Translation commentary

Translation commentary on Esther 7:1-2

So the king: both Revised Standard Version and Today’s English Version use the conjunction So to link this verse with the final verse of the preceding chapter, in which the new episode began.

To feast is literally “to drink.” The implied object is wine (see verse 2).

The Revised Standard Version translation And on the second day seems to suggest that this second feast continued for a second day. An American Translation likewise suggests that the second feast continued for at least two days: “and the king said again to Esther on the second day of the banquet of wine.” More probably, though, the words on the second day mean the second day that was mentioned in 5.8, following the first day of 5.4-6. Some translations say “and again on that second day” (Revised English Bible) or “again, on this second day” (New American Bible, New Jerusalem Bible), adding the words “this” or “that” for clarity. Other translations such as Today’s English Version and Bible en français courant restructure and say “And so the king and Haman went to eat with Esther for a second time.” Today’s English Version thereby makes clear that “the second day” means the day of the second banquet.

As they were drinking wine: for comments see 5.6 above. The king here repeats his double question of the first day. His questions and promises take the identical poetic form of the first time, except that this time he addresses Esther by her title of Queen (see comments at 5.6).

My kingdom: as in 5.3, the king specifies that the kingdom is his. Today’s English Version makes the fact of possession implicit by saying “the empire.”

Quoted with permission from Omanson, Roger L. and Noss, Philip A. A Handbook on Esther (The Hebrew Text). (UBS Helps for Translators). New York: UBS, 1997. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Romans 1:1

Paragraph 1:1–6

1:1a

Paul: The author of this letter is named Paul. He began this letter with his name. This was the normal way to begin a letter at that time in that region.

Paul did not use a sentence here. In some languages it is more natural to introduce the writer in a different way. For example:

From Paul, (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
This letter is from Paul, (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊I,⌋ Paul, ⌊am writing this letter.⌋ ⌊I am⌋

a servant of: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as servant refers to a slave. Here, this phrase indicates that Paul belonged to Jesus as his slave. Paul served him and completely submitted himself to the authority of Jesus.

People often despised servants or slaves. But when someone called himself a slave of Jesus, as Paul did here, he was not ashamed of it. You may have more than one word to describe servants or slaves. Choose the one that indicates or implies the believer’s good relationship to Jesus. That is why many English versions use the word servant instead of slave.

Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

a slave of (NET Bible)
-or-
a worker of/for

If you have translated other books, see how you translated this word in Galatians 1:10, Philippians 1:1, Titus 1:1, or James 1:1.

In some languages, it will be best to translate the word servant as a verb. For example:

I serve
-or-
I completely submit to
-or-
I do the work of

Christ Jesus: There is a textual issue here about the order of the words Christ Jesus :

(1) The correct order is Christ Jesus.

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New American Bible, Revised Edition, English Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

(2) The correct order is Jesus Christ.

(Revised Standard Version, King James Version, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) because the UBS Handbook Greek New Testament supports it.

The order of the words Christ Jesus emphasizes that Jesus is the Christ/Messiah. However, in some languages the order Christ Jesus is not natural. If that is true in your language, emphasize, if possible, the fact that Jesus is the Christ in a natural way. For example:

Jesus, ⌊who/he is the⌋ Christ
-or-
Jesus, the Messiah,

Christ: This name is spelled “Christos” in the Greek language. (The Greek sound spelled ‘ch’ here is similar to a ‘k’ but without making the air stop in the mouth.) Spell the name as people in your language say it, or use the name from the common language in your region.

The word Christ was used as a title. It was the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah.” It means “the anointed one.” In the Jewish culture a person was anointed by pouring oil on top of his head in a ceremony. This was done to show that God chose him for a special task/job. In the Old Testament, some were anointed to be priests, some to be kings, and some to be prophets. In the Old Testament, “the anointed one” refers to the person whom God promised would save/free his people and rule them.

