2:27a

Led by the Spirit, he went: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Led by the Spirit, he went is literally “He went in the Spirit.” This means that the Spirit of God caused Simeon to want to go to the temple area.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

The Spirit led Simeon (New Century Version)
-or-
the Spirit told Simeon to go (Contemporary English Version)

Spirit: The term Spirit here refers to the Holy Spirit. This is the same Spirit as in 2:25d.

the temple courts: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as temple courts is literally “temple” (as in most English versions). The temple was in Jerusalem and was the most important place where Jews worshiped God. It consisted of the main building and the walls and courtyards that surrounded it. Here “temple” refers specifically to one of the courtyards.

Some English versions (Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, NET Bible) have made this clear by translating “temple” as temple courts. You may want to do this also if your word or phrase for “temple” would make readers think they met inside the temple building.

Some ways to translate the term temple courts are:

• Use a descriptive phrase. For example:

courtyard of God’s house
-or-
courtyard of the house of sacrifice
-or-
courtyard of the holy/sacred house

• If your language has a word for “temple,” consider using it. But you may need to modify it by saying:

courtyard of the temple of the Lord

Be sure to use a different term from the one you have chosen for “synagogue.” There was only one temple, but there were many synagogues where the Jews met regularly for worship.

See temple, Meaning 1, in the Glossary for more information about the temple and how to translate it.

2:27b

the parents: The phrase the parents refers to Mary and Joseph. Joseph was not the biological father of Jesus, but he was his legal father.

brought in the child Jesus: In your translation, it may already be clear here that Jesus was a child. If so, then it may be more natural in your language to make “the child” implicit. For example:

brought in Jesus

the child: At this time, Jesus was between one and two months old. If you translate “child,” you should use a word or phrase that fits his age. For example:

the baby

2:27c

to do for Him what was customary under the Law: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to do for Him what was customary under the Law is more literally “for them to do according to the custom of the Law about him.” The Law that God gave the Israelites required them to do certain things for firstborn males. The Israelites later started doing other things that were based on this Law but that were not stated in it. These things became customs.

When Jesus’ parents brought him to the temple to present him to God, they were following such a custom. This entire clause refers back to what was already mentioned in 2:22b–23.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

to perform for him the custom ⌊derived⌋ from the Law concerning him ⌊as a firstborn son⌋
-or-
to do the customary thing for him based on ⌊Moses’⌋ law

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
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.

Paragraph 3:7–9

These verses are similar to the text in Matthew 3:7–10.

3:7a

Then John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him: In some languages, it may be helpful to change the order of information in this part of the verse. For example:

Crowds of people were coming out to be baptized by John. So John said to them….

Then At the end of 3:6, Luke ended his quote from the book of Isaiah. In 3:7, Luke began to tell how John fulfilled this prophecy by his preaching. In Greek, there is a conjunction at the beginning of 3:7 that indicates this connection. The Berean Standard Bible and some other versions (CSB, New King James Version) translate this conjunction as “then,” introducing the next event that happened. Other versions (New American Standard Bible, NET Bible) translate this conjunction as “so,” indicating that what John did fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. Some other ways to express this connection are:

John ⌊did as the words from Isaiah’s book said⌋
-or-
In keeping with ⌊the words of Isaiah’s book⌋

Connect these verses in a natural way in your language. In some languages a connector may not be needed.

crowds: The word crowds is a plural form. In this context it has the same meaning as the singular form “crowd.” It refers to many people. It does not focus on different groups that may have been included in the crowd.

coming out: The crowds were coming out of the towns and villages to where John was, in the desert.

to be baptized by him: The phrase to be baptized by him is passive. It also indicates the purpose for which the people came to John in the desert. They came out to John in order to be baptized by him.

In some languages it may be more natural to use an active phrase here. For example:

in order for John to baptize them

be baptized: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as be baptized means to be ceremonially washed/purified with a special ritual that uses water. In this context people were purified from their sins. They were not washed to remove dirt from their bodies. A person was baptized as an initiation into a new spiritual condition.

The verb be baptized is another form of the word that was translated as “baptism” in 3:3c. You should translate the verb baptize in a similar way as you translate the noun “baptism.” See the note on “baptism” in 3:3c. Here are some ways to translate baptize in this context:

• Use a descriptive term. For example:

⌊ritually⌋ wash
-or-
initiate ⌊people⌋ in/with water
-or-
enter water

• Use a term for a similar ritual that is already part of your culture. You may need to indicate that in this context it has a special connection with God. For example:

purify people with God’s ceremonial bath
-or-
wash people in initiation water for God

• Use a term that is already accepted by the local churches. In some areas this term may have been borrowed from the national language or transliterated from Greek or English.

