10:47a
When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth: This clause implies that Bartimaeus heard the noise of the crowd who was following Jesus. He knew that someone important was coming. Some people told him that it was Jesus who was coming. You may need to supply some of this information in your translation. For example:
When he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by
-or-
When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus from Nazareth was nearby (New Living Translation, 1996 edition)
Jesus of Nazareth: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus of Nazareth is literally “Jesus the Nazarene.” There were probably many men in the country of the Jews who had the name Jesus. So in order to show which Jesus this was, people had begun to call him “Jesus the Nazarene.” This means “Jesus from the town of Nazareth.”
Nazareth: Nazareth was a town or city in Galilee. See how you wrote this word in 1:9a.
10:47b
he began to cry out: This phrase introduces the words that Bartimaeus shouted to Jesus. He shouted in order to cause Jesus to notice him. His shout was a plea to Jesus. The word began may indicate that Bartimaeus shouted his plea a number of times.
Jesus, Son of David: The phrase Son of David refers to a descendant of King David. The Jewish people used this phrase as a title for the Messiah. It does not refer to one of David’s own children. In fact, Jesus was born hundreds of years after King David died. If people may think that David was Jesus’ father or that David was still alive, you may need to add a footnote in your translation. You can base the footnote on the first sentences of this note. You could also make the meaning of Son of David clearer by translating it as follows:
descendant of King David
have mercy on me: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as have mercy on me means “show compassion to me.” Bartimaeus wanted Jesus to show kindness, pity, or compassion to him. He specifically wanted Jesus to heal him, but he made this specific request later (10:51b).
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Be merciful to me!
-or-
Show compassion to me!
-or-
Pity me!
mercy: The word mercy means compassion for those who suffer or are in physical need.
See how you translated the word mercy in 5:19d.
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