What Does Luke 23:42 Mean in the King James?
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
Here, “remember me” is a request for a place in the king’s future, not mere recall of a name.
THE MEANING
At the edge of death, the speaker names Jesus as Lord and entrusts his future to the king’s remembrance. The verse speaks to you where your own power reaches its limit: belonging can still be asked of the one recognized as king. Here, remembrance means being held in the king’s regard.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the belief that a ruined life has become unrememberable, or that only the powerful can have a place in what is coming.
THE ROOT
μνήσθητί
mnēsthēti
GROWS FROM
μνη-
The Greek consonantal family of remembering and memory.
“remember” in this verse is mnēsthēti. The Greek family connects remembering with memory and memorial: what is remembered is held in mind and kept present. The speaker asks the king to hold him in that regard when the kingdom comes.
ALSO GROWS
mnēmē: memory
μνήμη
It shares the μνη- family and shows that “remember me” belongs to a family of words for memory.
mnēmoneuō: remember, call to mind
μνημονεύω
Its shared μνη- stem makes the act of remembering explicit.
anamnēsis: remembrance, memorial
ἀνάμνησις
It carries the same μνη- family into the idea of a remembrance that keeps someone or something present.
βασιλείᾳ
basileia
GROWS FROM
βασιλ-
The Greek stem associated with a king and kingship.
“kingdom” in this verse is basileia. The βασιλ- family names the king, the act of reigning, and the kingship itself. The request places the speaker’s future within the king’s governance, not within the condemned man’s own power.
ALSO GROWS
basileus: king
βασιλεύς
It shares the βασιλ- stem and names the one whose kingdom is in view.
basileuō: reign, be king
βασιλεύω
It shares the stem and makes the kingdom’s governing action visible.
basileia: kingship, reign, kingdom
βασιλεία
It is the word’s own noun form, joining the king’s rule with the realm under that rule.
THE PATTERN
Scripture uses remembrance to hold people present in divine regard across danger, distance, and death.
And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that was with him in the ark: and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters asswaged;Remember me, O LORD, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation;Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel:THE THREAD
And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.Luke 22:19 uses the same Greek μνη- family in “remembrance” (ἀνάμνησις), where Jesus’ followers keep him present in a shared meal. Here, the condemned man asks Jesus to keep him present in the king’s remembrance.
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