13:27

This verse indicates that when the Son of Man returns in glory, his angels will go all over the world and gather God’s people. (If you interpret 13:26 to refer to the time when Jesus ascended to heaven, you can interpret 13:27 as follows: It would indicate that the angels would begin to gather people from all over the world to become people of God. This would be a fulfillment of the prophecy in 13:10, “the gospel must first be proclaimed to all the nations.” See also Deuteronomy 30:4 and Zechariah 2:10.)

13:27a

See how you translated the title “the Son of Man” in 13:26a. If you translated it as “I, the Son of Man,” you will need to continue to use the pronoun “I” instead of “he” in 13:27a.

And: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And is literally two conjunctions: “And then.” This phrase introduces what happens next in a series of events. You should connect 13:26d and 13:27a in a way that is natural in your language. It may not be necessary to use a conjunction.

He…the angels: The word He refers to the Son of Man. The phrase the angels probably refers to the angels who will come with the Son of Man, as Mark 8:38 indicates.

angels: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angels means “messengers.” It refers here to spirit beings who serve God. Sometimes God sends an angel to tell a message to human beings. He also sends angels to serve him in other ways.

Here are some other ways to translate this term:

• Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:

messengers from God/heaven
-or-
good/holy spirit-beings

• Use a local term that fits the biblical meaning.

• Use a loan word from a major language. If the meaning of the word is not well-known, you may want to indicate the meaning in some way. For example:

angelos messengers from God
-or-
sacred angelos spirits

See how you translated this word in 1:13c. See also angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

If you use a descriptive phrase such as “messengers from God,” make sure that it contrasts with terms that are similar in meaning like “prophet” or “apostle.” A “prophet” is also God’s messenger, and “apostle” literally means “one who is sent.” Each of these words should have a unique term in your language.

will send out: In this context the phrase will send out indicates that the Son of Man will give the angels instructions to go and do something. In some languages it may be necessary to state the place where the Son of Man will send the angels. For example:

he will send his angels all around the earth (New Century Version)
-or-
he will send his angels out into the world

See the General Comment on 13:27a–d at the end of 13:27d.

13:27b

to gather: The verb gather means “gather together.” In this context it indicates that the Son of Man will gather people to/around himself. He will do this by sending the angels to bring them to him. It is good to use a word or phrase that can describe bringing people together as one group.

His elect: The expression His elect refers to the people whom the Son of Man has elected or chosen.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

the elected/chosen people
-or-
the selected people
-or-
the people whom he elected/chose

In the context of 13:26a, His elect here refers to the people that the Son of Man has chosen. In 13:20c and 13:22c, Jesus refers to the elect that the Lord God has chosen. Since God and Jesus are one, the expressions refer to the same people. See how you translated the term “elect” in 13:20c and 13:22c.

13:27c

In some languages it may be natural to begin a new sentence here.

from the four winds: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as from the four winds is an idiom. It means “from the north, south, east, and west,” that is from all over the earth.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

from all over the world (New Living Translation)
-or-
all around the earth (New Century Version)

There may be an idiom in your language to express this meaning.

13:27d

from the ends of the earth to the ends of heaven: This long expression repeats the idea found in 13:27c. It emphasizes completeness, meaning “from absolutely all over the world/earth.” Consider how to translate 13:27c–d in an emphatic way that will not sound redundant in your language. See the General Comment on 13:27c–d for suggestions.

heaven: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heaven refers to the sky. Here, the word heaven combined with the word “earth” is simply a way to refer to the whole world/earth. It does not mean “where God dwells,” nor does it imply that the angels will gather people who are “in the sky.” See heaven, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

General Comment on 13:27a–d

In this verse Jesus told about the instructions that he himself would give the angels. In some languages it may be natural to use direct speech for these instructions. Jesus referred to himself as the Son of Man. It may be necessary to indicate this by using forms like “I,” “me,” and “my,” instead of “he,” “him,” and “his.” For example:

I will send out my angels, saying, “Go out into the world and bring to me the people whom I have chosen. Go and fetch them from every place, from the farthest places on earth.”

General Comment on 13:27c–d

The meaning of 13:27c and 13:27d have the same meaning, but 13:27c is expressed in a more figurative way.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

• State the meaning twice. For example, the New Century Version says:

27cThen he will send his angels all around the earth to gather his chosen people 27dfrom every part of the earth and from every part of heaven.

• State the meaning only once, combining 13:27c–d. For example, The Contemporary English Version says:

27c–dHe will send his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the earth.

Consider whether you have an idiom or an emphatic way to express the meaning in your language.

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