Here are other ways to translate Christ :

• Use a title or a descriptive phrase in your language that has the same meaning as Christ. For example:

⌊God’s⌋ Anointed/Chosen One
-or-
the Messiah
-or-
Promised Deliverer
-or-
the Rescuer-King whom God appointed

• Transliterate Christ and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:

Karisiti, the appointed one
-or-
Cristo, the King whom God promised to send

• Transliterate Christ and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:

the Kirisita

If you do not indicate the meaning of Christ in your translation, you may want to include a footnote to explain it. For example:

The word/title “Christ” refers to the one whom God had promised to send. He would be both king and savior.

Or you may want to explain the meaning in a glossary.

1:1b

called to be an apostle: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as called to be an apostle is literally “(a) called apostle.” Here the word called means “chosen to be given a special benefit or purpose.” God invited Paul to do the work of an apostle (1 Timothy 1:1). Here are other ways to translate this word:

⌊his⌋ appointed apostle
-or-
an apostle by ⌊God’s⌋ call/choice

Some languages must use a verb here. For example:

called as an apostle (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
called by God to be an apostle (Revised English Bible)
-or-

⌊God⌋ invited me to be an apostle
-or-
an apostle whom ⌊he/God⌋ chose

an apostle: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as apostle means a “representative” or “messenger.” It refers to a person whom someone sends with his authority. He is sent to give a message or accomplish a particular task. Here, the word apostle refers to Paul whom Jesus sent as his messenger. Paul’s message was the gospel about Jesus. Here are other ways to translate apostle :

• Translate the meaning. For example:

his/Jesus’ ⌊special⌋ representative
-or-
Christ’s/his messenger
-or-
a man whom Jesus Christ sent (on a mission)
-or-
a person with authority ⌊from Jesus Christ to do his work⌋

• Use the common word for the word apostle if it is already in use. For example:

apostol

Use the same term for apostle as you used in the Gospels. (See Mark 6:30 or Luke 6:13.) Be sure that the term you choose for apostle is different from your terms for prophet (1:2) and angel (8:38).

1:1c

This clause also describes Paul (1:1a). God set him apart for the preaching of the gospel. In Greek and the Berean Standard Bible, the sentence continues from 1:1b. But in some languages, a new sentence would be more clear. For example:

God set me apart for his gospel

set apart for the gospel of God: The phrase set apart indicates that God chose Paul from among a group of people to do a specific task. He chose Paul to be a messenger to tell the gospel to the non-Jews (1:5). Here are other ways to translate these words:

separated to serve the gospel of God
-or-

⌊he/Jesus/God⌋ caused me to dedicate all my life for the gospel of God

This clause is passive. Some languages must use an active clause. For example:

God set me apart for the gospel ⌊about Jesus⌋

See how you translated the phrase set apart in Acts 13:2 or Galatians 1:15.

for: Here the word for introduces a purpose clause. God set Paul apart from other work for the purpose of preaching or sharing the gospel. Here are other ways to translate for :

in order that
-or-

The reason he chose me to be an apostle was so that
-or-

to speak/tell God’s good news

the gospel of God: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gospel means “good news” or “announcement of a message that people consider very good.” Here, it refers to the good news that God sent Jesus to save us from wrongdoing and reconcile us to God. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

good/sweet news from God
-or-
God’s message/report that causes joy
-or-
good news ⌊about Jesus Christ⌋ that God sent

of God: The word of here indicates that the gospel is from God. See the examples above.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 13:1

Section 13:1–20

Jesus washed his disciples’ feet

Beginning in this section, Jesus ate supper with the disciples for the last time. First he washed their feet as an example of loving service.

Here are some other possible section headings:

Jesus washed his disciples’ feet at the last supper
-or-
Jesus set an example by washing feet
-or-
Jesus served his disciples by washing their feet

Paragraph 13:1

This paragraph gives background information for the next event in the story. It tells the time of the event and describes Jesus’ thoughts.

13:1a

It was now just before the Passover Feast: This phrase introduces the next event in the story by indicating that it happened immediately before the Passover Feast.

Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast (New Century Version)
-or-
The Jewish people would soon celebrate Passover.
-or-
The Passover feast/celebration would begin very soon.

