Paragraph 19:41–44
19:41a
As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as approached means “to come near.” In 19:37 Jesus was already near the city. Jesus had continued to ride the donkey toward Jerusalem and was now close enough to see the city clearly. Here you may need to use a different expression that indicates that he was now nearer the city than before. For example:
as he/Jesus came even nearer to Jerusalem
the city: The phrase the city refers to Jerusalem. Jerusalem was already mentioned in this part of the verse. Refer back to it in a natural way in your language. Another way to do that in English is to use a pronoun:
saw it
19:41b
He wept over it: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He wept over it means that Jesus cried as he thought about the city of Jerusalem and its people. He cried because he knew the terrible things that would happen to the people and buildings there in the future.
The reason he cried should be clear from the verses that follow this verse (19:43–44). However, in some languages it may be more natural to indicate it here also. For example:
he cried ⌊in sorrow⌋ as he thought about ⌊what would happen to⌋ Jerusalem
-or-
he cried ⌊because he pitied⌋ the city ⌊and its people⌋
wept: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wept refers to a type of weeping or crying aloud that a person does as he mourns and laments. It does not refer specifically to shedding tears, though tears may accompany this kind of lamenting. Other ways to translate it are:
he lamented and wept
-or-
he mourned
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