8:23a–b
So: In Greek, 8:23 begins with a common conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So. It introduces Jesus’ response to the request of the people. He did not respond directly, but by his action he showed that he was willing to do as they asked. Connect this verse to the preceding one in a natural way in your language.
He took the blind man by the hand and led him: Jesus took the blind man’s hand to lead him so that he would know where to go and would not stumble. In some cultures people may have a different way to lead blind people. For example, a person may hold one end of a cane and the blind man hold the other. If the way that Jesus led the blind man would seem odd in your culture, you may need to use a more general expression. For example:
Jesus led the blind man along
led him out of the village: Jesus led the man to a place outside the village, away from the people who had brought him. This is very similar to what he did with the deaf man in 7:33.
8:23c
Then He spit on the man’s eyes: This part of the verse indicates that Jesus actually spit into the man’s eyes. He did this as part of the process of healing him. In some cultures people may not understand the purpose of this action. In some areas it may express a wrong meaning like contempt, or it may be considered too offensive. If that is true in your area, here are some options for translation:
• Use a more indirect expression. For example:
Then, putting spittle on his eyes (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Then Jesus put some of his own spittle on the man’s eyes
• Indicate the purpose of the action. For example:
Then Jesus spit into the man’s eyes to heal them/him
8:23d
and placed His hands on him: The Greek text does not say where on the man Jesus put his hands. However, it is likely that Jesus covered the man’s eyes, since that is what he did in 8:25. If your translation requires that you specify a location, you can say that he covered the man’s eyes.
8:23e
“Can you see anything?” He asked: In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech here. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:
He…asked him if he could see anything.
Can you see anything?: This is a real question. Jesus was asking the blind man whether he could now see anything. The Good News Bible says:
Can you see anything?
He asked: There is implied information here. Jesus took his hands off the man’s eyes before he asked him the question in this verse. Be sure that this is clear in your translation.
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