Section 17:22–23
Jesus again said that he would die and come back to life
In this section, Jesus again told his disciples that people would kill him and that he would become alive again. This is the second time in the book of Matthew that Jesus told this to his disciples. The first time was in 16:21–28.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus again foretells/predicts his death and resurrection
-or-
Jesus’ second prediction of his death and resurrection
-or
Jesus Again Foretells That He Will Die and Come Back to Life (God’s Word)
Paragraph 17:22–23
17:22a
When they: The pronoun they refers to the disciples. For instance:
When the disciples all came together (Good News Translation)
gathered together: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gathered together means “were coming together” at a particular place. This word does not imply that the disciples had been widely separated. It simply means that they came/met together to listen to Jesus.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
came together (New International Version)
-or-
met together
in Galilee: The word Galilee refers to the name of a region in the northern part of Israel.
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
in the region of Galilee
17:22b
The Son of Man: Jesus used this phrase to refer to himself. In some languages, this phrase by itself would refer to someone other than Jesus. If that is true in your language, consider translating it as:
⌊I,⌋ the Son of Man
This phrase last occurred in 17:12d.
is about to be delivered: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as about refers to something that will definitely happen in the near future. It is not just a simple future tense.
It means that the Son of Man “will soon” be delivered. It also indicates that the Son of Man “will certainly” be delivered or “is destined” to be delivered because God has decided that it will happen.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
will soon be delivered
-or-
is going to be betrayed (New International Version)
be delivered: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as delivered means “handed over to the power of someone else.” It often refers to a person being betrayed and delivered to his enemies.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
be betrayed (New International Version)
-or-
be handed over (Good News Translation)
This is a passive verb. Here the text does not specify who would betray Jesus. From later in Matthew, it is clear that Judas would betray Jesus. This would fulfill God’s plan. However, you should not make Judas explicit here. If you need to use an active verb, translate in a general way. For example:
⌊someone⌋ is going to betray
into the hands of men: This phrase is a figure of speech. It refers to people gaining power or control over someone. In this context, this expression refers to Jesus being under the power of people who will harm him. People who want to harm him will gain the power to do that. In some languages, this expression may already be implied in the verb “betrayed.” If so, it does not need to be explicitly translated. For example:
over to people (New Century Version)
Do not translate this in a way that means that people will protect him. In some languages, it may be necessary to make it clear that these people wish to do him harm. For example:
into the power of his/my enemies
-or-
into the power of people (Revised English Bible)
In some languages, it may be natural to use a second verb with this phrase. For example:
and handed over to people (God’s Word)
-or-
and given to people
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