9:10
In Greek this verse begins with a conjunction that is usually translated as “therefore.” The man said that he used to be blind; therefore, the people asked how he was able to see. The conjunction introduces the people’s response to what the man said. Some English translations like the Berean Standard Bible do not explicitly translate it. You should introduce the people’s response in a way that is natural in your language. For example:
So (NET Bible Bible)
How then were your eyes opened?: This expression means “How did you become able to see?” It does not imply that earlier the man’s eyes were shut, but rather that he was blind. The verb in this expression is passive, and there are at least two ways to translate it:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
how was your blindness cured? (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
how…were you made to see? (NET Bible Bible)
• Use an active verb. For example:
Who healed you? What happened? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
how can you see? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
How did you receive your sight? (God’s Word)
-or-
What caused you to be able to see?
then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then is more literally “therefore.” It is not certain that it was present in the earliest Greek manuscripts. In some languages it may be more natural to leave it implied, as some English translations have done. Or here is another way to translate this question:
If you are that man, how were your eyes healed?
they asked: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they asked is in a tense that indicates that they asked more than once. In your translation, you may imply that they asked repeated questions. For example:
they were saying to him (New American Standard Bible)
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