SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013 – Page 114

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 10:16

10:16a–b

In 10:13–15 Jesus spoke as if he were addressing the people of various towns. In 10:16 he began to speak directly to his disciples again. It may be necessary to make this explicit in your translation. For example:

Then he said to the disciples (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
My followers… (Contemporary English Version)

10:16a

Whoever listens to you: The pronoun Whoever refers to anyone and everyone who listens to his followers. Another way to translate this is:

Anyone who listens to you

Another way to translate this statement is to use an “if” clause. For example:

If a person listens to you

listens to you: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as listens to in this context implies to listen to the disciples’ message about Jesus and accept it. For example:

Anyone who accepts your message (New Living Translation (2004))

10:16b

listens to Me: Jesus was speaking figuratively here. He meant that if people accepted the message that the disciples taught, they were accepting Jesus’ own message, because Jesus had told the disciples what to say.

If people in your area will think that the phrase listens to Me refers to literally listening to Jesus himself, you may want to include some implied information. For example:

⌊it is the same as⌋ welcoming me
-or-

⌊it is as if he is⌋ welcoming me

to Me: The phrase to Me is emphasized in the Greek. If your language has a natural way to emphasize this phrase, you may want to do so. For example:

I am the one that he is paying attention to

10:16c–d

whoever rejects you rejects Me: The statement here in 10:16c–d contrasts with the statement in 10:16a–b. However, the statements are expressed in a similar (parallel) way. The actions of accepting and rejecting the disciples were the same as accepting or rejecting Jesus. Translate 10:16c–d in a way that will show how it is related to the contrasting statement in 10:16a. For example:

whoever rejects you rejects me (Good News Translation)
-or-
if a person rejects you ⌊and your teaching⌋, he is rejecting me ⌊and my teaching⌋

rejects Me: In the phrase rejects Me, the word Me is emphatic in Greek, as it was in 10:16b. See the note there. In some languages it may be natural to use a plural form for those who reject the disciples and Jesus. For example:

people who reject you are rejecting me

rejects: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rejects may also be translated as a negative statement. For example:

refuses to accept

10:16e

and: Here the Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and introduces another statement about people who would reject Jesus’ disciples and their message. When such people rejected Jesus’ disciples, it was the same as rejecting Jesus. It was also the same as rejecting God, who sent Jesus.

Most English versions connect 10:16e to 10:16d with “and” or they do not use a conjunction. Connect the parts of this verse in a natural way in your language. You may want to refer to how you translated the similar ideas in 9:48.

whoever rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me: This clause indicates that when a person rejects Jesus, he is also rejecting God, who sent Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make the reference to God explicit:

the one who rejects me rejects ⌊God⌋ who sent me

General Comment on 10:16e

When Jesus finished giving instructions to the seventy-two disciples, they left on their journey. In some languages it may be necessary to say explicitly that the seventy-two disciples left on their journey at that time. For example:

⌊After Jesus said this, the seventy-two disciples left to do what he had told them to do.⌋

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All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:6

11:6a

because: This verse gives the reason for the man’s request. The Berean Standard Bible introduces this reason with the conjunction because. In some languages, a conjunction is not needed here. See the second meaning line in the Display for 11:6a for an example.

has come to me: The phrase has come to me contains implied information. It is implied that the friend had just arrived unexpectedly and that he was hoping to stay at the man’s house. In some languages, it may make the story clearer if some of this information is made explicit. For example:

has come into town to visit me (New Century Version)
-or-
has ⌊unexpectedly⌋ come ⌊to stay with me⌋

11:6b

I have nothing to set before him: The clause I have nothing to set before him means “I have no food ready to give to him.” Perhaps his family had already eaten all the bread that his wife had baked that day. It would take too long to bake bread in the middle of the night. So he decided to borrow some.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

I have nothing for him to eat (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
I don’t have any food for him (Good News Translation)

General Comment on 11:5c–6b

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of these clauses. For example:

6aA friend of mine on a journey has come to me, 6band I have nothing to set before him. 5c⌊So⌋ friend, lend me three loaves of bread.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:38

11:38

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But here introduces an unexpected development in the story. Many English versions do not translate this conjunction here. Use a natural way in your language to connect this verse with 11:37.

the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash before the meal: In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of parts of this sentence. For example:

The Pharisee saw that Jesus did not wash before the meal, and he was surprised.
-or-
The Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus had not washed before eating. (Good News Translation)

In some languages it may not be necessary to say explicitly that the Pharisee “noticed” or “saw” what Jesus had not done. For example:

The Pharisee was surprised that he did not wash his hands before eating. (Contemporary English Version)

surprised: The Pharisee was surprised because he saw something that he did not expect. He had expected that Jesus would follow the rules about ceremonial purity.

