Section 3:21–22
John baptized Jesus
In this section John baptized Jesus. John did this before Herod put him into prison, which Luke mentioned in 3:19–20. The events of this section happened before the events of the previous paragraph. So it may be necessary in some languages to change the order of the verses. See the introductory note on Paragraph 3:19–20 for possible ways to do this.
Some other possible headings for this section are:
The Baptism of Jesus (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Jesus is Baptized by John (New Century Version)
There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 3:13–17 and Mark 1:9–11.
Paragraph 3:21–22
3:21a
In the Greek text this section begins with a phrase that can be translated literally as “And it happened.” The Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions have not translated it. Some other English versions translate it as “Now” to indicate that the following event happened before the event in the preceding paragraph. Use a way that is natural in your language to introduce a new incident that is not in chronological order.
When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too: There are two ways to interpret the Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too:
(1) John baptized Jesus during the time he was baptizing the other people. For example:
While everyone else was being baptized… (Contemporary English Version)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), Revised English Bible, New American Standard Bible, King James Version, NET Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)
(2) John finished baptizing all the other people, and then he baptized Jesus. For example:
After all the people had been baptized… (Good News Translation)
(Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).
The verbs were being baptized and was baptized are passive. In some languages it may be more natural to use active verbs and say who baptized the people and Jesus. For example:
When ⌊John⌋ was baptizing all the ⌊other⌋ people, ⌊he⌋ baptized Jesus also.
all the people: The phrase all the people refers to the large crowds of people who came to John so that he would baptize them.
baptized, Jesus was baptized: See the note at 3:7a for suggestions about translating the word “baptize.” See also baptize, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.
3:21b
as He was praying: The pronoun He refers to Jesus. Jesus was praying to God at the time when he was being baptized. If you have made “John” the subject of the previous verse, you may need to use Jesus’ name here. For example:
as ⌊Jesus⌋ was praying ⌊to God⌋
was praying: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was praying indicates that Jesus was speaking or talking to God.
Some languages may use different words to refer to specific kinds of prayer, such as requests, thanks, or praise. Use an appropriate word or expression in your language for this context. Avoid a term that may imply magical or meaningless words.
Some other ways to translate this are:
was talking to God
-or-
was asking/begging God
heaven was opened: The clause heaven was opened is passive. It speaks of heaven opening in a similar way as a door or curtain opens. In some languages it may be more natural to translate this clause without a passive verb. For example:
heaven opened (God’s Word)
-or-
the heavens opened (New Living Translation (2004))
If you must say who opened heaven, you may supply God. For example:
⌊God⌋ opened heaven
heaven: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heaven is also used in 3:22b. It can have two different meanings, depending on the context:
(a) heaven, the place where God dwells;
(b) the sky.
In the New Testament, God often showed supernatural signs from the sky, such as a voice, fire, or bright light. In this verse either “heaven” or “sky” would fit the context. The Holy Spirit came down like a dove and God’s voice came from heaven or from the sky. Here are some points to consider:
• If your language has a term that can mean either “heaven” or “sky,” use it both here and in 3:22b.
• If it is difficult to speak about heaven (God’s home) being opened in this way, then you may use “the sky” here and “heaven” in 3:22b.
• In languages that do not have a single word for heaven, you may need to use a descriptive phrase:
the place of God
-or-
the place where God lives
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