15:2a

He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit: This clause continues the metaphor. Jesus compared God to a gardener who cuts off branches that do not produce fruit. The point of similarity is that God removes those who produce nothing good and useful. Here are some ways to translate this metaphor:

• Keep it as a metaphor. For example:

He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit (New Living Translation (2004))

• Change it to a simile, possibly by continuing the simile from 15:1b. For example:

My Father is like the gardener who removes all branches in my vine if they bear no fruit.

• Indicate some of the meaning. For example:

⌊Like a gardener⌋ cutting off all the branches that do not produce fruit, my Father removes those in me ⌊who do not produce good works⌋ .

Translate this metaphor in a way that is natural and clear in your language.

He cuts off: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cuts off refers to taking something away. Use the word that is natural for removing a branch from a vine or tree. For example:

he cuts away New Jerusalem Bible
-or-
He breaks off (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
He takes away (NET Bible)

every branch in Me that bears no fruit: This phrase refers to all the branches of the vine that fulfill a condition (the ones that bear no fruit). The phrase that bears no fruit here refers literally to a branch that produces no grapes. This metaphor refers to a person who does not produce anything in their lives that pleases God. See how you translated this idea in Matthew 3:8, Galatians 5:22–23, and Colossians 1:10. For example:

every one of my branches that doesn’t produce fruit (God’s Word)
-or-
any of my branches which are not bearing fruit (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
every branch of mine that does not produce fruit (New Century Version)
-or-
every branch that is attached to me that does not produce any fruit

fruit: This word is a metaphor. It probably refers to Christian qualities like the ones that Paul calls the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22–23. However, it could also refer to the results of preaching the gospel: new believers. That is what it means in 4:36 and 12:24. It is recommended that you translate this metaphor literally. If your readers have trouble understanding the metaphor, you may want to add a footnote to explain what fruit may refer to.

General Comment on 15:2a

The Greek emphasizes the words “every branch.” It may be natural to translate this emphasis by rearranging this sentence and putting these words at the beginning. For example:

Every branch in me that bears no fruit he cuts away (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Any branch of mine that does not produce fruit he cuts away

15:2b

and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes: Jesus continued the metaphor of God as a gardener taking care of his vine. Here other ways to translate this clause:

and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
But he trims clean every branch that does produce fruit. (Contemporary English Version)

He prunes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as prunes means “cleans” or “cleanses.” Pruning a branch involves cutting off dead wood and any growth that makes the plant weak. Pruning helps the plant grow better or produce more fruit. It is a form of cleaning the branch. For example:

cleans it up
-or-
removes the dry/dead parts
-or-
he prunes every branch that does bear fruit, so that it will be clean (Good News Translation)

15:2c

to make it even more fruitful: This is a purpose clause. God is like a farmer who cleans the vine’s branches so that they will bear (produce) more fruit. He cleans all the believers so that they will produce more fruit. Fruit is either fruit of the Spirit or new believers (see the note at 15:2a). Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

so that it will produce even more fruit (New Century Version)
-or-
so they will produce even more (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
to make it produce more fruit (God’s Word)

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