Jesus did not first wash before the meal: The Pharisees’ custom was to wash their hands and arms before they ate. Before eating they would dip their hands and arms in water or ask a servant to pour water over their hands and arms. They followed this ritual, whether or not their hands were dirty, in order to make themselves ceremonially pure. Jesus did not wash his hands in this way before he sat down to eat.

In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit in either the text or in a footnote. Otherwise, people may misunderstand the cause of the Pharisee’s surprise. For example:

he sat down to eat without first performing the hand-washing ceremony required by Jewish custom (New Living Translation (2004))

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 12:16

12:16a

Then He told them a parable: Jesus told the people a parable to illustrate what he had told them in 12:15.

parable: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as parable is a general word that describes different types of wise speech. This includes symbolic stories, metaphors, proverbs, illustrations, and wise sayings. Here Jesus used the word to refer to a story that illustrated his teaching in 12:15a–b. The story does not describe an event that actually happened.

Some other ways to translate parable in this context are:

illustration (God’s Word)
-or-
story (New Living Translation (2004))

The word parable first occurs in Luke at 5:36a.

12:16b

The ground of a certain rich man produced an abundance: There is a lot of new information in this verse part. In some languages it may be more natural to give this information in more than one sentence. For example:

Once there was a man who was very rich. He owned fields that produced large harvests.
-or-

⌊There was once⌋ a rich man who owned some farmland. ⌊One year,⌋ an unusually large crop grew on this land.

In some languages it is not natural to say that a person’s “ground produced an abundance.” You should speak about this in a natural way in your language. For example:

There was a rich man who harvested much ⌊grain⌋ from his land.
-or-
A certain rich man got much produce from his fields.

a certain rich man: The phrase a certain rich man does not refer to an actual person. He is a character in the parable that Jesus told.

In some languages there are specific ways to introduce a character like this. For example:

Once there lived a rich man

Use a natural way in your language to introduce the man.

an abundance: The word abundance refers to the harvest (produce) that a person gets from his cultivated land. It means an “abundant crop.” A crop is described as abundant when much produce is harvested from that land. In this context the crop probably consisted of one or more grains, such as wheat or barley. Describe this in a natural way in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 12:48

12:48a

But the one who unknowingly does: This clause contains an ellipsis. It does not say what this servant unknowingly does. From the context, it is clear that this servant does not know his master’s will. In languages where this kind of ellipsis is unclear or unnatural, you should supply the implied information. For example:

But the servant who does not know ⌊what his master wants him to do⌋…

12:48b

does things worthy of punishment: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as does things worthy of punishment is more literally “having done (things) worthy of blows.” Other ways to translate this phrase are:

does something for which he deserves a whipping (Good News Translation)
-or-
does something wrong (New Living Translation (2004))

12:48c

will be beaten with few blows: You should translate this phrase in a way that clearly shows the contrast with the parallel phrase in 12:47c. Some ways to translate it in English are:

will be flogged less severely (Revised English Bible)
-or-
will not be beaten so hard (Contemporary English Version)

12:48d

From everyone who has been given much, much will be required: This saying is in the form of a proverb or general statement. It applies both to the way people relate to one another and also to the way God relates to people. When a master gives his servants great privileges, he expects those servants to serve him exceptionally well. Similarly, when God gives his people many gifts and blessings, he expects them to work hard for him.

Both clauses in this verse part contain passive verbs. Some ways to translate these verbs are:

• As passive verbs. For example:

When someone has been given much, much will be required in return (New Living Translation (2004))

• As active verbs. If possible, use a subject that can apply both to God and a human master. For example:

A master demands much from the one to whom he has given much

If it is not possible to use an ambiguous subject, it is recommended that you supply the subject “God.” You may also need to supply direct objects and say what God gives and demands. For example:

When ⌊God⌋ gives great ⌊blessings/privileges⌋ to people, he requires from them great ⌊faithfulness⌋
-or-
If God has been generous with you, he will expect you to serve him well (Contemporary English Version)

Translate these verbs in a way that is most natural in your language.

