7:25a
Instead: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Instead indicates a strong contrast. The contrast is between how Jesus wanted no one to know he was there and how the woman soon heard where he was.
Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:
But (English Standard Version)
-or-
In fact (New International Version)
Other versions do not translate this conjunction. You should connect 7:25 to 7:24 in a way that is natural in your language.
a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit: Here, a new person is introduced into the story. Mark gives more information about her in 7:26a–b. You should introduce this new person in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
there was a woman there whose little daughter had an unclean spirit. She…
See the General Comment on 7:25a–26b at the end of 7:26b for suggestions on how to do this by changing the order of the verse parts.
little daughter: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as little daughter is a term of endearment. It implies that the woman loved her daughter very much. It does not imply that the daughter was not tall.
There is only one other place in the New Testament where this Greek word occurs. In that verse (Mark 5:23), it refers to Jairus’ daughter, who was twelve years old.
If your language requires you to specify the approximate age of the girl, use a term that refers to an unmarried girl of the age of puberty or younger.
If your language does not use a specific word meaning “daughter,” you may use a descriptive term that uses the word “child.” For example:
her child who was a young-lady/female
In the following verses that use the word “daughter,” you may then be able to shorten this expression to “child.”
had an unclean spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had an unclean spirit indicates that an evil spirit controlled the girl’s thoughts and actions.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
controlled by an unclean spirit
-or-
had an evil spirit in her (New Century Version)
-or-
on whom an evil spirit had fastened
-or-
on whom an unclean spirit was riding
Use an expression that is natural in your language to refer to an unclean spirit controlling a person. See evil spirit in the Glossary for more information.
unclean spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as unclean spirit refers to a spirit that is evil and can control people’s actions. The phrase unclean spirit refers to the same type of spirit as the Greek terms that are often translated as “demon” and “evil spirit.” In this context the evil spirit that possessed the girl is called a “demon” in 7:26c.
Here are some other ways to translate unclean spirit:
• Use a general term in your language that refers to spirits that are evil and can control people. If there is one word with this meaning, you may not need a separate word like “evil.” For example:
demon
• Use a specific term in your language that refers to a certain type of spirit. This spirit should be able to do what is described in this context. Do not use a term that refers to the spirit of a dead person.
• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
an evil/bad spirit
-or-
an unclean spirit
Be sure that an expression like “unclean spirit” does not imply that the spirit is literally dirty.
See evil spirit in the Glossary for more information.
7:25b
soon heard about Jesus The phrase soon heard about Jesus contains implied information. It implies that the woman learned that Jesus was in the area. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:
heard that he was there (Easy English Bible)
-or-
heard where Jesus was (Contemporary English Version)
7:25c
fell at His feet: The phrase fell at His feet means that the woman humbly got on her knees in front of Jesus and lowered her face to the ground. Bowing down like this was a way to show respect and honor to someone of high position.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
knelt down (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
bowed down (God’s Word)
This word does not indicate that the woman stumbled or tripped and then fell down.
See how you translated the similar expressions in 5:22b and 5:33b.
© 2008 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.