7:21a

For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For is a conjunction that introduces a phrase that explains 7:20. Some versions do not use a conjunction. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

Out of your heart come evil thoughts, vulgar deeds, stealing, murder

You should connect 7:20 with 7:21 in a natural way in your language that makes it clear that 7:21 explains 7:20.

from within the hearts of men: The phrase from within the hearts of men refers to the unseen, inner part of a person that thinks, feels and makes decisions. Some languages refer to this part of a person as the throat, stomach, or liver. Use the expression that is natural in your language for this idea. See how you translated “heart” in 7:19a.

Some translations express the idea with two phrases. For example, the New International Version says:

from within, out of men’s hearts

men: Here, the word men is used in a figurative sense to refer to “people.” For example, the New Living Translation says:

out of a person’s heart

7:21b

come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder: There are two ways to understand the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as evil thoughts here:

(1) The term evil thoughts is a specific term. It is part of the list together with the next terms. They are all things that come out of the heart. For example, the Revised Standard Version says:

come evil thoughts, fornication, theft, murder…

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Living Translation, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, King James Version, New Century Version, English Standard Version)

(2) The term evil thoughts is a general term. The next terms are specific examples of that generic term. The New Jerusalem Bible indicates this with a colon:

that evil intentions emerge: fornication, theft, murder…

(New Jerusalem Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). But if the major language version in your area follows interpretation (2), you may want to follow that.

evil thoughts: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as evil thoughts also means “evil ideas,” “evil reasonings,” or “evil plans.” For example, the NET Bible says:

evil ideas

sexual immorality: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sexual immorality is a general term that refers to all sexual sin. Use the proper term or terms to cover the meaning of this Greek word.

theft: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as theft refers to a person taking things that do not belong to him. Another word for theft is “stealing.”

murder: The Greek word that the BNB translates as murder literally means “kill” (as in the Good News Bible). In this context, it refers to the illegal or unlawful ending of someone’s life. It does not refer to executing a criminal or killing an enemy soldier in battle.

7:21c

Some English versions place the term adultery in 7:22 instead of in 7:21. For example, the NET Bible says:

evil ideas, sexual immorality, theft, murder, 22adultery

You may want to follow what your major language version does here.

adultery: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as adultery refers to a specific type of sexual sin. It refers to sexual relations between a man and a woman, when at least one of them is married to another person. If your language has an expression which refers to that behavior, you will want to use that term.

In some languages, there is one term that covers the meaning of both “adultery” and “sexual immorality.” If this is true in your language, use your term once in either 7:21b or 7:21c.

© 2008 by SIL International®

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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