11:7a–c

Then they led the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks over it, and He sat on it: There are three clauses in 11:7:

(a) they led the colt to Jesus,

(b) they threw their cloaks over it,

(c) Jesus sat on the colt.

In Greek the clauses in 11:7a–c are all independent. It may be more natural in your language to translate them that way. For example, the Good News Bible says:

They brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks over the animal, and Jesus got on.

11:7a

they: The word they refers to the two disciples who went to find the donkey.

11:7b

threw their cloaks over it: The verb threw here has the sense of “placed” or “spread” their cloaks upon it. That is, the disciples laid their cloaks over the donkey’s back to make a comfortable place for Jesus to sit.

cloaks: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cloaks describes the robe-like outer garment worn by Jewish men. They put the cloaks on the donkey’s back so that it would be more comfortable for Jesus to sit on.

If men in your culture do not wear a second, outer garment, you should translate cloaks in a general way. For example:

outer clothing/garments
-or-
extra clothes

Be careful to translate this in a way that does not imply that the disciples were naked after they put their cloaks on the donkey.

See how you translated this word in 5:27 and 6:56.

11:7c

He sat on it: The pronoun it refers to the donkey. Jesus sat on the donkey’s back.

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
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