11:31
In 11:31, Jesus made a shocking statement. He said that on Judgment Day, the Queen of the South (a Gentile) would condemn the Jews who had not responded to Jesus’ message. She could condemn them because she responded to Solomon’s message, but they refused to respond to Jesus’ message even though Jesus was greater than Solomon.
See the General Comment on 11:31a–d at the end of 11:31d for a way to put this verse in chronological order.
11:31a
The Queen of the South: The Queen of the South refers to the Queen of Sheba (mentioned in 1 Kings 10:1–13). Her country was south of Israel, perhaps in the country that today is called Ethiopia. She had lived almost a thousand years before the time of Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this implied information explicit. For example:
The ⌊former⌋ queen of ⌊a country to⌋ the south
Queen: In languages that do not have a word for Queen, it may be possible to use a descriptive phrase. For example:
the woman who was the leader/chief
-or-
the woman who ruled
will rise: Scholars have interpreted the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as will rise in two ways:
(1) It means will stand up, or will appear. The Queen of the South will stand up in God’s court when he judges people at the end of the world. For example:
On the Judgment Day the Queen of Sheba will stand up… (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation (2004))
(2) It means will rise from the dead, or will live again. This view is supported by some commentators.
The Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, and King James Version translate the verb literally as “rise” or “arise,” which can be understood either way. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1) and use a verb that is appropriate for appearing in court to condemn someone. Notice that interpretation (1) does assume that the Queen of the South will rise from the dead (interpretation 2).
at the judgment: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as at the judgment refers to the time at the end of this world when God judges everyone. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
Judgment Day (Good News Translation)
-or-
the time of judgment (God’s Word)
This phrase also occurs in 10:14.
with the men of this generation: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with the men of this generation means “together with the men who are living now (that is, at Jesus’ time).” This means that the Queen will be standing at the same time as these men. It does not mean that the Queen will stand in support of them. In fact, she will stand to condemn them. Here is one way to make this clear:
against this generation (New Living Translation (2004))
the men of this generation: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men normally refers to males. In Jesus’ time, men were the leaders and decision-makers of the people. However, this does not mean that women will not be at the judgment. For this reason, you can translate men as “people.” For example:
the people who live now (New Century Version)
11:31b
and condemn them: In this context, the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as condemn means “show to be wrong.” The Queen of the South will not be acting as the judge. Rather, she will show that what she did pleased God. She will show that the Jewish people of Jesus’ time did not do what pleased God. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
and accuse the people of today (Good News Translation)
-or-
She will show they are guilty (New Century Version)
11:31c
for: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason why the queen will accuse the men (in 11:31a–b). Another way to translate this is:
because (Good News Translation)
(See the General Comment on 11:31a–d at the end of 11:31d for a way to put the reason in 11:31c before 11:31a.)
she came from the ends of the earth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as from the ends of the earth is an idiom. It means “from a place that was very far away.” The Queen of Sheba left her country far in the south and traveled to Israel. In those days her country was at the very end of the world that people in Israel knew about.
Translate this idiom using an expression that refers to making a journey from a very long distance away. For example:
she came from a long distance
-or-
she came from her land very far away
to hear the wisdom of Solomon: The Queen of Sheba journeyed to Israel in order to listen to King Solomon. He was famous for speaking with great wisdom.
In some languages, it may not be possible to use an abstract noun such as wisdom. Another way to translate the wisdom of Solomon is:
the wise things that Solomon said
In other languages, it is not possible to describe things or words as “wise.” If that is true in your language, you may be able to use a phrase such as:
the words of wise ⌊King⌋ Solomon
Solomon: Solomon was a king of Israel more than nine hundred years before Jesus was born. He was famous for being very wise. See 1 Kings chapter 3.
11:31d
now: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as now is literally “behold.” Many English versions translate it that way. This word is used here to call attention to the next statement. It indicates that the next statement is something important or surprising. Some other ways to translate this word are:
I tell you (New Century Version)
-or-
I assure you
One greater than Solomon is here: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as One greater is neuter. It can also be translated this way:
something greater (Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version)
In either case, Jesus was referring to himself. He was saying that he was greater than Solomon and that his wisdom was greater than Solomon’s. Consider whether in your language it would be more natural to say “something greater” or “someone greater.”
If a person cannot refer to himself using the third person in your language, you may say:
Someone who is greater than Solomon is here, ⌊and that is I⌋.
-or-
⌊I⌋ who am greater than Solomon am here.
General Comment on 11:31d
There is important implied information at the end of this part of the verse. Jesus implied here (but did not say) “but you(plur) will not listen to him!” If the people reading your translation do not understand this implied information, you may need to make it explicit. You could include it in the translation or put it in a footnote. For example:
but you refuse to listen (New Living Translation (2004))
General Comment on 11:31a–d
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the parts of this verse so that it is in chronological order. For example:
⌊Long ago,⌋ the Queen of the South 31ccame from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom. 31dNow one greater than Solomon is here, ⌊but you refuse to listen to him⌋. 31aThat is why at the judgment she will rise with the men of this generation 31band condemn them.
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