See baptize, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

3:7b

You brood of vipers: Many English versions punctuate the phrase You brood of vipers as a separate sentence, as an exclamation. They begin a new sentence, a question, in 3:7c. Other versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, punctuate it as part of the same sentence as 3:7c. Connect 3:7b and 3:7c in the most natural way in your language.

brood of vipers: The word vipers refers to poisonous snakes. Another name for this type of snakes is “adders.” The phrase brood of vipers means “children/offspring of poisonous snakes.”

John used a metaphor here to criticize the people in the crowds. He called them a group of poisonous snakes. This phrase was an insult to the people. It meant that they were treacherous and evil, like deadly snakes.

In some cultures people may not understand the meaning of this metaphor. In some languages it may not be considered an insult. If that is true in your language, some other ways to translate it are:

• Use a simile and make the point of comparison explicit. For example:

You are ⌊as treacherous/dangerous as⌋ a group of vipers!
-or-
You are ⌊dangerous, like⌋ a bunch of poisonous snakes!

• Use an idiom that has the same meaning in your culture. If you do this, you may want to include a footnote that gives the biblical metaphor. For example:

The Greek text literally says, “you brood of vipers.”

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

You treacherous deceivers!
-or-
You deceitful people!
-or-
You evil frauds!

brood: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as brood means offspring. However, John was not saying that the people were young or childlike. Some English translations do not translate the word brood. For example:

You snakes! (Good News Translation)
-or-
You poisonous snakes! (God’s Word)

3:7c

who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?: This is a rhetorical question. John asked the question to rebuke the people. He implied that the people were coming to be baptized so that God would not punish them in the future. John also implied that the people did not really intend to repent of their sins.

Some ways to translate this rhetorical question include:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Who warned you to run away from God’s coming punishment? (New Century Version)

• As a statement. For example:

⌊So,⌋ someone has told you to try to escape God’s wrath!

If you translate this rebuke as a question, it may be necessary to have a transition to the next verse. For example:

Who warned you to run away from God’s coming punishment? Now that you have been warned….

See the note on the connection in 3:8a. Translate this rhetorical question in a natural way in your language.

flee: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as flee means “to run away from (something)” or “avoid/escape danger.”

the coming wrath: The word wrath means “anger” or “the punishment that comes as a consequence of someone’s anger.” In this context the phrase the coming wrath refers to the fact that God will judge and punish people because of their rebellious attitudes and their sins. Some other ways to translate the coming wrath are:

the punishment God is about to send (Good News Translation)
-or-
the coming judgment (Contemporary English Version)

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
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.

Paragraph 4:23–27

4:23a

This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, such as the English Standard Version, translate it that way. The Berean Standard Bible has not translated this conjunction here, and some other versions such as the New International Version and NET Bible also do not translate it. However, since the events in this paragraph occurred after the events in 4:20–22, in some languages, it may be natural to begin this paragraph with a time word or phrase. For example:

Then he said (New Living Translation (2004))

Connect 4:23a to 4:22c in a way that is natural in your language.

Surely: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Surely means “it is sure that,” “certainly,” or “without a doubt.” Some other ways to translate this are:

I know that (New Century Version)
-or-
certainly (Contemporary English Version)

quote: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as quote is literally “say” (as in the King James Version). The word quote is the natural English expression for repeating words that someone else has already said or written.

this: In this context, the word this refers to the proverb which follows in 4:23b. It does not refer to something that came before this verse.

If the word “this” in your language refers only to something that precedes it, you should say:

the proverb
-or-
the following proverb

proverb: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as proverb refers to a saying or expression that many people have heard. The well-known saying that Jesus was referring to is in 4:23b. See also parable, Type 1, in the Glossary.

