2:2a
they gathered in such large numbers that: The phrase they gathered in such large numbers that here means “large numbers of people came to the house, and as a result….”
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Many people gathered together and so…
-or-
such a crowd collected that… (Revised English Bible)
there was no more room: The phrase there was no more room indicates that there were so many people in the house that no one else could enter. There was no space left for people to sit or stand inside the house. In some languages it may be more natural to express this idea in a positive way. For example:
the house was full of people
2:2b
not even outside the door: The phrase not even outside the door indicates that people were crowding around the entry to the house. There was no space in the area outside the door for more people to stand. If you used a positive expression for the previous phrase, you may need to express this phrase positively as well. For example:
Even the area outside the doorway was full of people.
2:2c
This part of the verse tells what Jesus was doing while the people were gathering.
spoke the word: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as spoke the word is literally “was speaking the word.” The phrase the word refers to God’s word or to God’s message. Jesus told the people what God wanted him to tell them.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
taught God’s word
-or-
made known God’s message
to them: The pronoun them refers to the people who were in the house and around the house.
Here are some other ways to translate this part of the verse:
Jesus was speaking [God’s] Word to them (God’s Word)
-or-
Jesus was teaching them God’s message (New Century Version)
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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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