7:25a
Otherwise: The Greek word that the Scholars interpret the phrase translates as Otherwise is literally “but.” It introduces a shorter form of the question in 7:24b (“What did you go out into the wilderness to see?”). The word Otherwise implies a contrast to “A reed swaying in the wind.” A fuller form of this contrast would be:
If ⌊you did⌋ not ⌊go there to see a reed swaying in the wind…⌋
The Revised English Bible translates it as:
No? Then…
what did you go out to see?: This is a shorter form of the question in 7:24b. If it is more natural in your language, you can translate as you did for 7:24b.
what: See the note on “What” at 7:24b–c.
to see: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to see is a different word than the word for “to see” in 7:24b. However, these two words have basically the same meaning. In your translation, you may either use the same word or use a different word with the same meaning. Do what is good style in your language.
7:25b
A man dressed in fine clothes?: This rhetorical question suggests another answer to the question in 7:24b and 7:25a. Its full form would be:
Did you go out into the desert to see a man dressed in fine clothes?
There are two ways to translate this rhetorical question:
• As a question with the implied answer “No.” You may want to make the answer explicit. For example:
A man dressed in fine clothes? No… (New International Version)
-or-
Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No… (New Living Translation (2004))
• As an emphatic statement. For example:
You certainly did not go to see a man dressed in fine clothes.
fine clothes: The phrase fine clothes refers to clothes that are fancy or soft to the touch. They are the kind of clothes that rich people wear.
7:25c
Look: In the Greek text, this verse part begins with a word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Look. This word is an exclamation that calls attention to something. Many English versions translate it as “Behold.” Other versions, such as the New International Version, do not translate this word. In some languages it may be natural to translate it as “Listen!” See the note on “Behold” at 1:31a.
those who wear elegant clothing: The phrase elegant clothing is literally “glorious clothes.” The phrase refers to the same type of clothes as the “fine clothes” in 7:25c. Other ways to translate it are:
Those who wear splendid clothes (God’s Word)
-or-
people who wear beautiful clothes (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
those who are beautifully dressed
If you use a different word from the one you used in 7:26b, make sure that your readers understand that it has the same meaning. For example:
People who dress like that (Good News Translation)
live in luxury: The phrase live in luxury means to enjoy all the nice, expensive things that often only rich people can buy. Wearing fine, expensive clothes was an example of this. So you may need to say:
indulge in ⌊other⌋ luxuries
are found in palaces: The word palaces refers to big, expensive houses that kings live in. While the Berean Standard Bible translates this phrase as passive, are found in palaces, it is active in Greek, “are in palaces.” It may be more natural in your language to use an active phrase. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:
live in kings’ palaces (New Century Version)
-or-
are in royal palaces (God’s Word)
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