2:46a

Finally, after three days: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as after three days probably indicates that Joseph and Mary found Jesus on the third day after they left Jerusalem. The first day was the day that they left Jerusalem to go toward Nazareth. On the second day they went back to Jerusalem, and on the third day they found Jesus.

If you want to make this clear in your translation you could say:

On the third day ⌊after they left Jerusalem⌋

Most commentators do not think that this phrase means that they searched for him in Jerusalem for three days.

temple courts: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here 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 temple 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 that Joseph and Mary found Jesus inside the temple building.

This word also occurs in 2:27a. See the note on 2:27a for examples of how to translate this. See temple, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

2:46b

among: The word among indicates that Jesus was with a group of teachers. It does not imply that he was one of the teachers. The word among can be translated as “with,” “next to,” “in front of,” or “in the middle of.” Translate it in a natural way in your language for this context.

teachers: The teachers were teachers of the Jewish religion. They were probably some of the best-known religious teachers in Israel.

2:46c

listening to them and asking them questions: Jesus was respectful toward these teachers. He behaved like a student.

© 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.

37

3:33

the son of Admin, the son of Arni: There is a textual issue here:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts have two generations here. The names vary in the English versions. For example:

the son of Admin, the son of Arni (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible)

(2) Some Greek manuscripts have one generation here. For example:

the son of Ram (New International Version)

(New International Version, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). However, if the major national language version in use in your area follows option (2), you may also wish to follow that option.

© 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.

Section 4:31–37

Jesus cast out an evil spirit

In Nazareth, people did not believe that Jesus was sent by God. In this section, Jesus went back to Capernaum (4:23d). Apparently, the people in Capernaum accepted him. There he commanded a demon to come out of a man. The people were amazed at both the authority and the power with which Jesus spoke.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus Forces an Evil Spirit out of a Man (God’s Word)
-or-
Jesus exorcises an evil spirit

There is a parallel passage for this section in Mark 1:21–28.

Paragraph 4:31–32

4:31a

Then: 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. However, since this verse is the beginning of a new story, other versions, like the Berean Standard Bible, translate this conjunction with a time word. In some languages, it will also be natural to begin this paragraph with a time word or phrase. For example:

After that
-or-
One day

He went down to Capernaum: Capernaum is the name of a town. Jesus went down from the town of Nazareth (a higher place) to Capernaum (a lower place). Capernaum was about 580 meters lower in elevation than Nazareth was. It was nearly thirty kilometers away.

In some languages, it is important to say whether people go up or down when they travel. In other languages, this would be unusual and might be confusing. If it is confusing in your language, you should not translate “down.” For example:

Jesus went to Capernaum
-or-
Jesus traveled to Capernaum

a town in Galilee: Capernaum was a town in the province of Galilee. It was on or near the northwest shore of Lake Galilee.

Since Nazareth was also a town in Galilee, it may be necessary to translate this as:

⌊another⌋ town in Galilee

4:31b

and on the Sabbath He began to teach the people: On one particular Sabbath day, Jesus went to the synagogue in Capernaum and began to teach there. While he was teaching, the incident in 4:33–37 happened.

the Sabbath:
The Sabbath day was the name of the seventh and last day of the week for the Jews. See the note on Sabbath at 4:16b for a more complete description.

He began to teach the people: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as began to teach is literally “he was teaching” (as in the Revised Standard Version). It can also be translated as “taught.” For example:

he taught the people (Good News Translation)

In some languages, it may be necessary to say explicitly what Jesus taught the people. For example:

taught ⌊God’s word to⌋ the people

the people: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the people is literally “them.” It refers to the people of Capernaum who were in the synagogue that Sabbath day.

© 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.

5:19a

This part of the verse tells the problem that the men had as they tried to get their friend to Jesus. Connect 5:19a to 5:18b in a natural way in your language.

but they could not find a way through the crowd: This part of the verse explains the reason for the action in 5:19b. Because the men could not get near Jesus by going through the crowd, they brought the paralyzed man to him in a different way. Another way to translate this is:

They could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd. So….

