11:4a

So they went: The phrase So they went means that the two disciples (11:1c) went ahead to the next village (11:2a). They did this in response to what Jesus had told them to do.

11:4b

and found the colt outside in the street: The phrase the colt outside in the street means that the colt was outdoors, along one of the village roads. The New Jerusalem Bible says “in the open street.” This indicates that the colt was in plain view in a public place. It was not in the middle of the street. (Another way to interpret the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as street is “crossroads,” that is, a place where two roads intersect. The King James Version follows this interpretation and translates as, “in a place where two ways met.” However, almost all other English versions interpret the Greek word as meaning simply street. It is recommended that you do the same in your translation.)

the colt: The words the colt refer to the colt that Jesus mentioned in 11:2c. As mentioned in the note on 11:2c, Matthew 21:2 and John 12:14–15 make it clear that this colt was a young donkey. Refer to it in a natural way in your language.

tied at a doorway: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at a doorway could also be translated as “to a door” (see the Good News Bible). The donkey was probably either tied to the doorpost or to a post near the door of a house. It is also possible that doorway refers to the gate where people entered the town. So make your translation of a doorway as general as you can in your language.

tied: The word tied is a passive verb. Here it describes the donkey. In some languages it may be natural to use an active verb. For example:

someone had tied it

If it is necessary in your language to say to what the colt was tied, be as general as possible. For example:

tied to something
-or-
tied to a post

11:4c

They untied it: The disciples began to untie the colt. They had not finished untying it when some people interrupted them, as 11:5 describes.

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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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