Paragraph 8:3–6b
The Jewish religious leaders set a trap for Jesus. They wanted to force Jesus to say something that they could use against him in a trial. They asked him to decide what to do about a woman who they found committing adultery. (That means that she was having sexual activity with someone who was not her husband.)
8:3a
The scribes and Pharisees: The scribes and Pharisees were the authorities on the Jewish religious law. This phrase also occurs in Matthew 23:2, 13, 15, and in reverse order in Luke 15:2. See how you translated it there. Because not all the scribes and Pharisees came to Jesus, it may be natural to say:
Some of the scribes and Pharisees
scribes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scribes refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the Law of Moses. The original work of these men was to make copies of the laws of Moses by hand. In New Testament times, that was no longer their main task. They remained the recognized experts on the law though.
Here are some ways to translate this word:
teachers of the law of Moses (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
teachers of religious law (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
experts on the law
Pharisees: The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group or party. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws very carefully and exactly. Some, or possibly most, of the scribes were also Pharisees.
Here are some ways to translate this word:
• Transliterate the word Pharisees according to the sounds of your language and indicate that it refers to people. For example:
Farisi members
-or-
men of the Parises
• Transliterate the word Pharisees and indicate that it refers to a group of people with certain beliefs. For example:
people belonging to the Farise religious sect/group
-or-
members of the religious group called the Farasi
See how you translated Pharisees in 4:1 and 7:48, and translate it the same way here.
brought to Him a woman caught in adultery: In this context the word brought indicates that the men had ordered or forced the woman to come with them. They led her to Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to say where the men brought her. For example:
brought ⌊to him/Jesus⌋ a woman who had been caught in adultery
a woman caught in adultery: This phrase indicates that someone had seen this woman lying with a man who was not her husband. Use an expression that is suitable for public use and for public reading in church.
The verb phrase caught is passive. There are at least two ways to translate it:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
a woman who had been caught in bed with a man who wasn’t her husband (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
a woman who had been seen in an immoral act
• Use an active verb. For example:
we (excl.) have caught this woman in bed with another man
-or-
someone has seen this woman committing adultery
adultery: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as adultery indicates that the woman was married to someone else. It does not indicate whether or not the man was married.
8:3b
They made her stand before them: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as before them is more literally “in the middle.” The religious leaders forced the woman to stand in front of the people who were there listening to Jesus. They wanted to accuse her publicly. Here is another way to translate this phrase:
and made her stand there in the middle
In some languages it may be natural to start a new sentence here. For example:
They made her stand in front of everyone. (God’s Word)
-or-
They put her in front of the crowd. (New Living Translation (2004))
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