11:2a

and said to them: The phrase and said to them introduces the words which Jesus said to his disciples when he told them to go ahead of him.

Here is another way to translate and said to them:

with these instructions

Be careful not to translate this as if Jesus sent them off and then told them what to do.

Go into the village ahead of you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as village refers to a small community rather than a city (such as Jerusalem). The village could have been Bethphage, Bethany, or another small town. You should not be specific.

General Comment on 11:1c–2a

In some languages it may be natural to combine 11:1c with 11:2a as follows:

1cJesus told/caused two of his disciples to go ahead 2auntil they came to the next village.

11:2b

and as soon as you enter it: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as soon as is literally “immediately.” Many versions translate it as “just as.” For example, the New International Version says:

and just as you enter it,

11:2c

you will find a colt tied there: The word there is not in the Greek text. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied it to make it clear that the disciples would find the colt as soon as they entered the village (11:2b). You may not need to use the word there in your translation. For example, the Good News Bible says:

you will find a colt tied up

colt: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a colt refers to either a young horse or a young donkey. The parallel passages in Matthew and John (Matthew 21:2, John 12:14–15) make it clear that this was a young donkey. The Greek text of Matthew 21:5 indicates that this was a male donkey. Here the Greek word refers to a young donkey which is big enough for a man to ride or big enough to carry a load.

If donkeys are not known in your language area, you might simply say:

a young (male) riding animal

You should not use a term that refers to an animal that was recently born or that is less than a year old.

tied: People tied their animals to a tree or post so they would not walk away when no one was using them. One end of the rope was tied around the animal’s neck. The other end was tied to a post.

In some languages it may be necessary to say what the animal is tied to and with what. For example:

tied by a cord to a post

11:2d

on which no one has ever sat: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as on which no one has ever sat is literally “which no one has ever ridden” (as in the New International Version).

Here is another possible way to translate this:

which has never carried a person

11:2e

Untie it and bring it here: Jesus told the disciples to bring the colt to him. They would probably bring it by leading it along at the end of its rope.

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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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