5:12

Before you translate 5:12, consider what is the most natural order in your language for the clauses in this verse. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the Berean Standard Bible. Compare the Berean Standard Bible with the other examples below.

12aRejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven; 12bfor in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. (Berean Standard Bible)

12aYour reward in heaven is great. ⌊So⌋ rejoice and be glad. 12bFor/Because they persecuted the prophets who were before you in the same way.
-or-

12bThey persecuted the prophets who were before you in the same way. 12a⌊So⌋ rejoice and be glad. Your reward in heaven is great.

5:12a

Rejoice and be glad: The two Greek verbs that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Rejoice and be glad are a doublet. This means that the two words mean basically the same thing. Saying the same thing in two different ways is a Hebrew way of making the command stronger.

Your language may be able to indicate a stronger command in the same way. But it may be more natural in your language to emphasize it in some other way. For example:

Be very happy/glad
-or-
You (plur.) should be extremely glad/joyful
-or-
Be glad then, yes, be tremendously glad (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

because: The conjunction because introduces the reason why the disciples and the crowd should rejoice. They should rejoice because God will give them a big reward in heaven. For example:

because you have a great reward in heaven (God’s Word)

In some languages, no conjunction is necessary here. For example:

You will have a great reward in heaven. (Contemporary English Version)

In other languages, it will be more natural to change the order of the clauses in 5:12a. For example:

Your reward is great in heaven. ⌊So⌋ rejoice and be glad.

great is your reward in heaven: The phrase great is your reward in heaven means “you will receive something of great value when you go to heaven.”

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

a great reward awaits you in heaven (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
you have a great reward waiting for you in heaven (New Century Version)

-or?

⌊God⌋ will reward/honor you very much in heaven.

reward: The word reward normally refers to something good that people receive because of something that they have done. Here, the meaning of reward focuses on being honored for being faithful to Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate the word reward:

payment
-or-
gift
-or-
honor

heaven: Here the word heaven refers to the place where God lives.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the place where God is
-or-
paradise

5:12b

In some languages, it will be more natural to put 5:12b before 5:12a. See the example above under 5:12.

for: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reason why people who were insulted, persecuted, and spoken against should rejoice and be glad. They should rejoice and be glad because Jesus is praising them. He is praising them by comparing them to the Old Testament prophets.

In some languages, it is not necessary to put a conjunction here. For example:

People did these same things to the prophets who lived long ago. (Contemporary English Version)

in the same way: The phrase in the same way introduces a comparison. Jesus was saying that people would do evil to Jesus’ disciples just as people had done evil to the prophets years earlier.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

like that
-or-
so (English Standard Version)
-or-
what people do to you, that is what they did

they: The pronoun they refers to the people who persecuted the prophets many years before Jesus. The pronoun is also connected to the “people” of 5:11 because there are people in every generation who oppose God and mistreat his followers. You may be able to use the pronoun they with that connection here. But it may be more natural in your language to explain the connection. For example:

those same kind of people
-or-
people like them

persecuted: The word persecuted means to “treat someone cruelly and cause the person to suffer.” This same word occurs in 5:10a and 5:11a.

the prophets: The word prophets refers to men who spoke on behalf of God. They told people what God revealed to them. God gave some prophets power to work miracles. These miracles helped people realize that God sent the prophets.

Here are some other ways to translate prophets:

spokesmen for God
-or-
men who speak God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speakers

When choosing a term for prophets, consider how you will distinguish prophets from other words which are similar in meaning, such as “angels,” “apostles,” and “preachers.”

The word “prophet” also occurs in 1:22 and 4:14. See also prophet in the Glossary.

before you: The words before you refer to time. These prophets lived hundreds of years before the time when the disciples lived.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

who lived before you (Good News Translation)
-or-
who lived long ago (Contemporary English Version)

-or-

These prophets lived long before your time

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