10:45a

For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the basis or reason for what Jesus said in 10:43–44. In other words, those who follow Jesus should serve others because even Jesus himself came to serve.

even the Son of Man: In Greek, the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as even the Son of Man indicates an emphatic contrast with what people normally expected. Jesus as the Son of Man was the greatest leader, and it would be normal for people to serve him. Instead, he came so that he would serve people. The Berean Standard Bible shows this emphatic contrast with the word even. The New Jerusalem Bible shows it as follows:

For the Son of man himself

the Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” It is a title that Jesus often used to refer to himself. It implies that:

(a) he was a true human being, and he represented all people.

(b) he came from God and had authority from God.

Here are some other ways to translate this title:

the Man whom God Sent
-or-
the True Man from God/Heaven
-or-
the Representative of Mankind
-or-
The Older Brother of All People

In some languages it may be necessary to indicate explicitly that Jesus was referring to himself here. For example:

I, the Son of Man

Refer to how you translated this phrase in 10:33b. You should translate it here as you did there.

did not come to be served, but to serve: When the Son of Man (Jesus) came to earth, he did not come as a great king that people should serve. He did not come to lord it over people, like the rulers he described in 10:42b.

When you translate 10:45a, make sure your translation does not imply that the Son of Man did not come. It may be clearer to translate as follows:

came to serve, not to be served
-or-
came to serve others, not so that others would serve him

did not come to…but to…: In this context the expression come to refers to Jesus’ purpose for coming to the world, that is, to his work in the world. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate that in some way. For example:

did not come to this world to…but to…
-or-
(my) work is not to…but to…

10:45b

and to give His life as a ransom for many: The phrase to give His life means “to die willingly for (others), to voluntarily die to benefit (others).” Jesus willingly and freely came to die as a sacrifice for people’s sins. When Jesus died, he freed from sin the people who would trust in him.

ransom: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ransom refers to something that is given to release or free someone else. For example, someone might give a sum of money as a ransom in order to set a slave or a prisoner free. Similarly, Jesus gave his life in order to set people free from their sin. His death was the ransom that released or redeemed people from their sin.

In some languages it may be natural to translate the noun ransom with a verb. For example:

to redeem many people (Good News Bible)
-or-
to set many others free (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
to rescue many people (Contemporary English Version)

for many: The phrase for many means “on behalf of many people.” (Because of the prevalence of languages that use a verb phrase for “ransom,” the notes have not said anything about the literal meaning of the Greek word translated here as “for.” The word literally means “opposite,” and in this context means “in place of,” or “as a substitute for” (UBS Handbook page 336, Hendriksen pages 414–415, Lenski page 463, Lane page 383).)

Here are some other ways to translate this:

for the sake of many people
-or-
so that many people may be saved

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