It was now: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible has translated as now often introduces a new event. Introduce this next event in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Then

just before the Passover Feast: This phrase indicates that Jesus knew that his hour had come before Passover began. The Passover would begin at sunset and the meal that is mentioned beginning in 13:2 is a Passover meal. So this verse begins just before the Passover began. For example:

It was just before the Passover Festival. (New International Version)
-or-
It was almost time for the Passover Feast. (New Century Version)

the Passover Feast: This phrase refers to a feast that the Jewish people celebrated each year. They remembered how God rescued their ancestors from being slaves in Egypt. God went to kill the first-born sons of the Egyptians so that they would allow the Jews to leave Egypt. The term Passover refers to the fact that God passed over (did not enter) the houses of the Jews. That means that he did not harm their sons.

See the story in Exodus 12. Translate this phrase as you did in 2:13 and 12:1. For example:

the Passover celebration (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the Death did not Harm Us Festival
-or-
the Rescue Feast

13:1b

and Jesus knew that His hour had come: Jesus knew that it was now the time he had been waiting for. It was the time for him to die for his people, as he had come into the world to do. See the notes on 2:4b. It may not be natural to translate the verb come literally. For example:

Jesus knew that it was time for him (New Century Version)
-or-
Jesus understood that this was the time for him

knew: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as knew is more literally “having known,” meaning that Jesus already knew. He did not just realize that his hour had come (see 12:23, 27). If your readers wrongly understand that Jesus just realized this, you may need to make it clear that he knew before. For example:

already knew

His hour had come: This clause here indicates that the time for Jesus to die had come. The next day, Jesus would be killed. He would not die in the next 60 minutes, as the word hour might imply. So in some languages it may be natural to use a more general word. For example:

his time had come (NET Bible Bible)

13:1c

to leave this world: This phrase indicates that Jesus would no longer live on earth with his disciples. Jesus would soon die and return to his Father. The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek word literally as leave. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

to depart from this world (New Revised Standard Version)

and return to the Father: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and return to the Father is more literally “to the Father.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the verb return. In some languages it may not be natural or necessary to supply a verb here. For example:

to depart from this world to the Father (NET Bible Bible)

This is where Jesus had been before. So in some languages it may be natural to say:

return to his Father
-or-
go back to the Father (God’s Word)

the Father: This phrase refers to God, Jesus’ Father. See the notes on “The Father loves the Son” in 3:35a. In some languages it may be natural to make it clearer whom this phrase refers to. For example:

his Father (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
his Father ⌊God⌋

General Comment on 13:1b–c

The “hour” mentioned in 13:1b refers to the time when Jesus was to leave the world (13:1c). Make this connection clear in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

Jesus knew that his hour had come and that he must leave this world and go the Father (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from this world to the Father (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. (God’s Word)

13:1d

Having loved His own who were in the world: Jesus had loved his disciples during his ministry and he still loved them. The phrase Having loved implies that Jesus had always loved his own and that he continued to do so. For example:

He had always loved his own who were in the world… (Revised English Bible)

loved: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as loved here refers both to having a strong affection and to showing love in action. Jesus cared deeply for his disciples and he continued to act for their welfare and blessing.

His own who were in the world: This phrase refers to Jesus’ disciples, those who followed him on earth. They were His own in the sense that God had given them to him, and they loved and obeyed and followed him. Avoid translating this in a way that suggests they belonged to Jesus as his slaves. For example:

his followers in this world (Contemporary English Version)

13:1e

He loved them to the very end: There are two ways to interpret the phrase to the very end here:

(1) It means to the end of his life.

(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, English Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Revised English Bible, NET Bible Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible Bible, NIV2011, NLT2004)

(2) It means “completely,” to the full extent. For example:

he now showed them the full extent of his love (New International Version (1984), New Living Translation (1996))

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This is the interpretation followed by the great majority of English translations, and it suits the context well. Jesus understood that he had come to the end of his life on earth. Knowing this, he continued to love and show love to his followers. His death for them showed that.

