12:19a
Then the Pharisees said to one another: This expression introduces the response of the religious leaders to what the people were saying and doing in 12:17–18. They were unhappy to see the crowds welcoming and praising Jesus.
Then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then is more literally “therefore.” In this context it indicates the result of the crowd going to meet Jesus. The Pharisees were anxious and felt hopeless when they saw the crowd welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem. In some languages it may be natural to indicate this by saying, for example:
At this
-or-
Seeing this
-or-
When they saw ⌊the crowd praising Jesus⌋
Pharisees: The Pharisees were a strict Jewish religious group or party. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws very carefully and exactly. See how you translated this word in 11:47, 57.
You can see that this is doing you no good: This sentence indicates that the Pharisees felt hopeless and upset because they had not succeeded in stopping Jesus. The authorities had not yet arrested him. They felt that they were failing and that he was defeating them. Translate this in a natural way in your language to express defeat, disappointment, and being upset. For example:
You can see that nothing is going right for us. (New Century Version)
-or-
You can see we are getting nowhere (Revised English Bible)
-or-
we are not succeeding at all! (Good News Translation)
Although the King James Version translates this sentence as a question, it is the only English translation to do so. It is recommended that you follow most English translations and use a statement. However, the difference in meaning between a question and statement is small. So if translations in your area use a question, you may want to follow them.
You can see: This phrase does not refer to seeing something with your eyes but to understanding something. The Pharisees were trying to help each other realize what was happening. The Greek word here can either be a statement or a command. Translate this in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
See (New International Version)
-or-
It is clear that
this is doing you no good: The Pharisees realized that they had not been able to stop Jesus. The speakers were themselves Pharisees, so in many languages it may be natural to use a first-person plural pronoun here. For example:
There’s nothing we can do. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
we are not succeeding at all! (Good News Translation)
12:19b
Look: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Look is an exclamation calling on people to see something. It introduces what the Pharisees saw that made them upset and feeling hopeless.
the whole world has gone after Him: The phrase the whole world refers to the people in the world. This clause is an exaggeration because not everyone in the world followed Jesus. The clause just indicates that very many people had gone after Jesus. That means that they started believing in him and following him. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
The whole world is following him! (God’s Word)
-or-
Everyone in the world is following Jesus. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Look how many people have become his disciples!
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