18:13a

But: The tax collector’s prayer in this verse contrasts with the Pharisee’s prayer in 18:11–12. The Berean Standard Bible has introduced this contrast with the conjunction But. Some English versions do not have a conjunction. Translate the contrast in a natural way in your language.

the tax collector stood at a distance: The phrase at a distance indicates that the tax collector stood away from the Pharisee and probably also from the other people who were praying. The tax collector was probably in an outer court of the temple, but in a place where the Pharisee could still see him.

In some languages it may be necessary to translate at a distance more specifically. For example:

at a distance ⌊from other people⌋
-or-
far ⌊from the Pharisee⌋

The tax collector was standing far from other people because he knew that he was a sinner. He felt unworthy to come nearer to them. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

The tax collector stood ⌊humbly⌋ apart ⌊from other people⌋

18:13b

unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven is a common expression that often simply means “looked” (as in 16:23). In this context, it refers to looking upward toward the sky. Jews often looked toward the sky when they prayed to God. In that context the sky was a symbol of God’s dwelling place.

The tax collector did not want to look up, because he was ashamed. He knew that he had sinned against God and he did not feel worthy even to look up toward him. Some other ways to translate this are:

and would not even raise his face to heaven (Good News Translation)
-or-
and did not feel worthy to even look toward heaven
-or-
he thought, “I am unworthy to look up to heaven/God.”

In some languages it may be more natural to translate the meaning by saying that he looked down. For example:

he kept his head down/bowed

lift up his eyes to heaven: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heaven here refers to the sky as a symbol of God’s dwelling place.

Since the tax collector would not look upward, you could translate the word heaven here with the usual word for sky. See heaven in the Glossary.

18:13c

Instead: The word Instead indicates a contrast with the action “lift up his eyes to heaven” in 18:13b. The tax collector did not have the confidence to look up to heaven. Instead, he showed his distress over his sin. The Berean Standard Bible, like the New Living Translation (2004) and God’s Word, introduces the contrast with Instead. The New International Version and several other translations say “but.” In some languages no conjunction is needed.

he beat his breast: In that culture people beat their chests with their fists either in anger or distress. Here the tax collector was greatly distressed because he had sinned. He felt sorry and ashamed. In some cultures, beating the chest does not have this meaning. If that is true in your culture, some other ways to translate it are:

• Translate the action and indicate the meaning. For example:

he felt so sorry that he hit his chest
-or-
he beat his chest in sorrow (New Living Translation (2004))

• Substitute an action that has the right meaning in your culture. For example:

he bowed his head

• Translate the meaning without the action. For example:

feeling very sorry/ashamed
-or-
he showed his sorrow

Translate the meaning in a natural way in your language.

and said: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and said is literally “saying.” It indicates that the tax collector prayed the words in 18:13d as he beat his breast.

In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb such as “prayed” rather than said. For example:

and prayed (Contemporary English Version)

18:13d

God, have mercy on me, a sinner: In this prayer the tax collector confessed that he was a sinner. He begged God to pity him. The context implies that he was asking God to show compassion to him by forgiving him. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

God, I am a sinner. I beg you to be merciful ⌊and forgive⌋ me.

me, a sinner: A sinner is someone who habitually offends God. The ways a person may offend God include doing and thinking things that God does not approve. A person may also offend God by his attitudes and by not doing what God wants him to do. Some ways to translate sinner in this context are:

⌊I am⌋ a person who sins
-or-

⌊I am⌋ a person who does not obey you
-or-

⌊I am⌋ a wrongdoer

General Comment on 18:13d

At the end of this verse, the tax collector ended his prayer. In some languages it may be natural to indicate this explicitly. For example:

‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’ ⌊That is what he prayed.⌋

© 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.

19:2a

And there was a man named Zacchaeus: This clause introduces a man named Zacchaeus, who is an important person in this section. In Greek the clause begins with a phrase that is sometimes translated as “And look!” or “And listen!” Use an expression that is natural in your language to introduce a new character and give his name. Some other ways to do this in English are:

A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus… (New International Version)
-or-
A man named Zacchaeus lived there.

19:2b

a chief tax collector: Zacchaeus was called a chief tax collector. This implies that he had other tax collectors working under him. Other ways to translate chief tax collector are:

a principal tax collector
-or-
a leader/head of the tax collectors

tax collector: The term tax collector refers here to men who collected tax money from people for a government. Zacchaeus was a Jewish man, but he collected taxes for the Roman government that often oppressed the people. Most Jewish people hated tax collectors like Zacchaeus because:

(a) They collected taxes for the Roman government that oppressed the people.