General Comment on 13:1

In the Greek text John 13:1 forms one long sentence. Here is one translation that does the same:

Now before the Feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. (English Standard Version)

In many languages it will be natural to break this sentence into two or three shorter sentences. For example:

Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that his time had come to depart from the world to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now loved them to the very end. (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
It was almost time for the Jewish Passover Feast. Jesus knew that it was time for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. He had always loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them all the way to the end. (New Century Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 12:38

12:38a

This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: In the Greek text this is a purpose clause: This happened in order to fulfill Isaiah’s prophecy. The word This refers back to the fact that the Jews in general did not believe in Jesus. Isaiah had predicted that people would not be willing to believe in Jesus, and this actually happened. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

so that the word of Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
for the prophet Isaiah’s words had to be fulfilled (Revised English Bible)
-or-
This happened so that what the prophet Isaiah had said would come true (Contemporary English Version)

to fulfill: The verb fulfill in this context means “complete a prophecy” so that what was prophesied happens. The things that Isaiah said did actually take place. For example:

would come true (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
In this way the words of the prophet Isaiah came true (God’s Word)

the word of Isaiah the prophet: This phrase here introduces a quotation from the book of Isaiah, Isaiah 53:1. This quotation consists of many individual words, so in some languages it may be natural to make that clear. For example:

the words of the prophet Isaiah (God’s Word)
-or-
what Isaiah the prophet had said (New Century Version)

Isaiah: The prophet Isaiah lived seven hundred years before Jesus was born. He wrote the book of the Old Testament that is called by his name. He is also mentioned in 1:23d.

prophet: A prophet was a man who spoke to the people as God’s representative. He told people what God revealed to him. Here are some ways to translate prophet :

God’s representative
-or-
a man who speaks God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speaker

It is good to use a general term that does not refer only to predicting the future. Although prophets did predict the future, they also gave people other messages from God. They especially told them to stop sinning and to obey God.

Try to choose a term for prophet that is different from other words which are similar in meaning. Those words include “angel,” “apostle,” and “preacher.”

See how you translated this word in 1:21d and 1:23d, and see Key Biblical Terms prophet 1a.

12:38b

12:38b consists of a quotation of Isaiah 53:1. This clause is also quoted in Romans 10:16. In both John and Romans, the word “Lord” introduces words spoken to God. The word “Lord” is not included in the original Hebrew text of the book of Isaiah. However, it is included in the Greek translation of Isaiah. John was quoting from the Greek translation of Isaiah, and you should translate his quotation as it is written. Do not try to make it match Isaiah 53:1 in your Bible.

Lord: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord introduces words spoken to God. This Greek word is a form of address showing respect, meaning “master.” Translate this the same way as you translate other uses of Lord when used to address God (e.g., Acts 10:14, Psalm 115:1). For example:

All-Powerful God
-or-
Ruler

In some languages people may not naturally use a word that means “master” to refer to God. If speakers of your language do not understand that Lord here refers to God, here are other ways to translate it:

• Use your word for God.

• Use your word for God and indicate that he is the Lord. For example:

God the Lord

If you include the word for God in your translation of Lord, you may want to include a footnote to give the literal Greek meaning. For example:

Here the Greek text is more literally “Lord.”

who has believed our message: This question is a quotation from Isaiah 53:1. It is a rhetorical question. It is used to emphasize a negative statement: people in general had not believed God’s message. Isaiah was emphasizing how few people had accepted the message. Most people had rejected it.

There are at least two ways to translate this statement:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

who believed what we told them? (New Century Version)

• Use a statement. For example:

So few people have believed our message!

Translate this emphasis in a way that is most natural in your language.

our message: This phrase refers to the message the prophets told. The pronoun our is probably inclusive, because Isaiah was speaking to God, who had given him the message. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

the message we told (Good News Translation)

12:38c

And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed: This is a second rhetorical question. It continues the quotation from Isaiah 53:1. It is used to emphasize a negative statement that people in general had not seen the arm of the Lord. This is a figure of speech indicating that not many people believed that they were seeing God’s power at work.

There are two ways to translate this negative statement:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

To whom has the Lord’s power been revealed? (God’s Word)
-or-
Who saw the Lord’s power in this? (New Century Version)

• Use a statement. For example:

Not many people has the arm of the Lord been revealed to.
-or-
Very few people have seen/understood how powerful the Lord is.

Translate this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

has the arm of the Lord been revealed: The verb has…been revealed is passive. It means that God has revealed his arm, meaning his power. There are at least two ways to translate this:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed? (Revised English Bible)

• Use an active verb. For example:

To whom will the Lord reveal his saving power? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
And who has seen your mighty strength? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
To whom will the Lord reveal how powerful he is?

