18:11a
The Greek text of 18:11a includes a conjunction that is often translated “So.” Some English translations translate it that way to begin the verse, referring back to 18:10b. However, here it probably just indicates the end of the parenthetical information in 18:10c. You may need to indicate the end of the parenthetical information and the return to the main story. If so, do that in a way that is natural in your language. If you put parentheses around 18:10c, that may be all you need.
Put your sword back in its sheath!: Jesus was commanding Peter not to resist the guards. He did not want Peter to fight them and try to prevent them from arresting him. Here are other ways to translate this command:
Put your sword away! (New International Version)
-or-
Put your sword back in its place. (Good News Translation)
in its sheath: A sheath is a case or container for a sword. It is usually attached to a belt that was tied around the waist. In some cultures a sheath may not be well known. Here are other ways to translate this clause that may be more natural in those cultures:
Put your sword back in its place. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Put your sword back where it was. (TH)
Jesus said to Peter: Here Simon Peter is referred to as just Peter. Jesus told Peter what to do next. He gave Peter a command. In some languages it may be natural to indicate that in the verb. For example:
Jesus commanded Peter
18:11b
Shall I not drink the cup the Father has given Me?: This is a rhetorical question. It expects the answer “Yes, I must drink it.” Jesus was emphasizing that he should and would drink the cup that the Father gave him. This strong statement is a rebuke. Jesus rebuked Peter for trying to protect him. Jesus knew that God planned for him to suffer and die. And he was determined to do what God planned for him to do.
There are several ways to translate this strong statement:
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Do you think that I will not drink the cup of suffering which my Father has given me? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me? (NET Bible)
• Use a question with the answer supplied. For example:
Will I drink the cup the Father has given me? ⌊Yes,⌋ ⌊I certainly will⌋ .
• Use a statement. For example:
I must drink from the cup that the Father has given me. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Because the Father has given me this cup, I will drink it.
Translate this strong statement in a way that is natural in your language.
drink the cup: This expression is an idiom that means “endure suffering or God’s wrath.” It is a metaphor in which the cup is seen as containing suffering or God’s wrath. Drinking the cup, then, means “accepting that suffering or wrath.” See how this expression is used in Psalm 75:8; Isaiah 51:17; Jeremiah 25:15, Ezekiel 23:31–33, and how John used it in Revelation 14:10 and 16:19. See also Matthew 20:22–23 and 26:39.
In some languages it may be natural to make some of the meaning of this figure of speech explicit. For example:
Shall I not drink from the cup of suffering the Father has given me? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Do you think that I am not willing to endure the suffering which my Father has planned for me?
-or-
Because the Father has planned for me to endure his wrath, that is what I will do.
the Father has given Me: This clause means “God the Father has planned for me to endure.” In some languages it is more natural to indicate that Jesus was speaking of his own Father. For example:
my Father has planned for me to suffer
-or-
which my Father wants me to do
© 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.