Paragraph 10:21–24
10:21a
At that time: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as At that time is literally “in the same hour.” This refers to that same time (10:18–20) when Jesus talked to his disciples about overcoming Satan and about God writing their names in heaven. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
At that same hour (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Then (New Century Version)
-or-
At that same time (Contemporary English Version)
Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit: The phrase Jesus rejoiced in the Holy Spirit means that the Holy Spirit caused Jesus to be very happy. In some languages it may be natural to translate this as a clause with the Holy Spirit as the subject. For example:
the Holy Spirit caused Jesus to be very joyful
the Holy Spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Holy Spirit refers to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is God, together with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is Spirit in the sense that he is a living being who does not have a physical body. He is Holy in the sense that he is divine. He is perfect in every way and is completely pure and sinless. Because of these qualities, he is worthy of awe.
Some ways to translate Holy Spirit are:
Spirit/Breath of God
-or-
Holy/Sacred Spirit
Do not imply that the Holy Spirit is like the ghost of a dead person or that God has died.
The first time that the term Holy Spirit occurs in Luke is in 1:15c.
10:21b
declared, “I praise You, Father…”: The clause I praise You, Father indicates that Jesus was speaking to God, his Father. In some languages it may be more natural to make this explicit. Two ways to do this are:
• Use a specific verb that indicates that Jesus was addressing God. For example:
⌊prayed,⌋ saying, “I praise you, Father…”
• Specify that Jesus was talking to God. For example:
said ⌊to God⌋, “I praise you, Father…”
-or-
said, “I praise you, ⌊God my⌋ Father…”
Translate this in the way that is most natural in your language.
I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth: In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of phrases in this part of the verse. For example:
O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you (New Living Translation (2004))
I praise You: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as praise has several meanings. In this context it means “acknowledge with thanks or praise.” Many English versions translate the phrase simply as “I thank you” or I praise You. Use a natural expression in your language for this context.
Father, Lord of heaven and earth: The words Father and Lord of heaven and earth are two titles that Jesus used to address God here. In some languages it may be more natural to make one of these titles a complete sentence. For example:
Father, you are Lord of heaven and earth
Father: In some languages a term of address such as Father requires a personal pronoun. For example:
my Father
Use a natural way in your language for a son to address his father.
Lord of heaven and earth: Jesus referred to his Father, God, as the Lord of heaven and earth. This title indicates that God is the Lord who rules everyone and everything in the entire world/universe. See heaven in the Glossary. See also Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.
10:21c
because You have…: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because can be translated as “that.” Several English versions translate it that way. There are at least two ways to translate the clause that this conjunction introduces here:
• Translate it as what Jesus was thanking/praising God for. For example:
I thank/praise you…that you have…
• Translate it as the reason why Jesus was thanking/praising God. For example:
I thank/praise you…because you have…
There is little difference in meaning. You may translate either way.
You have hidden these things from the wise and learned: The phrase You have hidden means “you have concealed” or “you have kept secret.” In this context it indicates that God had prevented the people who were wise and learned from knowing these things.
these things: The phrase these things apparently refers to what Jesus said in 10:18–20. It probably includes the truths about God’s kingdom. Since scholars do not know exactly what this phrase refers to, you should translate it in a general way. For example:
these truths
-or-
this knowledge
Another way to translate this phrase is to leave it implied. For example:
you have shown to the unlearned what you have hidden from the wise and learned (Good News Translation)
Notice that here the Good News Translation has also changed the order of the verse parts. See the General Comment on 10:21c–d below.
the wise and learned: The two Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wise and learned have almost the same meaning. They refer here to people who had studied many things and had a reputation for being wise and intelligent. This phrase may also imply that they considered themselves to be wise and intelligent. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
wise and intelligent people (God’s Word)
-or-
clever people who have studied many things
In some languages it may be more natural to use one expression to translate these similar ideas. For example:
people who know many things
10:21d
and: The conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces a statement that contrasts with the statement in 10:21c. God treated the people in 10:21c in a different way from the way he treated the people in 10:21d. Connect these statements in a natural way in your language. Some other ways to do this in English are:
and instead
-or-
But (New Century Version)
revealed them to little children: In this context the phrase little children is a metaphor in which the topic is left implied. It refers to people who are like children in some way. Some of the points of similarity are that they were humble, ordinary people, and they were willing for Jesus to teach them. Some ways to translate this metaphor are:
• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
you have shown them to those who are like little children (New Century Version)
• Make one or more points of similarity explicit. For example:
you have made these truths known to people who are ⌊humble and teachable⌋ like little children
• State the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
you have shown to the unlearned (Good News Translation)
-or-
showed it to ordinary people (Contemporary English Version)
Translate this metaphor in the way that is most natural in your language.
General Comment on 10:21c–d
In 10:21c Jesus thanked God for not revealing things to certain people. In 10:21d Jesus thanked God for revealing those things to other people. In some languages it may be more natural to place the statement in 10:21d before the negative statement in 10:21c. For example:
21dMy father, I thank you for making known these things to ⌊people who are like⌋ little children. 21c⌊I⌋ also ⌊thank you⌋ for not making them known to people who are wise and highly educated.
10:21e
Yes, Father: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Yes here affirms or emphasizes what Jesus had just said in 10:21b–d. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit what Jesus was affirming. For example:
Yes, Father, ⌊you did it this way⌋ because…
-or-
Yes, Father, ⌊I praise/thank you⌋ because…
In some languages, a literal expression such as “Yes, Father,” may wrongly imply that Jesus was replying to something his Father had said. Another way to translate this affirmation is:
⌊You did that,⌋ Father, because…
Try to find a natural way to do this in your language.
for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason for the implied information that Jesus affirmed when he said, Yes, Father. See the three examples in the preceding note for ways to translate this implied information.
In some languages it may not be necessary to use an explicit conjunction such as “for/because.” For example:
Yes, Father, that is what pleased you. (Contemporary English Version)
this was well-pleasing in Your sight: The phrase this was well-pleasing in Your sight means “this was what you were pleased to do.” God wanted this and chose to act in this way. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
this was how you were pleased to have it happen (Good News Translation)
-or-
it pleased you to do it this way (New Living Translation (2004))
this: The word this refers back to what Jesus said in 10:21c–d, that God hid things from wise people and revealed them to people who were like children.
© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.