Paragraph 15:19–21

15:19a

James stopped quoting scripture in 15:18, so the pronoun “my” refers to himself and not God. In some languages this change would be made clearer by introducing this verse to indicate James spoke for himself here. For example:

⌊James continued,⌋ “It is my…
-or-

⌊James, speaking for himself, said⌋ “It is my…
-or-

⌊James then said,⌋ “It is my…

It is my judgment: There are two issues:

Issue 1: Meaning

The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as judgment has several possible meanings here:

(1) to have an opinion;

(2) to decide something;

(3) to formally decide as a judge.

The right meaning depends on how much authority James had over this meeting. But the Greek words and the context are not clear about that. 15:22–23 probably indicate that the apostles and elders were the ones who decided what the Gentile believers should do or not do. They decided to follow what James suggested here. So probably meaning (1) or (2) is correct.

The phrase It is my judgment is vague in English as to whether it follows (1), (2), or (3). Other ways to translate this phrase according to interpretation (1) or (2) are:

It is my opinion (Good News Translation)
-or-
I recommend

Issue 2: Emphasis

In the Greek, the pronoun “I” is emphasized. The Berean Standard Bible uses the phrase It is my to indicate that emphasis. Other ways to translate this are:

It is my own opinion
-or-
I myself recommend

15:19b

we should not cause trouble: The Greek is literally “not to trouble.” It indicates a general rule for any believer not to cause difficulties for the Gentile believers. It implies that James rejects the proposed requirement for the Gentile believers to follow the laws of Moses. Other ways to translate this are:

we should not trouble (Good News Translation)
-or-
we should impose no irksome restrictions (Revised English Bible)
-or-
we should not bother (New Century Version)
-or-
I don’t think we should place burdens (Contemporary English Version)

who are turning to God: This refers to changing allegiance/loyalty from idols to God. Non-Jews believed in Jesus, repented, stopped worshiping idols, and began to worship God.

In some languages a literal translation would wrongly refer only to a physical turning. If so, translate the correct meaning. For example:

who stopped worshiping idols and are now worshiping God
-or-
who left their old ways and are now following God
-or-
who now believe in God
-or-
who are now submitting ⌊themselves⌋ to God

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