It may be more natural in your language to state the reason why they were unable to get to Jesus first. If so, reorder the two parts of this phrase. For example:

Because of the crowd, however, they could find no way to take him in. (Good News Translation)
-or-
But because of the crowd, they could not get him to Jesus. (Contemporary English Version)

through the crowd: The phrase through the crowd indicates that the men could not enter because so many people were at the door. The phrase does not imply that the men were afraid that the people would criticize them or forbid them to bring the paralyzed man to Jesus.

In some languages you may need to use a more specific phrase. For example:

because it was full of people
-or-
since the people were so tightly packed there at the house

5:19b

So: Verse 5:19b explains what the men did because they could not get into the house through the door. In some languages it may be natural to express this as a result, as the Berean Standard Bible does by saying So. There is actually no conjunction in Greek. Another way to translate this is:

When they could not find a way to do this…, they went up (New International Version)

they went up on the roof: The original readers of the Gospel of Luke understood that the men climbed stairs to get onto the roof. They also knew that the roof was flat and the men could walk across it. In some languages, it may be necessary to communicate some of this implied information. Some ways to do this are:

• Make some of the details explicit in the text. For example:

they went up on the ⌊flat⌋ roof of the house
-or-
they ⌊climbed the stairs⌋ ⌊carrying their companion⌋ to the top of the house

• Use a footnote to explain how the men got onto the roof.

• Include a drawing of a Galilean home with a ladder or stairs

5:19c

and lowered him on his mat through the tiles: These words imply that the men first made a hole in the roof by removing some of the tiles. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

They made an opening in the tiles and let the man down on his stretcher (God’s Word)
-or-
and took off some tiles. Then they lowered the sick man on his mat (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
and then they removed some of the tiles ⌊to make a hole in the roof⌋ and lowered him on his mat down through the hole

Before the men lowered the paralyzed man through the hole, they probably attached ropes to the four corners of the mat. Then men on the roof could hold onto the ropes and slowly let the man down.

through the tiles: The tiles were pieces of baked clay or brick. Builders arranged these tiles in rows on top of a house to make a roof. People could easily remove a group of these tiles and thus make a hole in the roof.

If people in your culture do not use roof tiles, translate this more generally, for example:

through a/the hole in the roof

5:19d

into the middle of the crowd: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as into the middle of the crowd is literally “into the middle/center.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the words of the crowd. The middle could also refer to the middle of the room.

Some other ways to translate this are:

in the middle of the room (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
among the people (God’s Word)
-or-
into the crowd (New Living Translation (2004))

Luke did not say whether the men lowered the paralyzed man all the way to the ground.

right in front of Jesus: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as right in front of Jesus is literally “before Jesus.”

General Comment on 5:19a–d

The main verbs in this verse are “went up” (5:19b) and “lowered” (5:19c). The men did these actions because they could not find a way to enter the house (5:19a). The reason they could not enter the house is explained as “because of the crowd” (5:19a). Consider if your language has a natural order for giving the reason for an action and then the results. Here is one way of giving the reason first:

19aBut because there were so many people there, they could not find a way in. 19bSo they went up on the roof and 19clowered the man (New Century Version)

Here is an example of giving the results first:

19bThey went up on the roof and 19clowered him on his mat into the presence of Jesus. 19a⌊They did this⌋ because the crowd of people ⌊in/around the doorway⌋ made it impossible to enter the house.

© 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.

Section 6:12–16

Jesus chose the twelve apostles

In this section, Luke changed his topic from enemies of Jesus to friends and followers of Jesus. Jesus chose twelve men from among his many followers to be his apostles. Before making this important decision, Jesus prayed all night and asked God to guide him. Jesus chose these twelve men in order to train them for leadership.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus appointed the apostles
-or-
The Twelve Apostles (New International Version)

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 10:1–4 and Mark 3:13–19.

