6:45a
In this verse, Jesus explained how his teaching in 6:43–44 applied to people.
The good man brings good things out of the good treasure of his heart: This is a comparison. A good man is compared to a good tree. Just as a good tree produces good fruit, a good man produces/does good things.
In this verse the word heart represents a person’s thoughts. (See the note on heart later in this part of the verse for more details.) Jesus compared a person’s thoughts to a place where people store things that they want to keep. He was teaching that what a person thinks determines whether he will do good or evil things. This includes speaking good or evil words.
If possible, use the same general word for good here (good man, good things, good treasure) that you used for fruit and trees in 6:44. (If you must choose a word that is different or more specific, choose a word that refers to what is ethically good or noble.) Another way to translate this is:
Good people do good things because of the good in their hearts. (Contemporary English Version)
The good man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as man refers to anyone, male or female. Some other ways to translate this are:
A good person (Good News Translation)
-or-
Good people (Contemporary English Version)
brings…out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as brings…out means “to produce” or “to cause to exist.” This is similar to a tree producing fruit. It may not be natural in some languages to say that a man “produces” good things. If that is true in your language, you may want to say that he “does” good things/deeds. Some examples of how this is translated in English versions are:
Good people produce good (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Good people do good things (Contemporary English Version)
good things: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as “good things” are literally “the good.” Some other ways to translate this are:
what is good (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
good acts/deeds
the good treasure of his heart: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally focuses on the fact that this good is stored or kept, rather than on its value, as the word “treasure” might otherwise imply. If “good” is what is stored/kept inside a person’s heart, then good actions and words will be the result. Another way to translate this is:
the good things that he keeps in his heart
heart: For the Jews, a person’s heart represented the part of a person that he used to think, feel, and decide things. Some languages use a different part of the body or another expression to describe this. Use a natural expression in your language.
6:45b
the evil man brings evil things out of the evil treasure of his heart: This part of the verse presents a truth that contrasts with 6:45a and is its opposite. Translate this in a way that shows the direct contrast with 6:45a. Some other ways to translate this are:
…an evil person produces evil deeds from an evil heart. (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
Bad people do bad things because of the evil in their hearts. (Contemporary English Version)
If possible, use the same general word for evil here (evil man, evil things, evil treasure) that you used for bad fruit and bad trees in 6:43. If you must choose a word that is different or more specific, choose a word that refers to what is ethically bad or evil.
the evil treasure of his heart: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the evil treasure of his heart is literally “from the evil.” This is an ellipsis. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the implied words “treasure of his heart.” The Greek phrase refers to the evil that a person keeps inside him in his thoughts/heart. Some other ways to translate this are:
the evil that is in them (God’s Word)
-or-
the evil in their hearts (Contemporary English Version)
If evil is what is inside a person’s heart, then evil actions and words will be the result.
6:45c
For: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek conjunction that connects 6:45c to 6:45a–b as For. It marks 6:45c as explaining what Jesus has just said. It is also a general statement that summarizes what Jesus has just said. Some ways to connect 6:45c are:
So then
-or-
Thus
In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here.
out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks: The Greek noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the overflow means “abundance” or “an exceeding quantity.” It describes a quantity that fills a container completely full and then overflows it. In this clause, it is used in a figurative way. The clause means that a person’s thoughts and beliefs control what he says. His heart/thoughts determine how he acts and speaks.
Jesus was saying here that a person’s words reflect what he is really like in his thoughts and character. Some other ways to translate this are:
…the words of the mouth flow out of what fills the heart. (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Your words show what is in your heart. (Contemporary English Version)
In the Greek text, the words out of the overflow of the heart are moved forward in the clause to emphasize them. If you have a way to emphasize these words in your language, consider doing that here. One way to do this in English could be:
It is out of what his heart is full of that his mouth speaks.
the heart…the mouth: Here, the refers to any person and could apply either to the good person of 6:45a or to the evil person of 6:45b. It some languages, it may be more natural to translate this in a more general way. For example:
People speak the things that are in their hearts. (New Century Version)
-or-
The heart will be full of something, and that is what the mouth will speak.
What the heart is full of is what the mouth speaks.
heart: See the note on heart at 6:45a.
mouth: In some languages, another part of the body such as “the lips” or “the throat” may be associated with speaking.
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