12:19a

He will not quarrel: The word quarrel means “argue with some degree of anger.” Jesus certainly disagreed with the Pharisees and used strong words with them. But when they disagreed with him and wanted to kill him, he left them. He did not quarrel with them.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

argue (Good News Translation)
-or-
dispute ⌊with people⌋

cry out: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as cry out means “shout” or “scream.” It means that he will not make a lot of noise. The word cry here in English does not mean “weep.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

shout (Good News Translation)
-or-
yell (Contemporary English Version)

12:19b

no one will hear His voice in the streets: This clause is a figure of speech. It means that Jesus will not speak loudly in public simply to attract attention to himself. It refers to the fact that he will be humble and gentle. He will be the opposite of the hypocrites in Matthew 6:5 who pray on the street corners to be seen by men.

It does not mean that he will never speak in public.

Here are some other ways to translate this expression:

he will not speak with a loud voice in public places
-or-
make loud speeches in the streets (Good News Translation)
-or-
he will not draw attention to himself in public

in the streets: This phrase means “in public.” In Jesus’ time, the streets were loud, noisy places. If the term you normally use for streets is not a busy place, you may need to use a term where lots of people often gather. For example:

in the village center
-or-
in the marketplace

-or-

in public places

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