Paragraph 10:13–16
Jesus had just been talking to his disciples about how God would punish the people who rejected the message that his disciples preached (10:10–12). Here in 10:13–16 Jesus expressed his sorrow at the terrible punishment that awaited the people. These people had already heard him and had seen him do miracles, but they still refused to repent and believe him.
10:13a
Woe to you, Chorazin!: This is a figure of speech. Jesus was addressing the town of Chorazin as though it were a person. In some languages it may be necessary to make it clear that Jesus was actually talking about the people of the town. For example:
You people of Chorazin
At this time Jesus was not in Chorazin and its people were not actually present. If it is not natural in your language to address people who are not present, you may need to translate this as:
Woe to the people of Chorazin!
The exclamation Woe to you, Chorazin! expressed that Jesus was sad because of the things that would happen to the people of Chorazin. God would punish them. See the note on the same exclamation in 6:24a. Other ways to translate this exclamation are:
How terrible for you, Korazin! (New Century Version)
-or-
What horrors await you, Korazin! (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
How sad/awful! ⌊God will punish⌋ you/the people of Korazin severely.
Chorazin: Chorazin was probably a town by the Sea of Galilee where Jesus preached and did some of his miracles. It may have been a village near Capernaum. Here is another way to spell the name of this town:
Korazin (New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version)
You may use either spelling as a basis for the way you write this name in your language. Both names are pronounced the same way.
10:13b
Bethsaida: Bethsaida was another town whose people had seen and heard Jesus and had apparently also rejected him. This town was also by Lake Galilee and probably near Capernaum. It was mentioned in 9:10. Be sure that you spell this name the same way in both verses.
General Comment on 10:13a–b
In some languages it may be natural to combine these verse parts. For example:
What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
How terrible it will be for the people of Korazin and Bethsaida!
10:13c
For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why God would punish the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida more severely than he punished the people of Tyre and Sidon. Some English versions do not translate this conjunction.
The reason why God would punish them is only implied here. The reason is that they did not repent when they saw the miracles that Jesus performed. In some languages it may be necessary to make this reason explicit at the end of 10:13a or at the beginning of 10:13c. For example:
because ⌊you refuse to repent/believe⌋ (Translator’s Reference Translation)
if the miracles that were performed in you: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as were performed is a passive verb. The implied subject of this verb is Jesus. Some ways to translate this verb are:
• As a passive verb. For example:
the miracles done in you (New Jerusalem Bible)
• As an active verb, with or without the implied subject. For example:
the miracles I did in you (New Century Version)
-or-
the miracles that took place in your towns (Contemporary English Version)
Translate this in the way that is most natural in your language.
miracles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as miracles is literally “powers.” A miracle is an action that requires great power to accomplish. When a human being does a miracle, he must use greater power than human beings normally have. Jesus used God’s power to do miracles, and these miracles demonstrated that he came from God.
Some other ways to translate miracles are:
mighty works
-or-
amazing acts ⌊done with/by God’s power⌋
-or-
wonderful actions that only God can do
in you: The phrase in you here means “in the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida.” In your translation, if Jesus is addressing the people of these towns rather than the towns themselves, you may need to translate this as:
among you(plur)
-or-
in your towns
if the miracles…had been performed in Tyre and Sidon: This clause implies that Jesus did not do miracles like these in Tyre and Sidon. In some languages it may again be necessary to make it explicit that Jesus was the subject:
if ⌊I⌋ had performed in Tyre and Sidon the miracles
Tyre and Sidon: Tyre and Sidon were Gentile cities on the Mediterranean coast north of Israel. These cities had rejected God long ago and were well-known for their wicked lives. See Isaiah chapter 23, Ezekiel chapters 26–28, and Amos 1:9–15. You may want to supply this background information in a footnote. It may also be appropriate to make some of this information explicit in the text. For example:
⌊the Gentile cities of⌋ Tyre and Sidon
-or-
⌊the wicked people of⌋ Tyre and Sidon
10:13d
they would have repented long ago: If the people of Tyre and Sidon had seen the miracles of Jesus, they would have quickly repented of their sins. But Jesus did not do these miracles in Tyre and Sidon, so the people there did not repent.
repented: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as repented means that a person “changed his mind, heart, or will.” In the Bible, it refers specifically to a person’s changing his mind and heart about sin and about God. When a person repents, he is sorry for his past sins. He decides to stop sinning and obey God.
Some ways to translate repented in this context are:
changed their thinking/minds/hearts
-or-
rejected their sins
In some languages, you may have an idiom for this type of change. For example:
turned from sin to God
-or-
left their sinning behind
The term “repentance” first occurs in Luke in 3:3c.
long ago: In this context the phrase long ago probably implies that if the people of Tyre and Sidon had seen Jesus’ miracles, they would not have waited a long time to repent. They would have repented quickly, without delay.
General Comment on 10:13c–d
These verse parts refer to something that could have happened but did not happen. They contain a condition (“if” clause) that was not fulfilled. In some languages it may be more natural to translate these verse parts as two sentences. For example:
13cThe people of Tyre and Sidon never saw miracles like the ones I performed in your cities. If they had seen them, 13dthey would have repented.
In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of 10:13c–d:
13dThe people of Tyre and Sidon would have repented long ago 13cif they had seen miracles like those that were performed in Bethsaida and Korazin.
10:13e
sitting in sackcloth and ashes: The phrase sitting in sackcloth and ashes means “sat down in ashes while wearing sackcloth.” In Jesus’ time it was the custom for people to show that they were sad or sorry for their sins by wearing sackcloth that was rough and uncomfortable. They sprinkled ashes on their heads and shoulders and sat down among the ashes. If this is not the custom in your language area, or if it does not have the same meaning, it may be necessary to make this purpose explicit. For example:
they would have worn rough, uncomfortable clothes and sat in ashes ⌊to show how sorry they were for their sins⌋
-or-
clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse (New Living Translation (2004))
The New Living Translation (2004) and some other English versions do not make explicit that the people were “sitting.” The position of the people does not affect the meaning of this cultural gesture. You may omit this detail if it is awkward to specify it in your language.
sackcloth: The word sackcloth refers to rough cloth that was usually used to make sacks. The cloth was made from animal hair. People sewed it into shirts, but these shirts would have been uncomfortable to wear. Other ways to translate sackcloth are:
rough cloth (New Century Version)
-or-
coarse clothes made of animal hair
ashes: The word ashes refers to what is left after wood has been burned in a fire. People would normally throw these ashes onto the trash heap.
General Comment on 10:13d–e
The reason why the people put on sackcloth and ashes was to show that they had repented. In some languages it may be natural to reorder 10:13d–e so that the relation between them is clear. For example:
13eThey would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves 13dto show they had changed. (New Century Version)
-or-
13e…the people there would have long ago sat down, put on sackcloth, and sprinkled ashes on themselves, 13dto show that they had turned from their sins! (Good News Translation)
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