23:31a–b
For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces a proverb. It gives a reason why the things that Jesus predicted in 23:29–30 were certain to happen. It also connects what Jesus said about the future in 23:30 with the suffering and death that he was enduring. Some ways to introduce it in English are:
⌊I say this⌋ because
-or-
⌊This is certain,⌋ for
-or-
For ⌊you see what is happening to me, and⌋
In some languages the connection may be implied without a conjunction.
if men do these things while the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry: This saying is a type of proverb. It is also a rhetorical question. Jesus used it as an emphatic warning to sinful people. It indicates that since Jesus suffered terribly even though he was innocent, we should expect that guilty people will suffer much more. In some languages it is more natural to emphasize the warning without using a rhetorical question. For example:
if men do these things when a tree is green, they will certainly do even more terrible things when it is dry
This warning uses a metaphor. Dry wood burns faster than green wood. Burning is an implied metaphor for suffering or punishment. Jesus was like green wood because he did not deserve to burn (suffer). The people who rejected Jesus were like dry wood. They deserved to burn (suffer) because of their sins. In some languages a literal translation of the metaphor implies a wrong meaning. Some other ways to translate this metaphor are:
• Use a simile. For example:
if this is what they will do to me who am like not yet dried wood, surely worse is what they will do to you who are like already-dried
• Use a simile and make the meaning more explicit. For example:
if this is what they are doing to me who am like a tree that is not yet dried up because I do not have any sin, how much more is it that they will do to you who are like a tree that has already died up
-or-
as people are taking me who am like a fresh tree and putting me in the fire like this, will you who are like dry firewood be spared?
• Translate both the metaphor and the meaning. For example:
since even a green tree ⌊burns⌋ ⌊and an innocent person suffers⌋, a dry tree will certainly ⌊burn quickly⌋ and ⌊guilty people will suffer more terribly⌋
• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:
if they do like this to a person who has no sin, they will do worse to the people who have sin on that day.
-or-
you see what is done to ⌊me,⌋ an innocent person, so think about the terrible things that will be done to guilty people.
You should translate this warning in a meaningful way in your language. Your translation should not imply that Jesus cursed the women. He did not refer to the women as dry trees. He referred to sinful men and women in general.
23:31a
if men do these things: In Greek this clause is more literally:
if they do these things (English Standard Version)
In this context the clause is similar to a passive clause. It does not specify who was doing those things. It may imply that God did them or caused them to happen, or it may refer to the Jews who demanded his crucifixion. It is not likely that Jesus referred to the specific Roman soldiers who did the crucifixion.
Some other ways to translate this clause are:
• Use a passive clause:
if such things as these are done when the wood is green (Good News Translation)
• Use an active clause and supply a subject. For example:
If people do this to a green tree (God’s Word)
-or-
if they do these things (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
if ⌊fire⌋ burns even a green tree
• Use a clause that indicates that God allowed or caused the events to happen. For example:
If ⌊God⌋ allows this to happen to a green tree
In this clause the word if introduces a situation that is true. It does not imply that Jesus doubted what was happening. Indicate that in a natural way in your language. Some other ways to translate it in English are:
since people do these things
-or-
people are doing these things…so…
the tree: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tree also means “wood,” as in the Revised Standard Version, or “piece of wood.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word the, which is not in the Greek text. Jesus was using a tree or piece of wood in his proverb. You should translate the word in the most appropriate way for this context in your language.
green: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as green means “moist.” Here it describes a tree that is damp or fresh. Green/damp wood is not good for burning. Use a natural way in your language to describe moist trees or wood.
23:31b
what will happen when it is dry: The clause what will happen when it is dry is a rhetorical question. It gives a conclusion from the first part of the proverb in 23:31a. Jesus was suffering terribly as an innocent person, so we can conclude that guilty people will suffer much more.
In some languages it may be natural to translate this conclusion as a separate sentence. For example:
So what do you think they will do to dry trees/wood?
-or-
So ⌊you can be sure that⌋ it will much worse when the tree is dry.
See the examples in the notes at 23:31a–b. See also the examples in 23:31a. You should translate 23:31b in a way that fits with your translation of 23:31a.
when it is dry: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as when it is dry is more literally “in the dry.” It probably refers in general to a dry tree or wood. It does not imply that the green tree/wood in 23:31a has dried up. In the proverb it probably represents sinful people who are like dry trees that deserve burning. Another way to translate it is:
to a dry one (God’s Word)
© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.