4:23b–d

Jesus gave two quotations in 4:23b–d. In 4:23b he quoted the proverb. Then in 4:23c–d he quoted the words that the people wanted to say to him about the proverb. You may want to use separate sets of quotation marks for the proverb and for what the people say about it. If you decide to do that, you should close the quote for the proverb at the end of 4:23b. Then, after a word or phrase introducing the second quotation, you can use a separate set of quotation marks in 4:23c–d. For example:

23Then he said, “You will undoubtedly quote me this proverb: ‘Physician, heal yourself’—meaning, ‘Do miracles here in your hometown like those you did in Capernaum.’ 24aBut I tell you the truth…” (New Living Translation (2004))

Physician, heal yourself!: The expression Physician, heal yourself was a proverb in Jesus’ time. It meant that someone who claimed to have special abilities should use them to help himself and his own people, as well as to help others. Some other ways to translate this are:

Doctor, cure yourself! (God’s Word)
-or-
Doctor, first make yourself well. (Contemporary English Version)

The people did not mean Jesus was a physician or that Jesus was sick.

Physician: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Physician refers to a doctor who heals or cures sick people.

heal: The word heal means “to cure, to make well.”

4:23c–d

Luke 4:23c–d tells why Jesus used this proverb to describe what the people of Nazareth were thinking about him. They had heard that Jesus had performed miracles in the town of Capernaum. Now they wanted Jesus to do miracles for them in Nazareth also. They thought that he ought to benefit them, the people in his own hometown.

In some languages it may be necessary to make it explicit that Jesus was saying what the people thought. He was no longer quoting the proverb. One way to do this is to introduce 4:23c–d with a phrase such as:

⌊You will also say⌋
-or-
You will tell me (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You want to say (New Century Version)

Another possibility is to translate 4:23c–d into indirect speech. If you do this, you can use an introductory phrase such as:

⌊You will tell me to⌋

See the General Comment on 4:23a–d at the end of 4:23d for an example of using indirect speech.

4:23c

Do here in Your hometown: The word hometown refers to the town where Jesus had lived when he was a boy. Jesus’ hometown was the town of Nazareth (4:16a).

In some languages, it may be necessary to make explicit that the people wanted Jesus to do some miracles. For example:

Do all the things in your hometown (God’s Word)
-or-
Do ⌊miracles⌋ here in your(sing) own town

Your hometown: In Greek, the pronoun Your is singular. In some languages, it may be more natural to make explicit that it was also the hometown of many of the people to whom Jesus was speaking. For example:

our(incl) hometown

4:23d

what we have heard that You did in Capernaum: This refers to the miracles that the people of Nazareth had heard about. Jesus knew that they wanted to see similar things. It may be necessary to make this explicit in either 4:23c or here in 4:23d. An example of making this explicit here in 4:23d is:

⌊the things/miracles⌋ we have heard that you(sing) did in Capernaum

General Comment on 4:23a–d

This verse contains a quotation within a quotation. In some languages, this may not be natural, or it may be difficult to understand. If that is true in your language, you may be able to use indirect speech here. For example:

23aJesus said to them, “I am sure that you(plur) are wanting to apply this proverb to me: 23b‘Physician, heal yourself.’ 23c⌊You(plur) are going to tell me to⌋ do here in my hometown the miracles 23dthat you(plur) heard that I did in Capernaum.”

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
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.

5:11a

And: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible and the English Standard Version, translate it that way. This verse concludes this event and tells what the fishermen did as a result of what happened. Some other ways to translate this word are:

Then (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
So (New International Version)

Some versions do not translate this word. Connect this verse with the previous verses in a way that is natural in your language.

they: Jesus had been talking specifically to Simon in the previous verse. However, the pronoun here is plural. It may refer to all the fishermen who were with Simon, to some of them, or specifically to Simon, James, and John. So it is recommended that you leave this general if possible. Some ways to do this are:

• Use a plural pronoun. For example:

they

• Use a phrase. For example:

Simon and his companions

had brought their boats ashore: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as had brought their boats ashore is literally “brought the boats on the land.” The fishermen pushed or pulled their boats up on dry land where it would be safe to leave them.

5:11b

left everything: The phrase left everything means “abandoned everything.” The word everything here probably refers to their fishing equipment. The fishermen left their boats. They left the fishing business. They even left the fish they had just caught.

They might have given or sold their equipment to other fisherman or just left it sitting on the shore. These details are not in focus in the story.

followed Him: The phrase followed Him here means “became Jesus’ disciples/ followers.” The fishermen decided to go with Jesus wherever he went in order to learn from him.

Another way to translate this is:

went with Jesus as his disciples/followers
-or-
became Jesus’ disciples/followers

General Comment on 5:11a–b

There are three verbs in 5:11a–b (“brought the boats,” “left everything,” and “followed him”). In the Greek text, the main verb is “followed.” Express the actions in a natural way in your language.

