There are but two probable ways in which this language can be interpreted: One is, to let the phrase, “to-day,” refer to the time to which the thief had reference in his request. He said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.” He looked forward to the day when Christ should come into his kingdom. And if the “to-day” in Christ’s answer refers to this time, then the sense would be, “Verily I say unto thee, To-day, or this day, the day to which you refer, when I come into my kingdom, thou shalt be with me in paradise.” The word, to-day, is from the Greek, σήμερον (_semeron_); and all the definitions we find of it would seem to confine it to present time, excluding an application of it to the future. This interpretation, therefore, we think cannot be urged. The other, and only remaining method of interpreting the passage, is to place the comma after “to-day,” making to-day an adverb qualifying say. The sense would then be, Verily I say unto thee to-day, thou shalt be with me in paradise, at that period in the future when I shall come in my kingdom. This method of punctuation, if it is allowable, clears the subject of all difficulty. Let us then candidly consider what objections can be urged against it. As to the punctuation itself, we all know that that is not the work of inspiration, and withal that it is of recent origin, the comma in its present form not having been invented till the year A. D. 1790. It is therefore allowable to change this in any manner that the sense of the passage, the context, or even other portions of the Scriptures may demand. And in support of this punctuation, we have the example of some Greek manuscripts, which, according to Griesbach, place the comma after “to-day” in this declaration. But the objector accuses us of making sad nonsense of the text by this change; and he asks, in bitter irony, “Didn’t the thief know it was that day, without Christ’s telling him?” Very true, as a matter of fact; but let the objector beware lest his sarcasm fall upon the Scriptures themselves; for such very expressions do occur therein. See Zech. 9:12: “Turn you to the stronghold, ye prisoners of hope: even _to-day_ do I declare that I will render double unto thee.” Transposing this sentence, without altering the sense, we have phraseology similar to that of Luke 23:43; namely, “I declare unto you even to-day, I will render double unto thee.” The events threatened here were to take place in the future, when the Lord should bend Judah, &c. See context. So the phrase, “to-day,” could not qualify the “rendering double,” &c., but only the declaration. Here, then, is an expression exactly parallel with that in Luke, and the same irony is applicable; thus, “Did not the prisoners of hope know it was that day when the declaration was made to them?” But let our opponents now discard their unworthy weapon; for here it is leveled against the words of Inspiration itself.