1:3a–4c

In these two verses, Paul told what the gospel from God is about. The gospel is about Jesus. Here are four things Paul said about the gospel in 1:3–4.

(a) God’s Son became a human being.

(b) His Son was a descendant of King David.

(c) After God’s Son died, God made him alive again and appointed him to be in a position of power as the Son of God.

(d) The name of God’s Son is Jesus. He is the Christ, and he is our Lord.

1:3a

regarding His Son: This phrase connects to the word gospel in 1:1c, which the Berean Standard Bible repeats in 1:2a. Here this phrase does not connect to “the holy Scriptures” in 1:2b. In some languages the connection back to 1:1c will need to be made explicit. For example:

⌊the gospel⌋ concerning his Son

In the Greek, the sentence continues from 1:2b. In some languages it would be more natural to begin a new sentence here. For example:

⌊The/That gospel⌋ concerns his Son

regarding: This word indicates that this gospel is about God’s Son, Jesus. Here are other ways to translate this word:

concerning (English Standard Version)
-or-
about (New Living Translation (2004))

His Son: The phrase His Son refers to Jesus. He is God’s Son. It indicates that the relationship between God and Jesus is similar to the relationship of human fathers and their sons. They have a Father-Son kind of relationship. They love each other, and sons obey their fathers. This term also implies that Jesus has the same nature as God.

God does not have a physical body, and he did not cause Jesus to exist the way a human father causes a son to exist. Jesus existed eternally as the Son with his Father.

In some languages a literal translation gives the wrong meaning. If that is true in your language, you may want to:

• Translate literally and explain its correct meaning in a footnote. Here is an example footnote:

This title refers to Jesus. It indicates the relationship between God and Jesus is similar to the relationship of human fathers and sons. It also implies that Jesus and God are the same kind of being. Jesus has been God’s Son for all eternity.

• Explain its meaning of an eternal relationship of a son to a father. For example:

his ⌊divine/heavenly⌋ Son
-or-
the ⌊eternal⌋ Most Beloved of God as a Son

In some languages there is no single word for Son. If that is true in your language, use a more general word, such as “child.” For example:

his Child
-or-
the Child of God

Other verses will usually make clear that Jesus was a male child. If you use a descriptive phrase such as “male child of God,” be sure that this phrase does not imply that God had another child who was female.

General Comment on 1:2a–3a

1:2a–b is extra information about the gospel. In 1:3a he resumed his discussion about the gospel from 1:1c. In some languages the extra information must be in a separate sentence. Consider how to indicate that in your translation. For example:

1c sent out to preach his Good News. 2a God promised this Good News long ago 2b through his prophets in the holy Scriptures. 3a The Good News is about his Son. (New Living Translation (2004))

1:3b

who was a descendant of David: Here the Greek clause is literally “the one having come from the seed/semen of David.” For example:

the one born from the seed of David
-or-
the one descended from David

This clause further describes God’s Son. It does not separate this Son from other Sons. For the correct meaning in some languages, translators must avoid the word who. For example:

He was a descendant of David.
-or-
He was born of David’s line.
-or-
He descended from David.

was a descendant of David: Jesus was born in the family line of David many generations later (Matthew 1:2–16, Luke 3:23–31). Some languages have a term to refer to ancestors from the distant past.

David: The Greek spelling of this name is Dauid. David was a great king. He ruled over Israel about one thousand years before Jesus was born. Here are other ways to translate David :

⌊King⌋ David ⌊of old⌋
-or-
King Da’ud
-or-

⌊the great ruler⌋ David ⌊long ago⌋

according to: Here, this phrase means “with regard to.” When considering Jesus’ human ancestors, he was of the line of King David. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

as to (Good News Translation)
-or-
with reference to (NET Bible)
-or-
in terms of (New Jerusalem Bible)

the flesh: Here the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the flesh refers to the physical part of the life of people. Here it refers to the human origin of Jesus. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

a man (New Century Version)
-or-
his humanity (Good News Translation)
-or-
a human (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
And as for this Jesus, he became a human

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