Paragraph 23:8–12
23:8a
When Herod saw Jesus, he was greatly pleased: When Jesus was brought to Herod, Herod was delighted to see him. Some other ways to translate this statement are:
Herod was very pleased when he saw Jesus (Good News Translation)
-or-
Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus (New Living Translation (2004))
23:8b–d
In the Greek text, 23:8b begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “because.” For example:
because for a long time he had been wanting to see him (New International Version)
The Berean Standard Bible does not translate this word. It leaves the connection between 23:8a and 23:8b implicit. This conjunction introduces a reason or explanation. In 23:8b–d, Luke explained why Herod was so happy to see Jesus. Herod had heard about Jesus and wanted to see him perform a miracle, so Herod had hoped to see Jesus for a long time. Translate these connections in a natural way in your language.
In some languages it may be helpful to change the order of information in this verse. See the General Comment on 23:8a–d below for suggestions.
He had wanted to see Him for a long time: The phrase for a long time in this context probably refers to the two or three preceding years of Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had done many miracles during that time. As 9:9 indicates, Herod had heard about those miracles. That is why Herod wanted to see Jesus, as 23:8c–d says.
he had heard about Him and was hoping to see Him perform a miracle: This statement tells the reason that Herod wanted to see Jesus. Herod had heard other people say that Jesus did miracles, so Herod wanted to see him do such a miracle. Some other ways to translate this statement are:
He had heard many things about Jesus and hoped to see him work a miracle. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
because he had heard people say that Jesus did amazing things/deeds, and Herod hoped to see him do something like that
perform: The verbs perform or “work” are often used in English with the word “miracle.” Use an appropriate verb in your language to refer to doing a great or supernatural deed.
a miracle: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a miracle is literally “some sign.” The word “sign” often refers to a miracle that shows that a person is from God. However, in this context Herod probably used this word in a general way to refer to an amazing deed. The word “some” indicates that the type of sign was not specified. The phrase a miracle could refer to any type of great or amazing deed.
General Comment on 23:8a–d
This verse explains why Herod wanted to see Jesus. The explanation has several parts. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some of the parts. For example:
8aHerod was very glad to see Jesus, 8cfor he had heard about Jesus 8band had wanted to see him for quite some time. 8dHe was hoping to see Jesus perform some sign.
In some languages it may be helpful to combine parts of the verse. For example:
8aHerod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, 8cbecause he had heard about him 8b,dand had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle. (New Living Translation (2004))
Translate the connections in a natural way in your language.
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