15:34a

At the ninth hour: Because the phrase the ninth hour is also mentioned in 15:33, in some languages it may be more natural to say here:

at that time

cried out in a loud voice: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cried out means “shouted” or “spoke in a very loud voice.” It does not mean “wept.” In some languages, it may not be necessary to say in a loud voice because this may already be implied by the verb used.

Jesus was speaking to God the Father. So the word you choose should not indicate that he was angry.

15:34b

Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?: Jesus spoke these words in the language of the Jews (Hebrew or Aramaic). (There is much discussion in the commentaries about whether Mark’s original text is a transliteration of this quote from Aramaic or Hebrew, or a mix of the two. And behind that question is the question of whether Jesus spoke these words in Hebrew or Aramaic.) This is a quote from Psalm 22:1. You may want to say that Jesus spoke these words “in his own language.”

You should transliterate these words according to the sounds and letters in your language. Different English versions spell the third word in slightly different ways (some “lema”; others “lama”). This is because there are some differences of spelling in Greek manuscripts. You should follow the major language version of the Bible in your country when you transliterate these words.

15:34c

which means: The words which means introduce the translation/meaning of the words in 15:34b. Introduce this translation in a way that is natural in your language.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

This means
-or-
These words mean in our(incl) language
-or-
Translated in our(incl) language that would be

My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?: This question is an expression of extreme grief and anguish. It expresses the grief that Jesus felt because God had left him alone. If a literal translation would give a wrong meaning in your language, you may need to change the form so that it expresses Jesus’ grief.

Here are some other ways to translate this question:

My God, my God, why did you abandon me? (Good News Bible)
-or-
My God, my God, how could it happen that you have deserted me?
-or-
My God, you have deserted me! How can I endure that?
-or-
My God, I grieve deeply that you have left me.

My God, My God: The repetition of the words My God adds emphasis to what Jesus said. Consider if it would be natural in your language to repeat them. If it is not, think of a way to show this emphasis in a natural way in your language.

My God: The pronoun My indicates that Jesus has a personal relationship with God. In some languages it may not be natural to address God as “my God.” If that is true in your language, you could say:

God, God
-or-
O God, O God
-or-
God, God whom I serve/trust

have…forsaken: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as have…forsaken means “go away from a person leaving him alone and not cared for.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

have…abandoned (God’s Word)
-or-
have…deserted (Contemporary English Version)

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