13:27a

And when Judas had taken the morsel: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And when Judas had taken the morsel is more literally “and after the bread, then.” This indicates the time when the next event happened. That means that as soon as Judas had taken the bread from Jesus and eaten it, Satan entered Judas. Here are other ways to translate this expression:

And after Judas took the piece of bread (NET Bible)
-or-
As soon as Judas took the bread (New International Version)
-or-
When Judas had eaten the bread (New Living Translation (2004))

Satan entered into him: This clause means “Satan took control of Judas.” Judas allowed Satan to influence his thoughts and actions. See also Luke 22:3 and the notes there. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

Satan took control of Judas. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Satan entered his heart/thoughts

Satan: The word Satan is the Hebrew name of the chief or leader of all the evil spirits. In Hebrew his name means “enemy.” He is the enemy of God and God’s people. Both Satan and “the devil” refer to the same being. So in some languages, you may want to use the same expression for both in your translation. Here are some ways to translate Satan :

• Use a local name or idiom that refers to the chief of all demons. If you do this, compare what people believe about this being to what the Bible teaches about the devil. Check that what people believe is close enough to what the Bible teaches to be a suitable expression.

• Use either a descriptive phrase or the literal meaning together with a descriptive phrase. For example:

the accuser, the chief of all demons
-or-
the leader of the evil spirits
-or-
the spirit enemy of God
-or-
the lord of all sin
-or-
the especially bad one

• Transliterate the name Satan. If this word is not already known in your area, you may also want to add a descriptive phrase. For example:

Satanas, the ruler of demons
-or-
Shaitan

If you transliterate Satan, check that it communicates the biblical meaning to people in your culture. This is the only time the word Satan is used in John’s Gospel. See how you translated “Satan” in Luke 22:3.

You need to use a word or phrase that the churches in the area will accept. You may also want to add a footnote or glossary entry that further explains who Satan is. For example:

Satan is the leader of all the evil spirits or demons. Once he was an angel in heaven, but he rebelled against God. God threw him out from heaven, and now he tempts people on earth. Other names for him in the Bible include “Beelzebul,” “the Devil,” “the Evil One,” “the Enemy,” and “the Tempter.”

General Comment on 13:27a

The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “And when Judas had taken the morsel” indicates the time when Satan entered Judas. It does not indicate that receiving bread caused Judas to be controlled by Satan. If a literal translation would cause your readers to think that, here are other ways to translate this clause:

Right then Satan took control of Judas (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

After that Satan entered Judas

13:27b

Then Jesus said to Judas: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Judas is literally “him,” as in the New Revised Standard Version. In some languages you may need to make it clear that Jesus was not speaking to Satan. Refer to Judas in a way that is natural in your language.

What you are about to do, do quickly: The phrase What you are about to do refers to betraying Jesus. Judas understood what Jesus was saying, but the rest of the disciples did not understand it at all. So it is important to translate this phrase with a general expression that the disciples would not understand meant betraying Jesus. Here are other ways to translate this entire clause:

The thing that you will do—do it quickly. (New Century Version)
-or-
Do not delay what you ⌊intend to⌋ do.

do quickly: The phrase do quickly means “do it as soon as you can.” For example:

Hurry! (God’s Word)

General Comment on 13:27b

In some languages it may be natural to change the order of the information in this clause. For example:

Do quickly what you are going to do. (New Revised Standard Version)

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