7:20a
You have a demon: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as You have a demon means “an evil spirit controls you.” The crowd was saying that an evil spirit caused Jesus to think that people wanted to kill him.
Here are other ways to translate this sentence:
A demon has come into you. (New Century Version)
-or-
You are demon-possessed! (New International Version)
-or-
It is a demon ⌊making you think/say that⌋ !
a demon: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as demon refers to a spiritual being who serves Satan. See how you translated this word in Matthew 11:18, Mark 3:14–15, and Luke 8:27–30.
the crowd replied: The phrase the crowd refers to a large number of people, who were speaking together. Here is another way to translate this phrase:
the people answered (New Century Version)
7:20b
Who is trying to kill You?: This is a rhetorical question. The people used it to make a strong statement. The people were saying that Jesus was wrong, that no one was trying to kill him.
There are at least two ways to translate this rhetorical question.
• Use a rhetorical question. For example:
What makes you think someone wants to kill you? (Contemporary English Version)
• Use a statement. For example:
We are not trying to kill you. (New Century Version)
Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is natural in your language.
General Comment on 7:20a–b
In some languages a literal translation of the Berean Standard Bible may cause listeners to wrongly understand what the crowd said. They may wrongly think that the crowd said, “You have a demon who is trying to kill you.” In order to avoid this wrong understanding, it may be helpful to reverse the order of the clauses. For example:
20b Who is trying to kill you? 20a You have a demon!
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