Paragraph 8:48–51

Jesus’ opponents became angry and began to insult him. They said that he had a demon. Jesus continued to say that he knew God and that God honored him just as he honored the Father. Jesus said that people who kept his word will not die.

8:48

The Jews answered Him: The phrase The Jews refers to those Jews who opposed Jesus and argued with him. Jesus and his disciples were all Jews, so this phrase did not refer to all the Jews there. It may be natural to make that clearer. For example:

The people ⌊there/listening⌋ answered him
-or-
Jesus’ opponents said to him

Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?: This is a rhetorical question that implies that the answer is “Yes.” Jesus’ opponents used it to rebuke him. Jesus’ opponents rebuked Jesus because he told them that they were not God’s children/people.

There are two ways to translate this rebuke:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

Were we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon in you? (Good News Translation)

• Use a statement. For example:

We were right to say that you are a Samaritan and that you have a demon in you! (Contemporary English Version)

Translate this rebuke in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

How right we are to call you a Samaritan and demon-possessed!

a Samaritan: The word Samaritan means a person from Samaria. But Jesus was not from Samaria, and the term here is used as an insult. The Jews hated the Samaritans. They were seen as less than pure Jews and believers of false doctrine. To communicate this it may be necessary to add a descriptive phrase. The phrase should be an insult, but must be suitable to read in public. For example:

a ⌊hated⌋ Samaritan
-or-

⌊as worthless/wrong as⌋ the Samaritans

have a demon: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as have a demon indicates that Jesus’ opponents thought that there was a demon that influenced or controlled Jesus. A demon is an evil spiritual being, a spirit controlled by Satan. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

possessed by a demon (NET Bible Bible)
-or-
a demon controls him

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