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)

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