12:29a

The crowd standing there heard it: The phrase The crowd standing there refers to the people who had just heard Jesus speak about his future suffering. These people heard God’s voice from heaven. But they did not know what the sound was. In some languages, you may want to make clear what the crowd heard. For example:

When the crowd heard the voice (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The crowd that was standing there heard the sound of the voice

and said that it had thundered: The subject of said is the crowd. It was not all the people in the crowd, however. Some of the crowd thought that it was an angel (see 12:29b). So in some languages it may be necessary to say:

some of them said it was thunder (Good News Translation)
-or-
some thought it was thunder (New Living Translation (2004))

it had thundered: In some languages it may be natural to translate thundered as a noun rather than a verb. For example:

it was thunder (New Revised Standard Version)

General Comment on 12:29a

In some languages it may be natural to translate the indirect quotation “it was thunder” as a direct quotation. If this is true in your language, adjust the verb tense as necessary. For example:

some of them said, “It is thunder.”

12:29b

Others said: These words refer to other people in the crowd.

an angel had spoken to Him: These other people thought the sound from heaven was the voice of an angel. They thought that an angel spoke to Jesus.

an angel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angel means “messenger.” It refers here to a spirit being who serves God. Sometimes God sends an angel to tell a message to a person. He also sends angels to serve him in other ways. Here are some ways to translate this term:

• Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:

messengers ⌊from God/heaven⌋
-or-

⌊good/holy⌋ spirit-beings

• Use a local term that fits the biblical meaning.

• In some areas the churches may already use a borrowed term or a transliterated word for “angel.” Be sure that this term communicates the biblical meaning. If some people do not understand the right meaning from this term, you may need to indicate the meaning in some way. For example:

an angelos messenger ⌊from God⌋
-or-
a sacred angelos spirit

Be sure that your term for “angel” is different from your terms for “prophet” and “apostle.” See angel in Key Biblical Terms.

General Comment on 12:29b

In some languages it may be natural to translate what these other people said as an indirect quotation. For example:

Others said that an angel spoke to him.

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