9:26a
After: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as After mean “and.” In some languages, it may be natural to begin 9:26 with a time word, as the Berean Standard Bible does. For example, the New Living Translation begins with the word “Then.”
shrieking: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as shrieking means “shouted” or “screamed” without using words. The sound was probably similar to a scream of pain.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
screamed (New Living Translation)
-or-
yelled
and convulsing him violently: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as convulsing him violently means “caused the boy to shake greatly.” It has the same meaning as in 9:20b, but with the added word “greatly,” or “very” here.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
it made the boy shake violently
-or-
it caused the child to shake very much
the spirit: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the words the spirit. Some English versions use a pronoun. Refer to the unclean spirit in a way that is natural in your language.
came out: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as came out is the same verb as in 9:25c. It means “left” or “went away.”
9:26b
The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He is dead.”: Verse 9:26b tells what happened when the spirit first left the boy. The boy lay still and quiet, and people thought that he was dead.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
The boy appeared to be dead, so many people were saying, “He is dead.”
-or-
He looked dead; in fact, many said, “He is dead!”
In some languages it may be natural to translate the people’s words as indirect speech. For example:
He lay as still as a corpse, and people started saying that he was dead.
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