12:48e

and from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded: The conjunction and here introduces a statement that is parallel to the one in 12:48d. In some languages a conjunction may not be needed. For example:

much more is required from the person to whom much more is given (Good News Translation)

from him who has been entrusted with much, even more will be demanded: This statement has almost the same meaning as 12:48d. This repetition is called parallelism. It was considered good style for Jewish proverbs to use parallelism to emphasize something. See the General Comment on 12:48d–e at the end of 12:48e for a way to combine these two parallel statements into one statement.

has been entrusted…even more will be demanded: The Greek verbs that the Berean Standard Bible translates as has been entrusted and will be demanded are more literally “they entrust” and “they will demand/require.” Here the subject “they” is a way to include anyone who entrusts or asks something of people. It can be applied to both human masters and God. Some ways to translate these verbs are:

• Use passive verbs. For example:

the more he has had entrusted to him the more will be demanded of him (Revised English Bible)

• Use verbs with general subjects such as “anyone” or “someone”:

When ⌊someone/anyone⌋ entrusts you with a very precious thing, he will require you to be very faithful

Translate these verbs in a way that is most natural in your language.

General Comment on 12:48d–e

In some languages it may not be natural to use parallel statements that have almost the same meaning. If that is true in your language, it may be possible to combine the parallel statements into one statement. For example:

If a person is given many blessings and responsibilities, much will be expected from him.
-or-
God will certainly require much from people to whom he has entrusted much.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 13:21

13:21a

It is like leaven: As in the previous parable, the clause It is like leaven is a simile. It compares the kingdom of God to what happens when leaven is mixed with bread dough. A small amount of leaven spreads through a large amount of dough and affects it in a good way. In the same way, the effect of God’s rule among a few people spreads through the whole world.

This simile is about the effect of leaven in a lump of dough. It is not simply a description of what leaven itself is like. Two ways to make this clear are:

It is like what happens when a woman mixes yeast (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
It is like this. A woman takes some yeast and mixes it (Good News Translation)

leaven: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as leaven refers to a substance that makes bread dough rise or swell. A person mixes this substance with water and flour. Then it spreads throughout the flour and makes the dough expand. The dough is then baked into bread.

If people in your area are not familiar with making dough rise, here are other ways to translate leaven:

• Use an expression that describes the yeast. For example:

what spreads to make bread rise
-or-
bread-expanding substance

• Use a term from the national language and indicate its meaning. For example:

yeast that spreads to make bread swell

• Borrow a word and explain it in a footnote. Here is an example of a possible footnote:

Yeast is something that spreads in flour dough and causes it to rise so that after the dough is baked, it is soft to eat.

The word leaven also occurs in 12:1d. If you translate leaven with a descriptive phrase in your language, you may be able to use a shorter phrase here, since the context makes explicit the effect of yeast in bread dough.

a woman took: The word took here means “picked up.” In some languages it may be unnatural to state explicitly that the woman picked up the yeast. In those languages it may be preferable to leave this implicit.

mixed into: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mixed into literally says “hid in.” Use the expression that is natural in your language for distributing a very small amount of something (such as yeast or baking powder) in a large quantity of something else (such as dough or flour).

three measures of flour: The Greek text that the Berean Standard Bible translates as three measures of flour is literally “three seahs of flour.” Scholars do not agree as to exactly how much flour that was. But they do agree that it was a large amount that would have made enough bread to feed over one hundred people.

As this is only a parable or illustration, the exact quantity of flour is not important. Translate using a natural expression that refers to a large quantity of flour. For example:

a bushel of flour (Good News Translation)
-or-
a large tub of flour (New Century Version)

13:21b

until all of it was leavened: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as until all of it was leavened means that the leaven affected all the dough. It caused it to rise and become bigger. This would usually take several hours or perhaps overnight. Other ways to translate this clause are:

until the whole batch of dough rises (Good News Translation)
-or-
it permeated every part of the dough (New Living Translation (2004))

it was leavened: The word it refers to the mixture that the woman was making of flour and other things for bread. Such a mixture is called “dough” before people cook it. After it is cooked, it becomes bread. In languages where there is no word “dough,” instead of it, it may be possible to say:

that flour
-or-
the whole bread/flour mixture

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 14:18

Paragraph 14:18–20

14:18a

But one after another they all began to make excuses: All the people who had been invited to the feast told the servant reasons why they could not come. The clause implies that the reasons were inadequate excuses. See 14:18b–20 for examples of the type of excuses that the guests gave.

