13:11a
and a woman there: In Greek, this verse begins with the words “and behold.” A few English versions translate these words literally. In this context, these words call attention to a woman who is first mentioned here in this verse. She was one of the people who were in the synagogue listening to Jesus.
Consider how your language introduces a major but unnamed character into a story. Some languages use a word like “certain.” Other use a phrase such as “There was….” For example:
A ⌊certain⌋ woman was there
-or-
There was a woman there
Use a natural way in your language to introduce an important character.
had been disabled by a spirit: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had been disabled by a spirit is more literally “had a spirit of weakness/illness.” It means that an evil spirit had caused the woman to have a weakness or illness that prevented her from straightening her back (13:11b). This condition had lasted for eighteen years. Other ways to translate this phrase are:
had had a spirit of infirmity (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
had been possessed by a spirit that crippled her (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
had been disabled by a spirit (NET Bible)
-or-
had an evil spirit that had kept her sick
In some languages, words such as “crippled” refer only to people who are unable to walk. In other languages, words such as “sick” refer only to illnesses, not to conditions such as being hunchbacked. Use a natural expression in your language to describe a long-term condition of this nature that is caused by an evil spirit.
a spirit: The word spirit here refers to a demon or evil spirit. See demon in the Glossary.
13:11b
This part of the verse further describes the condition caused by the spirit in 13:11a. Make sure that the expression you used in 13:11a fits the details about the woman’s crooked back in 13:11b.
She was hunched over: The clause She was hunched over means that the woman’s back was bent, or crooked, so that she could not stand upright.
could not stand up straight: There are two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as could not stand up straight:
(1) It means that the woman could not straighten up at all, even a little. For example:
was quite unable to stand up straight (New Revised Standard Version)
(New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Contemporary English Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible)
(2) It means that the woman could straighten up some, but not completely. For example:
and could not fully straighten herself (Revised Standard Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, NET Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), which has stronger commentary support.
Notice that the two phrases “was hunched over” and “could not stand up straight” are two ways of saying the same thing. In some languages it may be more natural to put the emphasis of the phrase “at all” on the first expression. For example:
She was completely bent over and could not straighten up. (Contemporary English Version)
General Comment on 13:11a–b
In some languages it may be more natural to combine the three expressions describing the woman’s condition into two. For example:
There was also a woman there whom an evil spirit had caused to be hunchbacked for eighteen years. She was completely unable to straighten her back.
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