Translate this verb using the verb form most natural in your language here. God did reveal his power, but only some could understand that Jesus’ miracles were evidence of God’s power. For example:

and who has seen in it a revelation of the Lord’s arm? (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Who saw the Lord’s power in this? (New Century Version)

the arm of the Lord: This phrase is a figurative way of saying “God’s power/strength.” In this context it refers to the miracles that Jesus did by God’s power. It is a figure of speech that emphasizes that God acts in strength and power. In some languages a literal translation may indicate that God has physical arms and that people can see them. In those languages it is necessary to speak explicitly of God’s power. For example:

the power of the Lord (Revised English Bible)

Because Isaiah was addressing the Lord himself, in some languages it may be natural to use a second-person pronoun, “your.” For example:

your mighty strength (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 12:39

12:39

For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: This verse introduces another quotation from the book of Isaiah. This quotation explains why many people could not believe in Jesus. The words For this reason and For again point ahead to the quotation from Isaiah in verse 40. Here are other ways to translate this verse:

Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, (English Standard Version)
-or-
For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere…. (New International Version)
-or-
And there is another saying of Isaiah that explains why they could not believe (Revised English Bible)

they were unable to believe: These people were unable to believe. When the word believe is used without an object, it is usually a short way of saying “believes in Jesus.” So this clause includes the idea of believing the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea of trusting Jesus instead of trusting oneself or someone else. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. These people could do neither. Here are other ways to translate this idea:

The people could not have faith in Jesus (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
they were not able to trust in Jesus
-or-
they could not believe in him

For again, Isaiah says: This phrase introduces another quotation from the Old Testament book of Isaiah (Isaiah 6:10). That quotation explains why the people could not believe. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

because, as Isaiah says elsewhere (New International Version)
-or-
for as Isaiah also said (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
It was as Isaiah said in another place

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 12:40

12:40a–c

John 12:40 is a free (not exact) quotation of Isaiah 6:10. This verse is also quoted in Matthew 13:13–15, Mark 4:12, Luke 8:10, and Acts 28:26–27. The exact words of the quotation are not the same in each place, but the meaning is the same.

12:40a

He has blinded their eyes: It is implied that the pronoun He refers to God. However, in Isaiah, God commands Isaiah to do this. And the other quotations of this verse in the New Testament do not say that it was God. So it is good to not make clear who blinds (makes blind) their eyes. Just use a pronoun. For example:

Their eyes he had blinded

However, it was God’s will to blind their eyes, even if Isaiah did it. And John implies that it was God who acted. So if you have to identify who He refers to, you may mention God. For example:

The Lord has blinded the eyes of the people (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
God has blinded their eyes (Good News Translation)

has blinded their eyes: This phrase is a figure of speech, a metaphor. It means that the people were made unable to see or understand spiritual truth. So they could not understand the spiritual meaning of what Jesus did and said. See Deuteronomy 29:4.

This does not mean that the people wanted to see and God kept them from seeing. They are responsible for their not believing. But God’s purposes were fulfilled by their refusing to believe. There are several ways to translate this figure of speech:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

God blinded them (God’s Word)

• Translate it as a simile

It is like God made them blind

• Indicate some of the meaning. For example:

He has not enabled them to see ⌊spiritual things⌋

their eyes: The pronoun their refers to the Jewish people. You may want to use a noun instead of a pronoun here. For example:

the eyes of the people (Contemporary English Version)

hardened their hearts: This phrase is a figure of speech, another metaphor. The word hardened means “made hard,” so to harden one’s heart is to make it hard and stiff. It indicates that God confirmed the people in their wrong thinking so that they could not change. The meaning is similar to “has blinded their eyes.” He did not make them wise but rather allowed them to follow false and foolish thoughts. And so they could not understand who Christ was. There are several ways to translate this figure of speech:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

hardened their hearts (New International Version)

• Translate it as a simile. For example:

It is like he has made their hearts hard.

