15:18a
I will get up and go back to my father: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I will get up is literally “having-risen.” Here it indicates that the younger son decided to leave that country and return home. Other ways to express this clause are:
I will leave here to return to my father
-or-
I’ll go at once to my father (God’s Word)
In some languages it may be more natural to introduce a decision like this by saying:
It would be better if…
15:18b
say to him: In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that the younger son was thinking about what to say when he arrived home. For example:
⌊When I arrive there,⌋ I will say to him…
15:18c
Father: Translate with whatever form of address would be most polite for a young man to use in speaking to his father.
I have sinned against heaven and against you: The word sinned indicates here that the son had done wrong. He had committed an offense against God and against his father. In some languages it may be necessary to use different expressions to refer to sins against God and sins against people. For example:
I have sinned against God and have done wrong to you. (New Century Version)
against heaven: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as against heaven implies “against God.” The Jews often referred indirectly to God in order to show their great respect for him and his name. You may need to make it explicit in your translation that the phrase against heaven refers to God. For example:
against ⌊God in⌋ heaven
-or-
against God (Good News Translation)
See heaven, Meaning 3, in the Glossary.
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