8:26a

In Greek, 8:26 begins with the common conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Here it introduces what happened after Jesus healed the man. Connect 8:25 and 8:26 in a natural way in your language.

Jesus sent him home: After Jesus healed the man of his blindness, he told the man to go home. The translation should not sound like Jesus was treating the man in a harsh way.

See the General Comment on 8:26a–b for another translation suggestion.

8:26b

Do not go back into the village:

There is a textual issue here. (1) Some Greek texts have the meaning “Don’t go into the village.” For example, the God’s Word says: “Don’t go into the village” (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, Good News Bible, English Standard Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English). (2) Other Greek texts have the meaning “nor tell anyone in the village.” For example the King James Version says: “nor tell [it] to any in the town” (King James Version). It is recommended that you follow option (1) as the majority of English versions do.
Jesus did not want the man to tell the people in the village about the miracle. That is the reason he told him to return to his home without entering the village.

General Comment on 8:26a–b

Languages have different ways to use direct and indirect speech. In some languages it may be more natural to use direct speech in both 8:26a and 8:26b. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

Jesus said to him, “You may return home now, but don’t go into the village.”

In other languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech in both parts of the verse. For example:

Then Jesus sent him home and told him not to go into the village.

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