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Luke 23:47
ESV Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, "Certainly this man was innocent!"
NIV The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."
NASB Now when the centurion saw what had happened, he began praising God, saying, 'This man was in fact innocent.'
CSB When the centurion saw what happened, he began to glorify God, saying, "This man really was righteous!"
NLT When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, 'Surely this man was innocent. '
KJV Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, Certainly this was a righteous man.
NKJV So when the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous Man!”

What does Luke 23:47 mean?

For the last six hours, Jesus languished in agony on the cross. Below Him, passersby have ridiculed Him (Matthew 27:39–40). The religious leaders have mocked, "He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Christ of God, his Chosen One!" (Luke 23:35). And the soldiers who split up His clothing among them said, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" Though the middle of the afternoon, the land has been dark for the past three hours (Luke 23:44).

Now, after committing His spirit to God the Father and declaring, "It is finished!" Jesus has died (Luke 23:46; John 19:30). The enormous curtain in the temple tears in two, top to bottom. An earthquake rocks Jerusalem. Graves open and the dead who followed Jesus are brought back to life (Matthew 27:51–53).

Faced with such signs, the centurion who supervises the soldiers realizes how wrong they have been. He probably heard Pilate say that Jesus had committed no crime (Luke 23:4, 14–15, 22). Now he knows for himself: Jesus is innocent. The very earth responds to the death of a good man. He and the soldiers continue, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (Matthew 27:54).

The people understand a little better, as well, "And all the crowds that had assembled for this spectacle, when they saw what had taken place, returned home beating their breasts" (Luke 23:48). This may be a mixed crowd, some who mocked Jesus and some who mourned His death. The response is the same: this should not have happened and God is not pleased.
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