19:4a
John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance: The word of indicates that people had John the Baptist baptize them to show that they had repented of their sins. John also preached that the baptism was in expectation that the Messiah/Christ would soon come.
repentance: This word means “a change of a person’s mind, heart, or will.” In the Bible it refers specifically to a change of mind and heart about sin and about God. The person who repents is sorry for his past sins. He decides to stop sinning and to obey God. Some ways to translate repentance are:
changing heart/mind
-or-
rejecting sin
In some languages, you may have an idiom for this type of change. For example:
turning from sin to God
-or-
leaving sin behind
In some languages it will be more natural to translate repentance here with a verb or verb phrase. For example:
turned from their sins (Good News Translation)
-or-
Change your thinking/mind/heart
See how you translated this word in 5:31 or 13:24.
19:4b
He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus: The phrase the One coming after him is emphasized in the Greek. If possible, emphasize it in your translation. For example:
He told the people that the one coming after him was to be believed in, that is, in Jesus.
-or-
The one coming after him was the person that he told the people to believe in, that is, in Jesus.
In some languages direct speech must be used. For example:
He told the people, ‘You must believe in the person who will come after me,’ that is, in Jesus.
the people: The crowds that heard John the Baptist preach were mostly Jewish, but some Gentiles may have gone and listened to him. You should not translate this phrase as “the Jews.”
believe in: This phrase refers to accepting as true what a person says about himself and what he stands for. Jesus claimed to be the Christ, and a Christian believes that he is the Christ. It implies accepting and obeying the person’s teachings and entrusting himself to that person. Consider how to translate this phrase.
the One coming after him: The word after refers to later in time. John began preaching before Jesus began his ministry.
that is, in Jesus: The phrase that is indicates that the phrase in Jesus explains the phrase “in the one coming after him.” For example:
namely Jesus (New Jerusalem Bible)
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