Paragraph 2:11
This verse forms the conclusion of this first miracle. It tells the result of Jesus’ doing the miracle. The result was that the disciples put their faith in him in a stronger way. The miracle proved to them that he was the Messiah.
2:11a
Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus performed this, the first of His signs is more literally “Jesus did this the beginning of the signs.” This indicates that the first sign that Jesus gave was in Cana, in Galilee. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
This was the first of Jesus’ signs: it was at Cana in Galilee. (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
This was Jesus’ first miracle, and he did it in the village of Cana in Galilee. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus did this as the first of his miraculous signs, in Cana of Galilee. (NET Bible)
signs: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as signs refers to miraculous events that point to some truth beyond themselves. In this context the miracle that Jesus did pointed to his greatness. See Key Biblical Terms Miracle, Sign, Wonder, Mighty Work A.1.
Here are other ways to translate this word:
great deeds that reveal
-or-
powerful works that teach
-or-
miracles that tell something
at Cana in Galilee: Cana was a small town and Galilee a province. See the notes on 2:1a. It may be natural to make one or both of these facts explicit. For example:
in the village of Cana in Galilee (Contemporary English Version)
2:11b
He thus revealed His glory: This expression indicates that Jesus showed people how great, wonderful, and glorious he was. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
showed his glory (New Century Version)
-or-
demonstrated/displayed how glorious he was
thus: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as thus is more literally “and.” This conjunction does not introduce a second and different event but rather it introduces another way to understand the same event. The miracle can be seen both as a sign and as a revelation of Jesus’ glory. For example:
the first of the signs which revealed his glory (Revised English Bible)
glory: The Greek word the Berean Standard Bible translates as glory refers to something wonderful that reveals the presence of God. It is also visible evidence of the power of God. By this miracle Jesus showed that he was God’s Messiah. See how you translated glory in John 1:14. See also Key Biblical Terms glory, A2(b).
Here are other ways to translate this word:
greatness
-or-
divine majesty
2:11c
and His disciples believed in Him: Jesus’ disciples believed as a result of seeing this miracle. They saw Jesus’ glory, and so they trusted in him. Here are other ways to translate this clause:
and his disciples put their faith in him (New International Version)
-or-
and ⌊as a result,⌋ his followers trusted in him
believed in: This phrase includes the idea of believing the facts about who Jesus was and what he did. But it also includes the idea of trusting Jesus instead of trusting oneself or someone else. Both ideas are very closely related. If someone believes the facts about Jesus, it should result in trusting him. See how you translated this idea in 1:7b and 1:12b. See the examples above for other ways to translate this idea here.
General Comment on 2:11a–c
In the Greek, this is one long sentence (see the New Revised Standard Version). In some languages it may be natural to break it into two or more sentences. For example:
So in Cana of Galilee Jesus did his first miracle. There he showed his glory, and his followers believed in him. (New Century Version)
-or-
This was Jesus’ first miraculous sign. He did it in the town of Cana in the province of Galilee. There he revealed how great he was, and his disciples trusted in him.
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