Paragraph 6:12–16

6:12a

In those days: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as In those days is literally “And it happened in these days.” This phrase refers to a general time period after the events in 6:1–11. Some other ways to translate this are:

At that time (Good News Translation)
-or-
About that time (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
One day soon afterward (New Living Translation (2004))

Jesus went out to the mountain to pray: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus went out to the mountain to pray indicates that he went to a place where he could be away from other people to pray. He wanted to be alone and pray to God. It also implies that he went away from where he had been. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

Jesus went out ⌊from the town⌋ to a mountainside ⌊to be alone⌋ and pray.

the mountain: The Greek noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates as mountain refers to one of the hills around Lake Galilee. Another way to translate this word is:

hill (Good News Translation)

6:12b

and He spent the night in prayer to God: The phrase spent the night in prayer to God means that Jesus prayed to God all night long. Some other ways to translate this are:

and he prayed to God all night (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
and spent the night praying to God (New International Version)

In some languages, it may be necessary to make it explicit that Jesus prayed on the mountainside. For example:

and he spent the whole night praying there

in prayer: The verb form of the noun that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as prayer occurs in 3:21b, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “praying.”

© 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.

6:44a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For marks this proverb as an explanation of what Jesus has just said. Some versions, such as the New International Version, Contemporary English Version, and New Living Translation (2004), do not translate this conjunction. Think about how you would introduce this saying in your language. For example:

Thus
-or-
In that way

Use a natural way to connect 6:44a to 6:43.

each tree is known by its own fruit: This is a passive clause. It means that when people see the fruit that a tree produces, they know what that tree is like. This includes knowing both the kind of tree (fig trees produce figs) and the quality of the tree (good or bad). Some ways to translate this are:

• As a passive clause. For example:

Each tree is known by its own fruit… (New Century Version)

• As an active clause. For example:

⌊People⌋ know what a tree is like by its fruit.
-or-
You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces. (Contemporary English Version)

This saying is like a proverb. It means that the way a person acts shows what he is really like inside. It may be helpful to put this information in a footnote.

6:44b–c

Indeed: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Indeed connects 6:44b–c to 6:44a. It marks 6:44b–c as a further explanation of 6:44a. Versions such as the English Standard Version, NET Bible, and Revised Standard Version translate it as “For.” Versions such as the New International Version, Contemporary English Version, and New Living Translation (2004) do not translate the conjunction. Some other ways to connect 6:44b are:

For example
-or-
That is

Use a natural way to connect 6:44b–c to 6:44a in your language.

figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor grapes from brambles: Jesus further explained the image of the fruit tree. The type of tree you grow determines the type of fruit you will get. Similarly, the type of person you are determines the way you will speak and act.

6:44b

figs are not gathered from thornbushes: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as figs are not gathered from thornbushes is literally “from thorn plants they do not pick figs.” Some other ways to translate this are:

You don’t pick figs from thorny plants (God’s Word)
-or-
Figs are never gathered from thornbushes (New Living Translation (2004))

The reason why people do not gather fruit from thornbushes is that it is impossible. Thornbushes do not grow fruit. So in some languages, it may be more natural to say “cannot pick.” For example:

You cannot pick figs…from thornbushes. (Contemporary English Version)

gathered: The verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gathered is a general word for the action of picking or plucking anything. People pick fruit such as figs with the intention of eating what was picked. Another way to translate this is:

gathered (New Living Translation (2004))

figs: The word figs are small, tasty fruits that grow on trees. Figs were very common in Israel.

If speakers of your language are not familiar with figs, some other ways to translate this word are:

• Use a more general term. For example:

fruit

• Use a specific type of fruit from your area. For example:

guavas
-or-
mangoes

thornbushes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as thornbushes refers to a plant that has thorns. It is a weed that grows in areas that people do not cultivate. If possible, you should translate this word by a general word that refers to these types of plants. For example:

thorny plants (God’s Word)

If you do not have a general word, you may translate this word by a specific type of thorny weed that grows in your area.

6:44c

nor grapes from brambles: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as nor grapes from brambles is literally “nor do they pick a cluster of grapes from a bramble bush.” The Berean Standard Bible does not translate the Greek verb in this clause. Another way to translate this is:

nor do they pick grapes from a briar bush (New American Standard Bible)

Some other ways to translate this are:

and they don’t get grapes from bushes (New Century Version)
-or-
and grapes are not picked from bramble bushes (New Living Translation (2004))

The Greek text uses a verb in 6:44b that specifically describes the action of harvesting fruit and a different verb in 6:44c that describes removing grapes from vines. Another way to translate this is:

figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush (English Standard Version)

If you have two different verbs that can describe gathering and picking fruit, you could use them here. If you do not have two words, you could use the same verb in both clauses, or you could leave out one verb, as the Berean Standard Bible has done.

grapes: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as grapes refers to small fruit that grow in bunches or clusters. Grapes are very tasty. In some languages, there may not be a word for grapes. If this is true in your language, here are some other options to consider:

• Borrow the word for “grape” from another language. For example:

⌊a fruit called⌋ grapes

(Notice that grapes are different from and much smaller than grapefruit.)

