Section 8:31–33

Jesus told his disciples that he must suffer, die, and live again

In the preceding section, Peter declared that Jesus was the Messiah, the Christ. In this section, Jesus explained to the disciples what would happen to him as the Messiah. In contrast to what the disciples thought that Jesus would do as their Messiah, God had planned for him to suffer, die, and live again.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus tells his disciples about his coming death and resurrection
-or-
Jesus told his disciples that people would kill him but he would live again after three days
-or-
Jesus speaks about his death

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 16:21–23 and Luke 9:22–23.

Paragraph 8:31–33

8:31a

Then: In Greek, this verse begins with the common conjunction that is often translated as “and.” The Berean Standard Bible translates it as Then. However, some English versions, such as the New International Version, do not translate this conjunction. In this context it introduces what Jesus did next. Connect this verse to 8:30 in a natural way in your language.

He began to teach them: The phrase He began to teach them indicates that Jesus began to teach his disciples about a new topic. Because this is the start of a new section and a new paragraph, it may be natural to refer explicitly to Jesus and his disciples:

Jesus began to teach his disciples

8:31b

that the Son of Man must suffer many things: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man must suffer is literally “it is necessary for the Son of Man to suffer.” This statement implies that the suffering was necessary because it was God’s will or plan. It was something that must happen that was beyond the control of human beings.

the Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” Jesus used this phrase as a title for himself. He used this title to imply that:

(a) he was a true human being, and he represented all people.

(b) he came from God and had authority from God.

Try to use an expression that implies both meanings. Here are some other expressions that translators have used:

the Man whom God Sent
-or-
the True Man from God/Heaven
-or-
the Representative of Mankind
-or-
The Older Brother of All People

In some cases, an unusual title may correctly suggest a deeper meaning. For example:

the Child of a Person
-or-
the One who was Born as a Human

Translators have also used expressions that are more literal. These more literal expressions may be appropriate where readers are familiar with a literal title in another version.

In some languages it may be necessary to use a form like “I” or “me” to indicate that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

me, the Son of Man
-or-
who became man/human

See how you translated Son of Man at 2:10a and 2:28.

must: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must applies to all the following verbs in this verse: “suffer,” “be rejected,” “be killed,” and “rise again.” The verb indicates that it was necessary for all these things to happen because God had planned for them to happen. Be sure to indicate that in some way in your language.

suffer many things: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as suffer many things indicates that Jesus would have to suffer in various ways. It also implies that the suffering was terrible and was not just for a short time.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

suffer a lot (God’s Word)
-or-
undergo many sufferings
-or-
suffer many terrible things (New Living Translation)

8:31c

be rejected: To be rejected means to “(someone) refuses to accept (something).” In this verse it means that the groups of Jewish leaders would refuse to believe that Jesus was their Messiah.

by the elders, chief priests, and scribes: These three groups together represented all the leaders of the Jews. The elders were the civil leaders or rulers. They were generally older men. The chief priests were the leading priests, and the scribes were the experts in the religious law.

chief priests: A Jewish priest was a man who offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. He also performed other rituals for them. The phrase the…chief priests refers to the leaders among these priests.

Here are some other ways to translate chief priests:

the leading/ruling priests
-or-
the elders among the Jewish sacrificers
-or-
the most prominent priests

See how you translated “priest” in 1:44b.

scribes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scribes is sometimes translated as “teachers of the law,” as in the New International Version. The original work of these men was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. In New Testament times, their main task was to study, interpret, and teach the law of Moses and related Jewish laws and traditions.

Here are some other ways to translate this term:

the teachers of the Law of Moses (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the teachers of religious law (New Living Translation)
-or-
the experts in the law (NET Bible)

See how you translated this in 1:22c and 7:5a. Also, see teacher of the law in the Glossary for more information.

8:31d

He must be killed: This is a passive clause. The pronoun He refers to Jesus as the Son of Man, and the focus is still on him. In some languages it may be necessary to use an active verb. If this is true in your language, you may have another way to indicate that the focus is on Jesus. For example:

he must die by the hand/action of men
-or-
it must happen that people will kill him

killed: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as killed means “to cause a person to die.” In this context people would kill Jesus. They would execute him, though he had done nothing wrong. Use an appropriate verb for this in your language. For example, the Good News Bible and New Jerusalem Bible say:

put to death

8:31e

and after three days: The expression after three days refers to three days after Jesus’ death. The Jews counted any part of a day as a whole day. The day on which Jesus died was counted as one day. The complete day that he was in the tomb was counted as the second day. The part of the day before he rose from the dead was counted as the third day.

rise again: The phrase rise again refers to the Son of Man (Jesus) becoming alive again after he died. Be sure that the expression you use does not imply that Jesus did not really die but revived after almost dying. Use an expression that clearly refers to literal death and to a real return to life.

Here are some other ways to translate rise again:

he will rise to life (Good News Bible)
-or-
and then rise from the dead (New Century Version)

In some languages it will not be possible to use a word such as “rise,” because it may refer only to standing up.

Here are some other ways to translate the correct meaning:

he will live again
-or-
he will become alive again

Use an expression that communicates this meaning clearly in your language.

General Comment on 8:31a–c

It may be more natural in your language to put what Jesus taught his disciples into direct speech, as the Good News Bible has done:

Then Jesus began to teach his disciples: “The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will rise to life.”

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