(b) They often collected more money than the government required. They kept the extra money for themselves.

If you do not have a word in your language for “tax collectors,” you may use a phrase to describe them. For example:

men who collected tax money for the government

If you use footnotes in your translation to explain background information, you may want to include one about tax collectors. For example:

The Jewish people hated tax collectors because they worked for a foreign government that oppressed them. The tax collectors often cheated the people by charging them too much.

Tax collectors are also mentioned at 3:12, 5:27–30, 7:29, 7:34, 15:1 and 18:10–14.

who was very wealthy: Zacchaeus was a rich man. He had probably become rich by collecting taxes from people. The word wealthy can also be put earlier in this verse. See the General Comment for an example.

General Comment on 19:2a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some of the information in this verse. For example:

2bA wealthy man 2anamed Zacchaeus lived there. 2bHe was a leader of the people who collected taxes in the city.

© 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.

19:34

“The Lord needs it,” they answered: The two disciples responded to the owners just as Jesus had told them to in 19:31b. You should translate in the same way here. The context implies that the owners then allowed the two disciples to take the donkey. Mark 11:6 makes this explicit. In many languages it may be helpful to make it explicit here, as well. For example:

The ⌊two⌋ disciples replied, “The Lord needs it.” ⌊Then its owners permitted them(dual) to borrow it⌋.

they answered: In Greek, the phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they answered comes before the quotation. The Good News Translation, like the Berean Standard Bible, places this phrase after the quotation. Place it where it would be natural in your language.

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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.

20:18

In 20:17 Jesus compared himself as the Messiah to a stone that was rejected by the builders. Here in 20:18 Jesus continued to compare himself to a stone, but he referred to different verses in the Old Testament. He probably alluded to Isaiah 8:14–15 and Daniel 2:34–35, 44–45, but he did not quote them exactly.

Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed: Here Jesus used two comparisons to describe what will happen to people who reject him as the Messiah. The two comparisons have the same meaning: people who reject Jesus will be destroyed. They will be like a person who falls on a large stone or like someone on whom the stone falls.

In some languages it may be helpful to use a simile and make the meaning more explicit. For example:

A person ⌊who rejects the Messiah⌋ is like someone who falls on a ⌊huge⌋ stone. He will be broken to pieces. Or he is like a person on whom the ⌊huge⌋ stone falls. He will be completely crushed.

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

Here the stone represents Jesus. Jesus was saying that the people who reject him will be destroyed.

20:18a

Everyone who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces: This clause refers to what happens to a person who falls on the stone. The clause is a metaphor. It indicates that if a person rejects the Messiah, the person will be completely destroyed. In some languages it is not natural to speak of a person being broken to pieces. Some other ways to translate this are:

• Use a more general expression. For example:

The man who falls on that stone will be broken (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

• Refer more specifically to the person’s body. For example:

If a person falls on that stone, his body/bones will be completely broken up
-or-
All those who fall on this stone their bodies will be crumbled

Translate the metaphor in a way that is natural in your language.

will be broken to pieces: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will be broken to pieces is passive. In some languages it may be more natural use an active verb here. For example:

the stone will break/shatter him into pieces.

20:18b

but he on whom it falls will be crushed: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but introduces a situation that is different from the one in 20:18a, but it has a similar result. In some languages it may be more natural to use a conjunction like “and.” For example:

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken, and the person on whom it falls, that person will be crushed! (New Century Version)

In some languages a conjunction is not needed. For example:

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken. If that stone falls on anyone, it will crush that person. (God’s Word)

he on whom it falls will be crushed: In Greek this clause literally says “when it falls on anyone, it crushes him.” Notice that the Berean Standard Bible translated the verb “crush” with a passive verb. In many languages it is natural to translate it as active. See the examples in the preceding note.

The verb “crush” indicates here that the stone will smash or flatten the person. It may imply that it will completely grind the person to dust. For example:

that person will be crushed to dust (Good News Translation)

© 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.

21:35

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces an explanation or reason for the warning that Jesus gave in 21:34d. Connect this verse with 21:34 in a natural way in your language. In some languages a conjunction may not be needed.

it will come upon all who dwell on the face of all the earth: This clause refers back to the “day” mentioned in 21:34d. The clause indicates that the events that happen on that day will affect everyone in this world. No one should think that the day will affect only certain people. Every human being will be affected.

