2:38

In this verse the author finished giving background information and told the next event in the story after 2:35. Indicate this in a natural way in your language.

This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, such as the English Standard Version, translate it that way. The Berean Standard Bible has not translated this conjunction, and some other versions, such as the New International Version and NET Bible, also do not translate it. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either. Connect 2:38a to 2:37cin a way that is natural in your language.

2:38a

Coming forward: Anna approached Joseph and Mary and Jesus.

at that moment: The phrase at that moment is literally “at the same hour/time.” It refers to the time when Simeon was speaking in 2:35b or just after he finished speaking. Other ways to say this are:

That very same hour she arrived (Good News Translation)
-or-
just as Simeon was talking with Mary and Joseph (New Living Translation (2004))

As mentioned in the note at Paragraph 2:36–38, you may want to put 2:38a at the beginning of 2:36a to show this connection.

2:38b

she gave thanks to God:
In this part of the verse, Anna thanked and praised God for sending the promised Savior. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gave thanks also means “was praising.” The Greek verb that is used here indicates that Anna did not just give thanks once, but repeatedly. This idea can also be expressed by saying that Anna began to give thanks to God, implying that she continued to thank him. For example:

and began to give thanks to God (NET Bible)
-or-
and she began praising God (New Living Translation (2004))

2:38c

and spoke about the Child: The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spoke may indicate that Anna was talking about Jesus continuously or repeatedly. For example:

and continued to speak of Him (New American Standard Bible)

Anna probably did not speak of Jesus only on that day. She probably continued to spread the news that Jesus was the Savior whom God had promised to send.

2:38d

to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem: This part of the verse tells whom Anna spoke to about Jesus. They were people who were hoping for the redemption of Jerusalem.

waiting for: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as waiting for also means “anticipating” “looking forward to,” or “expecting.” Many Jews were waiting for God to send the Christ to redeem them. This same Greek word also occurs in 2:25c.

the redemption of Jerusalem: The expression the redemption of Jerusalem is similar to “the consolation of Israel” in 2:25c. Many Jews were expecting that God would send the Messiah to deliver them and give them freedom. Some ways to translate the redemption of Jerusalem are:

for ⌊the one who would⌋ redeem ⌊the people of⌋ Jerusalem
-or-
for God to rescue Jerusalem (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
for ⌊the Christ⌋ to deliver Jerusalem

redemption: The word redemption means “freeing,” “deliverance” or “liberation.” Many Jews were waiting for God to redeem/rescue them in different ways. Some believed that God would rescue their country from the rule of the Romans. Others believed that God would rescue them from physical suffering. Others believed that God would rescue them from their sin (1:77). It is good to translate this in a general way without specifying the type of redemption.

Jerusalem: In this context the word Jerusalem means “the entire nation of Israel” or “all the people in Israel, the Jews.” If you need to make this explicit, you may be able to say:

⌊the people of⌋ Jerusalem ⌊and all Israel⌋

If you add this implied information, you may want to include the literal Greek in a footnote. For example:

The Greek text says “Jerusalem.” Here “Jerusalem” represents all the people of Israel.

© 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.