24:17a–b
He asked them, “What are you discussing so intently…?”: In Greek this question is more literally, “What words are these that you are exchanging with each other…?” Jesus was asking them to explain the topic that they were discussing. He already knew the answer to his question. The question was a way for him to join the discussion. The context shows that the two disciples also knew that Jesus had heard some of their discussion.
Some other ways to translate this question are:
Then he said to them, “What are these matters you are discussing so intently…?” (NET Bible)
-or-
He asked them, “What is it you are debating…?” (Revised English Bible)
discussing so intently as you walk along: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as discussing literally means “throwing back and forth.” This is a figurative way to indicate that the discussion was excited, and both disciples were saying things and asking each other questions. They were having this conversation as they walked on the road, and Jesus had heard at least part of their discussion. Describe this type of conversation on the road in a natural way in your language.
24:17c
They stood still: The two disciples had been walking along, but when Jesus asked this question, they stopped walking for a little while. Some other ways to translate They stood still are:
They stopped walking
-or-
Then they stood there
with sadness on their faces: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as with sadness on their faces indicates that the two men looked sad. Use a natural way in your language to describe a person who is very sad. The two disciples were looking sad because they were thinking about how Jesus had been crucified and buried. Some other ways to translate it in English are:
and looked very sad (God’s Word)
-or-
it was obvious from their faces/eyes that they were sad
-or-
looking sad and gloomy (Contemporary English Version)
In some languages there is an idiom to describe this. For example:
sadness written across their faces (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
their faces drawn with misery (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
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