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
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.

6:4a

He entered the house of God: The phrase the house of God was a Jewish expression that could refer to either the tabernacle or the temple. In this context it refers to the tabernacle. The tabernacle was a large tent where Jewish people presented sacrifices to God and where God revealed his presence to them. Some ways to translate this are:

God’s house/dwelling
-or-
the big tent where our ancestors worshiped God

David probably went into the courtyard of the tabernacle, since only the priests were allowed to go into the tent itself. If you feel that this detail is important here, you could say:

He entered ⌊the courtyard of⌋ the house of God

You should only translate the house of God literally if:

(a) your word for “house” can be used for this type of building, and

(b) “house of God” is not your usual expression for “church” or “heaven” (the dwelling place of God).

God: For help in translating the word God, see the note at 1:6a.

6:4b

took the consecrated bread: The word took indicates here that David received the bread from the priest. In the story in 1 Samuel 21:1–6, David asked the priest for the bread, and the priest gave it to him. This information is not mentioned explicitly in this verse. If your readers might think that David stole the bread and ate it, you may need to make explicit that the priest gave it to him. You could mention this fact in a footnote.

Some other ways to translate this are:

⌊he⌋ received/accepted the consecrated bread
-or-

⌊he⌋ took the consecrated bread ⌊that the priest gave to him⌋

the consecrated bread: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the consecrated bread refers to the bread that the priests offered or presented to God. They put this bread in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. Every Sabbath, the bread was replaced with fresh bread. Then, only the priests were allowed to eat the old bread. See Leviticus 24:5–9 and Exodus 25:30. Some other ways to translate this are:

the sacred/holy bread
-or-
the bread offered to God (Good News Translation)
-or-
special bread (New Living Translation (1996))

It may also be helpful to include a footnote to explain this. For example:

The consecrated bread was twelve loaves of bread that were in the Holy Place of the tabernacle. They were put there each week as a sacrifice to God. Every Sabbath day, they were replaced with twelve fresh loaves of bread. Only the priests were allowed to eat the old loaves (see Leviticus 24:5–9).

bread: The word bread refers to loaves made from wheat flour. Bread was the main food of the Jewish people. Other ways to translate this could be “loaves” or “loaves of bread.” If the people for whom you are translating do not eat bread, you could translate this with a general term, such as:

food

6:4c–d

In 6:4c–d, the Berean Standard Bible keeps the order of the Greek clauses, as do many other English versions. Other versions, such as the New International Version, change the Greek order. Compare the two examples below, which are from the New International Version and the Good News Translation.

4che ate what is lawful only for priests to eat. 4dAnd he also gave some to his companions. (New International Version)

4cate it, 4dand gave it also to his men. 4cYet it is against our Law for anyone except the priests to eat that bread. (Good News Translation)

You should translate these clauses in an order that is natural in your language.

6:4c

and ate what is lawful only for the priests to eat: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and ate what is lawful only for the priests to eat is literally “he ate…that which is not permissible to eat except for only the priests.” The word what refers to the bread. The law did not permit anyone except priests to eat the consecrated bread. But David ate that bread.

Some other ways to translate this are:

ate some bread himself…even though the Law does not permit anyone except the priests to eat it (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
and ate the holy bread, which is lawful only for priests to eat (New Century Version)

lawful: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lawful means “permitted.” It is the same phrase that the Pharisees used in their question in 6:2b. As in 6:2, it refers to what the Jewish religious and ceremonial law allowed. The law about the dedicated bread is stated in the Law of Moses (see Leviticus 24:9). Use an expression that is consistent with the way you translated “unlawful” in 6:2b.

priests: A Jewish priest was a man who offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. He also performed other religious rituals for them. Some ways to translate priest are:

sacrificers
-or-
men offering sacrifices
-or-
men who represent people to God

See how you translated “priest” in 1:5b. See also priest in the Glossary.

6:4d

and gave it to his companions: This clause implies that although David gave some consecrated bread to his companions, God did not punish him for it. You may need to make this explicit in your translation or in a footnote. For example:

He also gave some of the bread to his companions and they ate it too. ⌊But God did not punish David for doing that.⌋

gave it: The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the object it, meaning “some consecrated bread.” The Greek text does not have an explicit object of gave. You should supply an object if it is natural in your language. For example:

his companions also ⌊ate the bread⌋ he gave to them

his companions: Use the same term for his companions as you used in 6:3c.

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
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.