4:21a
and He began by saying: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He began by saying is literally “and He began to say/speak to them.” It indicates here that Jesus began to teach them. He began to explain the scripture that he had just read to them. This scripture was about him, and it was being fulfilled.
In your translation, you may want to use a more specific word or phrase than by saying or “to speak.” For example:
Then Jesus began to teach them. He said…
-or-
Then Jesus began to explain the words that he had read, saying…
4:21b
Today this Scripture is fulfilled: The phrase Today this Scripture is fulfilled means “That which this scripture talked about is happening today.” With these words, Jesus told them that he was the person whom the prophet Isaiah had written about. He was the one who fulfilled this scripture. God had appointed him to be the Messiah, and the Holy Spirit had empowered him to do all the things in 4:18–19.
Some other ways to translate this are:
Today this scripture has been fulfilled (NET Bible)
-or-
Today…this text has come true. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
This passage came true today (God’s Word)
Jesus was not saying that all the prisoners had been released, that all the blind people cured, or that the other things that he had read about had already happened.
in your hearing: The phrase in your hearing means “while you have been listening.” Some other ways to translate this are:
when you heard me read it. (God’s Word)
-or-
While you heard these words just now (New Century Version)
General Comment on 4:21b
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of the parts of 4:21b. For example:
What you have just heard me read has come true today. (Contemporary English Version)
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