• Indicate some of the meaning. For example:

dulled their mind (Revised English Bible)
-or-
closed their minds (Good News Translation)
-or-
made the people stubborn (Contemporary English Version)

Translate this figure of speech in a way that is natural and makes the meaning clear.

their hearts: The word hearts is a figurative way of referring to the center of one’s thoughts and emotions. In some languages it may be natural to refer to another body part. For example:

their minds (Good News Translation)

12:40b

so that they cannot see with their eyes: The words so that here introduce the effect or result of God’s judgment. God judged the people by blinding and hardening them, and this prevented them from seeing and understanding spiritual truth. God knew that this would happen and it was part of his judgment because they refused to believe. However, it was not what he wanted to happen. He preferred that the people repent so that he could heal them. But they refused to believe. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

so they can neither see with their eyes (New International Version)
-or-
so that their eyes don’t see (God’s Word)
-or-
so that their eyes cannot see (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages it may be natural to start a new sentence here. For example:

Otherwise they would see with their eyes (New Century Version)
-or-
The result is they will never see with their eyes… (TRT)

see with their eyes: This phrase continues the metaphor begun in 12:40a. Continue to translate it in the way you did there. For example:

their eyes cannot truly see
-or-
preventing them from truly seeing

understand with their hearts: This phrase here means to understand spiritual truth. John was referring to the fact that the people did not understand who Jesus was, that he was God’s Messiah. As in 12:40a, it may be natural to translate hearts as “mind.” For example:

their minds would not understand (Good News Translation)

their hearts: The word hearts refers to the center of thoughts and emotions. Translate it as you did in 12:40a, using either the singular or plural, whichever is most natural in your language.

General Comment on 12:40a–b

This verse contains an arrangement in poetry known as parallelism. In parallelism, the same idea is said twice, in different ways, in parallel lines (similar lines next to each other). Here a similar idea is said twice in 12:40a and another idea is said twice in 12:40b. However, in many languages it may be natural to change the arrangement of the clauses. For example:

40a–b He has blinded their eyes so that they might not see and hardened their minds/hearts so that they might not understand.

12:40c

and turn: These words refer to turning to God in faith. This was another result of God blinding the people’s eyes and hardening their hearts. If the people could see spiritually and truly understand, they would change their thinking and trust in Jesus the Messiah. They would ask God to forgive them. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

turn to the Lord (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
turn to me, says God (Good News Translation)

I would heal them: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heal here means “restore from sin and its consequences.” This clause indicates that God would certainly heal/restore the people if they turned to him in faith. He wanted to forgive them and make them whole. In some languages, the word heal only refers to physical healing from illnesses. In those languages, you may want to use another word here and perhaps say in a footnote that the word can mean “heal.” For example:

I would restore them
-or-
I will heal/save them (TRT)

General Comment on 12:40

In this verse the pronoun referring to God changes from “He” in 12:40a to “I” in 12:40c. If this confuses your readers, it may be necessary to make it explicit that God is speaking in 12:40c. For example:

and they would not turn to me, says God, for me to heal them (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 12:41

12:41

Isaiah said these things because he saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about Him: The words Isaiah said these things refer to what Isaiah wrote that is quoted in 12:40. He wrote that because he had a vision of the Lord’s glory. See Isaiah 6:1. This was about six hundred years before Christ was born.

these things: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as these things is plural. If it is more natural in your language to use a singular word, you should use it. For example:

this (New Revised Standard Version)

because he saw Jesus’ glory: This clause explains why Isaiah wrote what he did. He saw the glory of the Lord (Isaiah 6:1–3). John here identifies “the Lord” with Jesus Christ. When Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord, he was in some way seeing the glory of Jesus Christ.

Jesus’ glory: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as glory here refers to something that reveals greatness, majesty, and power. See Key Biblical Terms glory 2b. In some languages it may be natural to translate this word using an adjective. For example:

that he was glorious
-or-
how great he was

and spoke about Him: This phrase here indicates that what Isaiah wrote refers to the Lord, Jesus. For example:

and his words referred to Jesus (New Jerusalem Bible)

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 12:42

Paragraph 12:42–43

This paragraph tells about the Jewish people who did put their faith in Jesus.