In some languages it is not natural to speak of a day as “coming upon” people. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

• Translate the meaning without this idiom. For example:

All people all over the world will be affected by that day.
-or-

⌊What happens on⌋ that day will impact everyone all over the earth.

• Use a different idiom to express this meaning. For example:

That day will catch all the people dwelling on earth.

Translate the clause in a natural way in your language.

the face of all the earth: The phrase the face of all the earth refers to the surface of the ground all over the world. This is a figurative way to refer to the whole earth. In some languages it may not be natural to mention the face or surface of the world. If that is true in your language, you may translate the phrase without the figure of speech. For example:

on the earth (New Living Translation (2004))

© 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.

22:29a–b

In Greek the order of words in this verse is more literally “And I confer on you, just as my Father conferred on me, a kingdom.” The Father conferred a kingdom on Jesus, and then Jesus conferred one on his disciples. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of words in this verse. See the General Comment on 22:29a–b below for an example.

And I: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And I introduces what Jesus will do for his apostles because they have been faithful to him through his trials (22:28). Some other ways to introduce his statement in English are:

So (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
And I, in turn/response

Introduce this statement in a natural way in your language. In some languages a conjunction is not necessary.

I bestow on you a kingdom: The clause I bestow on you a kingdom indicates here that Jesus was giving his apostles authority to rule people. The context in 22:30 shows that his apostles will sit at his table, and they will rule the twelve tribes of Israel. They will use their authority in the kingdom that God has given to Jesus. Jesus did not imply that he was giving the apostles a different kingdom from the one that the Father had given him.

Some ways to translate this are:

I will give you the right to rule as kings (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I appoint/assign you to rule ⌊over people⌋
-or-
I give you power/authority to rule

bestow: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bestow means “to give [someone] a right or authority.” This word is often used when someone makes a covenant/agreement with another person. Jesus implied here that he was officially giving his apostles authority. See the preceding note for translation examples.

kingdom: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as kingdom refers here to the authority to rule people. Some ways to translate this are:

kingly authority
-or-
the authority to rule ⌊people⌋

just as: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as just as connects what Jesus was doing for the apostles to what his Father had done for him. It implies that Jesus and his Father God acted in a similar way in 22:29a–b. God gave Jesus authority to rule, and then Jesus also gave his apostles authority to rule. In this context the conjunction focuses on the similar action that God and Jesus did. It does not focus especially on the manner or way of doing this action.

Some other ways to translate this connection are:

like…so also
-or-
as (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
since

See also the examples in the General Comment on 22:29a–b below. Translate the connection in a natural way in your language.

My Father has bestowed one on Me: The word one refers back to the phrase “a kingdom.” As earlier in 22:29b, it refers to authority. Here, Jesus indicated that God had given him authority to rule. Jesus was not referring to two different kingdoms in this verse. He was referring to the authority that God gave him and that he will share with his disciples.

My Father: Here Jesus referred to God as his Father. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

My Father God

General Comment on 22:29a–b

In some languages it may be helpful to reverse the order of words in this verse. For example:

29band just as my Father has given me the right to rule, 29aso I will give you 29bthe same right. (Good News Translation)
-or-

29bGod my Father gave me authority to rule. 29aNow I also give you 29bauthority to rule.

© 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.

22:61a

And: In Greek, this verse begins with a common conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And. Some ways to translate it here are:

Then (NET Bible)
-or-
At that moment (New Living Translation (2004))

the Lord turned and looked at Peter: The Lord Jesus was in a place where he could see Peter by turning toward him. Jesus may have been in the courtyard itself at that moment, or he may have been in an open room or gallery near the courtyard. As the rooster crowed, Jesus turned and looked at Peter. The context shows that Peter also saw Jesus looking at him.

Some other ways to translate this statement are:

The Lord turned toward Peter and looked directly at him
-or-

⌊Peter saw⌋ the Lord turn and look at him

the Lord: The phrase the Lord refers here to Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

the Lord ⌊Jesus⌋

22:61b

Then Peter remembered the word that the Lord had spoken to him: In Greek this clause is literally, “And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, as he said to him…” This word refers to what Jesus said to Peter in 22:34. The text repeats this statement in 22:61c. Some other ways to translate this are:

Then Peter remembered what the Lord had said to him
-or-
And Peter remembered that the Lord had said (Contemporary English Version)

22:61c–d

Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times: This statement is quoted from 22:34. See the notes at 22:34b and 22:34c. You should translate this statement in the same way as you did there.

© 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.