• Use a general term that would fit in this context. For example:

small fruits

• Use a specific word for another type of small fruit that grows in your area.

brambles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as brambles has almost the same meaning as “thornbushes” in 6:44b. Both words refer to thorny plants that do not produce fruit that people can eat. Scholars do not know the exact plants that Jesus was talking about.

If your language does not distinguish between different types of thorny plants, here are other ways to translate this:

• Choose a second plant that is bothersome to farmers or useless in providing food.

• Combine the two types of thorny plants into one. For example:

You cannot pick figs or grapes from thornbushes. (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.

7:27a

This is the one about whom it is written: This clause introduces something that the prophet Malachi wrote about in the Old Testament. In 7:27b Luke gave the meaning, but not the exact words, of Malachi 3:1. He implied that John the Baptizer was the man about whom Malachi wrote hundreds of years before. You may need to make this clear in your translation. For example:

⌊John⌋ is the one about whom ⌊a prophet⌋ wrote ⌊long ago⌋

The phrase it is written often introduces a quotation from the Hebrew Scriptures, which are now called the Old Testament. In many languages the translation of this phrase mentions the Scriptures explicitly. Consider how to adapt your translation of that phrase for this context. For example:

⌊John⌋ is the one about whom it is written ⌊in the Scriptures⌋
-or-
This is the one concerning whom the Scriptures say

In some languages it may be helpful to introduce the words more explicitly. For example:

⌊John⌋ is the ⌊messenger⌋ that ⌊God speaks⌋ about in his Word/Scriptures

7:27b–c

Behold: In the Greek text, this quotation begins with the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Behold. Some versions say “Look” (NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004)). Other versions (New International Version, Contemporary English Version, Good News Translation, God’s Word) do not explicitly translate this word. It calls the attention of the listeners to what God was about to say (“I will send my messenger ahead of you”). See the note on “Behold” at 1:31a, where the same word occurs.

I will send My messenger ahead of You: In many cultures at that time, a king would choose a person to go as his messenger to tell people that he was coming. The messenger would tell the people to prepare for his coming. In this context, the word I refers to God, and the word You refers to the Christ/Messiah. God indicated that he would send a messenger to tell people to prepare for the Christ/Messiah who was coming. Jesus implied that John was that messenger.

send: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as send means to order someone to go somewhere for a particular purpose.

ahead of You: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ahead of You is literally “before your face.” In this context the phrase may indicate either or both of the following options:

(a) I will send my messenger before ⌊I send⌋ you;

(b) I will send my messenger to go in front of you.

In some languages there may be a natural way to translate the clause so that both meanings are possible. If you must choose one of these meanings, choose option (a).

who will prepare Your way before You: In this context the phrase prepare Your way is a metaphor. It is based on the custom of preparing roads before a king came. People repaired the roads so that the king could travel easily on them. Here the metaphor indicates that God was sending someone to prepare people for the Christ by telling them to repent of their sins. (This metaphor is also used in Isaiah 40:3–5, Matthew 11:10, Mark 1:2–3, and Luke 3:4–6.)

In some languages people may not understand the meaning of the metaphor. They may wrongly think that it refers to repairing roads. If that is true in your language, consider one of these options:

• Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:

I will send my messenger ahead of you. He will prepare ⌊people⌋ for your coming ⌊like a person who prepares the roads before a king comes⌋.
-or-
I will send my messenger ahead of you. He will ⌊call people to⌋ prepare ⌊their hearts⌋ for your coming ⌊like a person who calls people to prepare the roads for the coming of a king⌋.

• Translate the meaning of the metaphor. For example:

I will send my messenger ahead of you to tell people to prepare themselves for your coming ⌊by turning from their sins⌋.

See how you translated the similar phrase in 1:76.

Your way: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as way literally means “road,” “path,” or “highway.” Use a word that is appropriate for your area.

© 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.