12:42a

Nevertheless: This word introduces a contrast. The contrast is with the main theme of the previous paragraph, that not many people believed in Jesus (12:37). Even though most people did not believe in Jesus, many did believe in him, even some of the Jewish leaders. Here are other ways to introduce this contrast:

Yet (New International Version)
-or-
But (New Century Version)
-or-
Even though it was like that

many of the leaders believed in Him: The word many means “many people.” John was thinking particularly of the Jewish people. This clause indicates that not all the Jewish people rejected Jesus. Even among the Jewish leaders there were many who believed in him. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

even among the rulers many believed in him (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
many believed in Jesus, even many of the leaders (New Century Version)
-or-
Many people did believe in him…including some of the Jewish leaders. (New Living Translation (2004))

of the leaders: The Greek phrase here contains a word that several English versions translate as “even.” The word here indicates something less expected than that many people believed in Jesus. The fact that some (or many) of the leaders believed was less expected than that regular people believed. Here is another way to translate this clause to include the word:

even of the authorities (New Revised Standard Version)

leaders: The word leaders here refers to the Jewish religious leaders, members of the Sanhedrin or ruling council. The same word is used in 3:1. Here are other ways to translate this word:

Jewish leaders (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
rulers (God’s Word)

12:42b

but: This word contrasts the belief of the Jews with their failure to confess that they believed in Jesus.

because of the Pharisees: This phrase states the reason that these believers did not confess that they believed. They were afraid that the Pharisees would no longer allow them to worship in the synagogue (see 12:42c).

the Pharisees: This phrase refers to the members of a Jewish religious group or party. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws very carefully and exactly. See the note on 11:46a and how you translated the word there.

they did not confess Him: This clause indicates that those who believed did not say so publicly. They did not tell other people that they believed in Jesus. The pronoun they could refer to all those who believed, although many think that it just refers to the authorities who believed. If possible, use a pronoun that could refer to either group. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

they would not confess Jesus to be the Christ (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
they wouldn’t admit it publicly (God’s Word)
-or-
they did not say they believed in him (New Century Version)

12:42c

for fear that they would be put out of the synagogue: This is a negative purpose clause. The Jews did not say in public that they believed in Jesus because they wanted to avoid something. They were afraid that the Jewish leaders would reject them and expel (remove) them from their religious community. They did not want this to happen. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

so that they would not be put out of the synagogue (English Standard Version)
-or-
so as not to be expelled from the synagogue (Good News Translation)

they would be put out of the synagogue: This clause refers to some kind of possible punishment for those who believed in Jesus. Scholars disagree about whether this was a temporary and limited punishment (banned from being a leader) or something more serious. If more serious, they might not even allow that person to worship in the synagogue. See also the note on 9:22b. The verb would be put out is passive. There are at least two ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

being banned from the synagogue (New Jerusalem Bible)

• Use an active verb. For example:

the Pharisees would have thrown them out of the synagogue (God’s Word)

the synagogue: A synagogue was a building where Jews gathered to pray, read the Scriptures, teach their beliefs, and worship. The Jews also gathered there for cultural activities. There was only one temple (in Jerusalem), but there were many synagogues. Each Jewish community had its own synagogue. So the phrase the synagogue does not refer to one specific synagogue, but to the synagogue system in general. The believers feared they would be forbidden to attend the meeting of any synagogue. Here are some ways to translate synagogue :

prayer-house ⌊of the Jews⌋
-or-
meeting-place ⌊of the Jews⌋
-or-
worship building
-or-
house for gathering together

Consider using a footnote that contains some of the information above. See the note and how you translated synagogue in 9:22b. See Key Biblical Terms, synagogue.

General Comment on 12:42

This verse appears to give two reasons why these believing Jews did not confess Jesus. First, it was because of the Pharisees, and second, because they would be put out of the synagogue. It was the Pharisees who would put them out of the synagogue, so it may be natural to combine these two ideas into one clause. For example:

However, they wouldn’t admit it publicly because the Pharisees would have thrown them out of the synagogue. (God’s Word)
-or-
But they wouldn’t admit it for fear that the Pharisees would expel them from the synagogue. (New Living Translation (2004))

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Category: Translation commentary