6:23a

Rejoice: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Rejoice also means “be happy.” Some other ways to translate this word are:

be happy (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Be glad (Good News Translation)

in that day: The phrase in that day means “at that time.” Jesus’ followers should rejoice at the very moment when people do evil things to them. It refers back to the “now” of the previous statements about being “blessed.” Some other ways to translate this are:

when that happens (Good News Translation)
-or-
at that time (New Century Version)
-or-
then (God’s Word)

and leap for joy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as leap for joy means “jump up and down because you are so happy.” For example:

jump for joy (Contemporary English Version)

This phrase describes how a person acts when he or she is very happy. Jesus was saying that believers should celebrate when people hate and insult them.

In some cultures, leaping/jumping is not a way that people show joy. If that it true in your culture, you may want describe the extreme happiness in another way. For example:

and dance for joy (Good News Translation)
-or-
and be very happy (God’s Word)

General Comment on 6:23a

The two commands “Rejoice” and “leap for joy” are a doublet. These two commands have a similar meaning. By restating the command, Jesus added emphasis to it. In some languages, stating the same idea in two different ways may not be a natural way to add emphasis. If your language is like that, you may translate both commands as one emphatic command. For example:

Be very glad/happy in that day
-or-
Be full of joy at that time (New Century Version)

6:23b

because: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because introduces the reason why the disciples should rejoice. They should rejoice because their reward in heaven is great.

In Greek, an exclamation word is added to the conjunction because. This word literally means “look” or “see,” and English versions sometimes translate it as “behold.” It draws attention to the reason why the disciples should rejoice. The Berean Standard Bible does not translate this word.

Some ways to translate this conjunction and exclamation are:

because, look/listen
-or-
for—pay attention to this—

great is your reward in heaven: The phrase great is your reward in heaven means “you will receive a great reward in heaven.” Some other ways to translate this are:

You have a great reward in heaven (God’s Word)
-or-
a great reward is kept for you in heaven (Good News Translation)
-or-
you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven (New Century Version)

This phrase states the reason why the disciples should obey the command to rejoice. They should rejoice because God promises to give them a great reward in heaven. Jesus was saying that God will honor their faithfulness to him when they suffer because they are his disciples. In some languages, it may be natural to say explicitly that God gives the reward. For example:

⌊God⌋ will reward you greatly in heaven.

reward: A reward is normally something good that people receive because of something that they have done. In this verse, the meaning of reward focuses on being honored for following Jesus faithfully. Some other ways to translate the word reward are:

you will be greatly honored
-or-
you will receive great honor

heaven: Here the word heaven refers to the place where God lives. See heaven, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.

6:23c

For their fathers treated the prophets in the same way: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why the disciples are blessed (in 6:22a). They are blessed even when people hate them, because the ancestors of those people treated the prophets the same way. The fact that people mistreat them proves that they too are true followers of God, just like the prophets.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. Or it may be necessary to repeat part of 6:22a. For example:

For that is how their fathers treated the prophets ⌊and it shows that you too are true followers⌋.
-or-

⌊Blessed are you when people mistreat you,⌋ because this is how their fathers treated the prophets.

In some languages, it may be more natural to put 6:22c before 6:22a. See the General Comment on 6:23a–c below for an example.

their fathers treated the prophets in the same way: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in the same way is literally “according to the same.” Here it means that the prophets were treated in the same way as Jesus said that his disciples would be treated. Some other ways to translate this are:

their ancestors did the same things to the prophets (NET Bible)
-or-
their ancestors treated the ancient prophets that same way (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
that is exactly how their fathers treated the prophets (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

their fathers: The phrase their fathers is a figure of speech. It means “ancestors.” For example:

their ancestors (Good News Translation)

These were the ancestors of the people who lived at the time when Jesus lived.

prophets: The word prophets describes people who spoke on behalf of God. They told people what God revealed to them. God gave some prophets power to work miracles. These miracles helped people realize that God sent the prophet. Some ways to translate prophets are:

spokesmen for God
-or-
men who speak God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speakers

It is good to use a general term that does not focus only on foretelling the future. Although prophets did foretell the future, they also gave people other messages from God. They especially told them to stop sinning and to obey God.

When you choose a term for prophet, consider how you will distinguish prophet from other words which are similar in meaning such as “angel,” “apostle,” and “preacher.”

This word also occurs in 1:70.

General Comment on 6:23a–c

In some languages, it will be more natural to reorder 6:23 so that 6:23c comes immediately after 6:22. For example:

22aBlessed are you when men hate you, 22bwhen they exclude you and insult you 22cand reject your name as evil…23cbecause that is how their fathers treated the prophets. 23a⌊So⌋ when this happens to you, rejoice and leap for joy, 23bbecause your reward is great in heaven.

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