6:42a
They were asking: The tense of the Greek verb used here indicates one of two things. Either the people said this more than once, or more than one person said it.
Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?: This is a rhetorical question. They used it to make a statement. The people were saying that they knew who Jesus was and who Jesus’ parents were. So they implied that he could not have come from heaven.
Here are some ways to translate this rhetorical question:
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
Isn’t he Jesus, the son of Joseph? Don’t we know his father and mother? (Contemporary English Version)
• Use a statement or statements. For example:
This is Jesus, the son of Joseph. We know his father and mother. (New Century Version)
• Use a statement and a rhetorical question. For example:
Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph? We know his father and mother. (New Living Translation (2004))
Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is natural in your language.
whose father and mother we know: The word whose here refers to Jesus. The people knew Joseph and Mary, who were Jesus’ parents. In your translation, make sure that this is clear. A literal translation may suggest that the people knew Joseph’s mother and father. To avoid this wrong meaning, it may be necessary to start a new sentence, as in the Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, and New Living Translation (2004) examples above.
6:42b
How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’: This is a rhetorical question. The Jews used it to disagree with what Jesus said. They were saying that Jesus should not say that he came from heaven. They thought that his statement was false. There are two ways to translate this rhetorical question:
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
How can he say, ‘I came down from heaven?’ (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
How can it be true that he has come down from heaven?
• Use a statement. For example:
So he cannot say, ‘I have come down from heaven.’
-or-
We (incl.) cannot believe him when he says that he came down from heaven.
then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then here introduces a logical conclusion to 6:42a. The speakers know Jesus’ parents, and therefore he should not claim to come from heaven. Many English translations do not translate this word explicitly. Introduce this conclusion in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
So how can he say…?
from heaven: The Jewish people sometimes said heaven as a way to show reverence when speaking about God. Heaven is where God lives. The Greek text emphasizes this phrase. See Key Biblical Terms Heaven, Sky 2A and the note on 6:31b.
General Comment on 6:42b
This sentence contains a quote inside a quote. In some languages it may be natural to use indirect speech for the quotation of Jesus’ words. For example:
How can he say that he has come down from heaven? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He should not say that he came down from God/heaven.
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