Tim Maas Supporter Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

According to my understanding of normal Roman crucifixion practices, the nails were not driven through the palms of the hands, which (as noted in the question) would have caused the breaking of bones, and thus would also have been in contradiction of prophecy in Jesus' case.

Instead, there is a hollow spot in the skeletal structure on the wrist (just below the point where the so-called "life line" of the hand ends), where a nail could be driven without breaking a bone, and which also provides sufficient support to bear the weight of the individual. (By my understanding, this area was included in the meaning of the Greek word for "hand", since there was no specific separate Greek word for "wrist".)

(For example, in Acts 12:7, when Peter was miraculously freed from prison, the same Greek word is used in connection with the location of chains that he was wearing, which would have been around his wrists, rather than on his hands, and multiple English translations of the verse thus use the word "wrists" rather than "hands".)

February 08 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report