21:15a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why the disciples should resolve not to prepare/plan or be anxious about how they should defend themselves. What Jesus said in 21:15 was the reason for what he told his disciples to do in 21:14. Another way to translate this conjunction is “because,” as in the Good News Translation. It may also be natural to begin this verse as a new sentence. For example:

⌊I say this⌋ because…

In some languages the connection may be implied without a conjunction.

I: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I is emphatic. Jesus emphasized that he himself would give his disciples words and wisdom. Another way to emphasize this in English is:

I am the one who…

Emphasize it in a natural way in your language.

speech and wisdom: The Greek text that the Berean Standard Bible translates as speech and wisdom is literally “a mouth and wisdom,” as in the Revised Standard Version. The word “mouth” is used figuratively for the words that the mouth speaks. In this context the phrase speech and wisdom means “wise words.” It refers to being able to speak wisely and rightly in any situation. Some other ways to translate this are:

the wisdom to know what to say (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the right words and such wisdom that… (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
eloquence and wisdom (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

21:15b–c

that none of your adversaries will be able to resist or contradict: This clause tells the result of the wise words that the disciples will speak (21:15a). They will speak so wisely that their enemies will not know how to disprove what they say.

The words resist and contradict have similar meanings here. The word contradict refers specifically to saying that what someone has said is not correct. The word resist can also include other types of opposition. Jesus used both these words to emphasize what he said. Other ways to translate the clause are:

so that your enemies will thus have no way to defeat you and to contradict what you are saying
-or-
as for your enemies, they will not be able to answer your reasoning. They will also not be able to say that what you are saying is a lie.

adversaries: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as adversaries means “opponents.” In this context it probably refers to people who would accuse the disciples in court. Another way to translate it is:

those who oppose/accuse you

Some languages express this meaning with an idiom. For example:

those who show a sour face toward you
-or-
those who have a mean heart toward you

resist: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as resist means “withstand.” It implies here that the disciples’ enemies will not be able to prove that what the disciples say is wrong. They will not be successful in opposing them.

contradict: The word contradict means “speak against.” It indicates that no enemy will know what to say against the disciples’ wise words. The enemies will not be able to deny that the disciples are speaking the truth.

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