one after another: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as one after another is literally “from one.” It means that the people all acted in the same way. They all refused to come. It does not mean that they were all together and that they took turns speaking to the servant. Several English versions (English Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, New International Version, New Revised Standard Version) translate this expression as “alike,” but it does not mean that they gave the same reasons or that they spoke at the same time. Another way to express this meaning is:

They all gave different reasons why they could not come. (NLV)

began: In this context the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as began indicates that each person responded by making an excuse. It does not imply that they started to make excuses and did not finish. In some languages it may be more natural to omit the word “began.” For example:

One after another they all sent excuses. (Revised English Bible)

to make excuses: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as make excuses here means to give reasons for the host to release them from their previous commitment. The guests had earlier said they would come to the feast, but now they did not want to come.

14:18b,19a,20

In each of these verse parts, the New International Version supplies the word “just” (just bought a field, just bought five yoke of oxen, just got married). The context probably implies that the person had recently done each of these things, but there is no word in the Greek text with that specific meaning. Other versions such as the Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New Jerusalem Bible do not include the word “just” in 14:18b and 14:19a. But in 14:20, those versions, like the New International Version, do supply the word “just.” The Berean Standard Bible does not say “just” in any of these verse parts. Consider whether it is natural in your language to make explicit this implied information.

14:18b

The first one said: The expression The first refers to the first man to whom the servant spoke. In some languages it is better to translate this as “One man,” since no “second” or “third” men are mentioned. The three who are mentioned are just examples of the many people to whom the servant spoke. For example:

One said (New Living Translation (2004))

I have bought a field: A field is a piece of land used for growing crops or pasturing animals. For example:

I bought some land (Contemporary English Version)

14:18c

I need to go: The man spoke as though it were his duty or obligation to travel to his new piece of property. In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit where he needed to go:

I need to go ⌊to the field⌋

see it: The verb see in this context means to look something over to see how good it is. Another way to translate this is:

inspect it (New Living Translation (2004))

14:18d

Please excuse me: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Please excuse me is more literally “I ask you, have me excused.” The man was politely refusing to go to the feast. He was not asking permission to be absent. Another way to translate this is:

please accept my apologies (Good News Translation)

General Comment on 14:18b–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to place the expression of apology (18d) before the excuse (18b–c). For example:

14dI am sorry, I cannot attend. 14bI bought a field, 14cand I need to go and inspect it.

Use a natural order in your language for this verse and also for 14:19 and 14:20.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 15:15

15:15a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So here introduces what the younger son did because he was hungry.

he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hired himself out is literally “joined himself.” Some English versions, such as the Revised Standard Version, translate it that way. It indicates that he started working for a man who lived in that country. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

He went to work for a man in that country (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he got a job with one of the citizens there (New Century Version)
-or-
He persuaded a local farmer to hire him (New Living Translation (2004))

a citizen of that country: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a citizen of that country refers to a man who was a native of that country. It is also clear from the next verse part that the man owned property there. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

a person/farmer from there
-or-
one of the inhabitants/residents of that place/country
-or-
one of the local landowners (Revised English Bible)

15:15b

who sent him: The word who here refers to the landowner. In some languages it may be more natural to start a new sentence here. For example:

That man sent him to his fields

into his fields: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fields refers here to land used for pasturing animals. This word last occurred in 14:18b.

to feed the pigs: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as feed the pigs refers here to the work of tending pigs while they are in the fields. The next verse implies that the pigs ate the pods that fell from the carob trees. Another way to translate this is:

to take care of the pigs (Good News Translation)

the pigs: The Jews considered pigs to be unclean animals, and they despised them. See the note on 8:32a. The young man must have been very hungry to have been willing to take care of pigs. If pigs are not considered unclean or despised in your culture, it may be helpful to have a footnote. Here is an example:

The Jewish law said that pigs were unclean animals. According to this law, Jews were not to eat pig meat (pork). See Leviticus 11:7. So the Jewish people despised pigs and people who took care of pigs.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013