9:23

That was why his parents said: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as That was why here introduces a result. Because of the parents’ fear of the Jews (9:22), they said, “He is of age; ask him.” John repeats that quotation here from what they had said in 9:21b. It indicates that it was because the parents were afraid that they spoke as they did. For example:

Therefore his parents said (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
It was this fear which made his parents say (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

He is old enough. Ask him: This sentence is repeated from 9:21b, though the clauses are reversed. In some languages repeating these clauses may not be natural. It may be possible to translate them in this way:

That was why his parents spoke as they did.

See also the General Comment on 9:22–23.

General Comment on 9:22–23

In some languages it may be natural to combine 9:22–23 and remove some of what is repeated in Berean Standard Bible. For example:

9:22–23 The man’s parents said this because they were afraid of their leaders. The leaders had already agreed that no one was to have anything to do with anyone who said Jesus was the Messiah. (Contemporary English Version)

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