18:34
This verse has three statements with very similar meanings. The statements indicate that the disciples did not understand the meaning of what Jesus had just said. They did not know what he meant when he referred to his suffering and death in 18:32–33. They did not seem to expect that Jesus would physically suffer and die. They may have thought that he was speaking in a figurative way about his death.
See the General Comment on 18:34a–c at the end of 18:34c for suggestions about combining some of the clauses. There is also an example of using idioms to express the fact that the disciples did not understand.
18:34a
But: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, such as the King James Version, translate it that way. The Berean Standard Bible and many other versions translate it as But in order to show that it introduces a contrast. Other versions, such as the New International Version and Contemporary English Version, do not translate this conjunction. Connect this verse to 18:32–33 in a natural way in your language.
the disciples did not understand any of these things: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as any of these things refers to what Jesus had just said in 18:32–33. Some other ways to translate the disciples did not understand any of these things are:
The apostles did not understand this… (New Century Version)
-or-
The apostles did not understand what Jesus was talking about. (Contemporary English Version)
the disciples: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the disciples is literally “they.” Refer to them here in a natural way.
18:34b
The meaning was hidden from them: The verb was hidden is passive. In this statement it probably indicates that the meaning was very difficult for the disciples to understand. They understood the words, but they did not know what Jesus meant by them. For example:
What he said was quite obscure to them. (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
What he said was a mystery to them (God’s Word)
Some scholars suggest that the passive verb may imply that God hid the meaning from them. However, it is likely that their own expectations made it difficult for them to understand what Jesus said. No English version supplies God as the one who hid the meaning from them.
The meaning: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The meaning is literally “this saying.” The Revised Standard Version and several other English versions translate it that way. It refers to the meaning or significance of what Jesus had been saying. Other ways to translate it are:
the meaning of the words (Good News Translation)
-or-
the significance of what he said
18:34c
they did not comprehend what He was saying: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they did not comprehend what He was saying is literally “they did not understand what was said.” Some ways to translate this are:
and they did not grasp what was said (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
and they did not know what Jesus was talking about (Good News Translation)
-or-
and they had no idea of what he meant (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
General Comment on 18:34a–c
In some languages it may be more natural to have less repetition in this verse and emphasize the meaning in a different way. For example:
The disciples had no idea what Jesus meant. It was a complete mystery to them.
In many languages there are idioms to indicate that the disciples did not understand. For example:
The disciples did not get any of this. They were totally mystified, and they could not fathom/grasp what he really meant.
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