7:19a
Has not Moses given you the law?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used it to make a strong statement. Jesus wanted to emphasize that Moses gave the Law to the Jewish people. There are two ways to translate this question:
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Moses gave you the Law, didn’t he? (Good News Translation)
• Use a statement. For example:
Moses gave you the law. (New Living Translation (2004))
Translate this rhetorical question in the way that is most natural in your language.
Moses: The Hebrew prophet and leader Moses lived hundreds of years before Christ. His name also occurs in 1:17a.
given you the law: The word law here refers to the rules that God gave to his people through Moses. This law is recorded in the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures. It consisted of many separate different laws/rules. In some languages it may be necessary to make this clearer. For example:
⌊set/collection of⌋ laws/rules
7:19b
Yet: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Yet marks a surprising contrast. Moses gave the law, so we expect that people would obey it. However, they did not obey the law.
Here is another way to translate this word:
But (Good News Translation)
not one of you keeps it: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as keeps it is more literally “does the law.” It refers to obeying the commands that Moses received from God.
Here are other ways to translate this clause:
not one of you obeys the law (Good News Translation)
-or-
none of you does what Moses taught you (God’s Word)
7:19c
Why are you trying to kill Me?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus was saying that the Jewish leaders wanted to kill him. See 5:18a and 7:1c and the notes there. This was an example of how they did not obey the law, which said “You shall not murder” (Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17).
There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question:
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Why do you want to kill me? (New Jerusalem Bible)
• Use a statement. For example:
In fact, you are trying to kill me. (New Living Translation (2004))
Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is natural in your language.
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