Luke, we see that the word “Calvary” is used. In Luke 23:33, the word “kranion” is in the Nominative Case. The nominative case points to the subject. This why the KJV translators used “Calvary” instead of “skull.” Calvary is the subject and the focus of the verse. Calvary comes from the Latin and has been used as far back as Wycliffe’s 1388 Bible which makes it 626 years that the book of Luke was pointing to Calvary. The Roman name for the place was called “Calvarius” which is Latin for skull. Calvary has come to be identified more with the crucifixion of Christ than “skull.”

The name “Calvary” has become part of the Christian language as many hymns which we sing speaks of Calvary:

At Calvary - William Newell and Daniel Towner
Calvary Covers it All - Mrs. Walter Taylor
I believe in a hill called Mt. Calvary - Bill & Gloria Gaither, Dale Oldham
Arise my Soul Arise (3rd Stanza) - Charles Wesley
Jesus has loved me (2nd stanza) - J.W. MacGill
Hallelujah to the Lamb (Chorus) - Isaac Watts
In my Heart there rings a Melody (2nd Stanza) - Elton M. Roth
I will sing the Wondrous Story (1st Stanza) - Francis Rowley
Singing I go - (1st Stanza) - Eliza Hewitt
My Jesus I love thee (2nd Stanza) - William Featherston

Remember it is not the place of the skull that we focus on, as the modern versions do, it is what took place on that hill to warrant the name Calvary. These ten classic hymns are the tip of the iceberg. We sing about Calvary because Christ was crucified on Calvary, we don’t sing about the place itself. Take these hymns and replace “Calvary” with skull and see if they make sense. I trow not.  The modern versions obliterate "Calvary."

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