8:10
In this verse Jesus contrasted his disciples with other people who heard his parables. This contrast is emphatic in the Greek text. Some ways to express the contrast in English are:
To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of God; but to others I speak in parables… (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
You are allowed to know the secrets of the kingdom of God. For other people, I must use stories ⌊to talk about those secrets⌋.
-or-
Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of God has been given [directly] to you. But it is given to others in stories. (God’s Word)
Express the contrast in a natural way in your language.
8:10a
He replied: The words He replied introduce the response that Jesus gave his disciples when they asked him to explain the parable. Use a natural phrase in your language. For example:
Jesus answered (God’s Word)
-or-
and he replied (Revised English Bible)
8:10b
The knowledge…has been given to you: This is a passive clause. Some ways to translate it are:
⌊God⌋ has given you the knowledge
-or-
I have explained…to you (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You have been given the opportunity to know (NET Bible)
In some languages, knowledge is not something that can be given. Other ways to express this idea are:
God has allowed you ⌊to know⌋
-or-
God has/I have revealed to you
you: The Greek plural pronoun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you is plural. It refers to Jesus’ disciples; see the note on 8:10.
The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of God refers to understanding the secrets about God’s kingdom.
the mysteries of the kingdom of God: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mysteries refers to truths that were previously hidden or unknown. These truths are known or revealed only to certain people. Here the mysteries were truths about the kingdom of God that people could not understand unless someone revealed the meaning to them. Jesus was now revealing that meaning to his disciples.
Other ways to translate this are:
the mysteries about God’s kingdom/reign
-or-
what people have not known before about God’s chieftaincy/reign
-or-
hidden truths about how God rules ⌊his people⌋
The term the kingdom of God also occurs in 8:1b. See also kingdom of God in Key Biblical Terms.
8:10c
to others I speak in parables: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to others I speak in parables is literally “to others in parables.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied I speak to make a good English sentence. Other English versions have supplied fewer specific words. For example:
for others they are in parables (NET Bible)
-or-
the others have only parables (Revised English Bible)
There is implied information here. The text implies that other people have not been permitted to know the secrets of the kingdom of God. (See Matthew 13:11.) Consider if it would be necessary to include this implied information in your translation. For example:
To others ⌊it has not been given to know these secrets. Instead, for them the secrets are hidden⌋ in parables
others: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as others refers to people who were not Jesus’ disciples. See the note on “His disciples” in 8:9. In this context Jesus indicated that he used parables to speak about the kingdom of God to people who were not his disciples.
parables: The word parables refers here to all the types of comparisons that the Greek word can describe. Some of these comparisons are metaphors, illustrations, symbolic stories, and sayings.
8:10d–e
The words after “so that” in 8:10c–d are a quote from Isaiah 6:9. This is why the Berean Standard Bible uses quotation marks to introduce the saying that follows. It also indents the lines in a special way. If you usually introduce Old Testament Scripture in a particular way, you may want to do so here, as well. For example:
…so that (as the Scriptures say),
‘though seeing, they may not see,
though hearing, they may not
understand.’
so that: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as so that here introduces a quotation from Isaiah 6:9. Jesus used this quotation to explain to his followers why he spoke in parables. He did this so that the people who did not want to believe and obey him would not understand the truths that the parables illustrated. Most English versions introduce this quotation with so that (as in the Berean Standard Bible). Some do not use a connector. Translate this connection in a natural way in your language.
though seeing, they may not see: There is a contrast here between seeing and they may not see. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word though to indicate that this is an unexpected contrast. Many English versions use the conjunction “but.” For example:
they may look but see nothing (Revised English Bible)
This clause describes people who see, so we would expect them to also perceive and understand, but they do not.
seeing, they may not see: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as seeing and see are different forms of the same verb. However, they are used in different senses here. The first form, seeing, refers literally to seeing something such as a person, object, or event. The second form, see, refers figuratively to understanding the meaning of what is seen. In some languages it may be necessary to use different verbs for these ideas. For example:
they may look but not perceive (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
When they look, they don’t see (God’s Word)
Another possibility is to modify one of the verbs. For example:
even though they are seeing, they are not really/truly seeing
In some languages it may be necessary to supply objects for the two verbs. If this is true in your language you can:
• Use a general object such as “things” or “events”:
even though they see ⌊things⌋, they do not perceive ⌊them⌋
• Use an object that refers to Jesus’ actions:
even though they look at ⌊what I do⌋, they do not see ⌊it⌋
8:10e
though: Here the word though is used in the same way as in 8:10d. See the note on though at 8:10d–e.
hearing, they may not understand: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hearing refers to the physical act of hearing something. The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as understand refers to comprehending what is heard. Here there is a contrast between these two actions.
In some languages it may be necessary to supply objects for hearing and understand. If this is true in your language, you should choose an option that is similar to the one you chose in 8:10c. For example:
• Use a general object:
although they hear words, they do not understand them
• Use an object that refers specifically to Jesus’ teaching:
although they hear ⌊what I teach⌋, they do not understand ⌊what it means⌋
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