SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013 – Page 45

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 22:67

22:67a

If You are the Christ, tell us: The members of the council demanded that Jesus say whether he was the Messiah/Christ. This demand can also be translated as a question. Mark 14:55 makes it clear that the high priest spoke to Jesus for the whole council. Some other ways to translate their demand are:

Tell us, are you the Messiah? (God’s Word)
-or-
Tell us whether you are the Messiah.

the Christ: Here the word Christ is used as a title. The Jews used this title to refer to the person whom God had appointed and promised to send as king and savior. The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” and the two words have the same meaning.

For translation suggestions, see the note at 20:41b. For more information, see Christ in the Glossary.

22:67b–c

Jesus answered, “If I tell you, you will not believe…”: Jesus did not give a yes or no answer to the council. He showed by his answer that he knew that they would not believe the truth about him. If he said, “Yes, I am the Messiah,” they would refuse to believe him. In Greek the clause you will not believe is emphatic. They would certainly not believe what he said.

Some ways to translate Jesus’ answer are:

Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me…” (God’s Word)
-or-
And Jesus answered, “Even if I say that I am, you will not believe what I say.”

believe: In this context the word believe refers to accepting that a statement is true. For more information about this sense of believe, see believe, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 23:29

23:29a

Look, the days are coming: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Look, the days are coming is more literally “because look, days are coming.” It introduces the reason the women should cry for themselves and for their children in 23:28c. They should cry because of what will happen at a time in the future. Jesus probably used the word Look here to emphasize that his prediction was certain to happen. Some ways to translate this certain prediction are:

• Indicate certainty at the beginning of the clause. For example:

for indeed, the days are coming (New American Bible)
-or-
For this is certain: The days are coming (NET Bible)

• Indicate certainty within the clause itself. For example:

For look, the days are surely coming (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
because it will certainly happen that

• Do not indicate certainty in an explicit way. For example:

The time is coming when (God’s Word)
-or-
Someday (Contemporary English Version)

Translate the phrase in a natural way in your language. A similar phrase occurs in 17:22 without the word Look.

In this verse Jesus predicted an event that would happen sometime after his death. He probably referred to the time when the Romans would destroy Jerusalem (in A.D. 70). At that time, the Jewish people suffered terribly. For some translations it may be helpful to include this information in a footnote. For example:

Such a time came in A.D. 70. A Roman army besieged and destroyed Jerusalem and killed many Jewish people.

23:29b

people will say: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as people will say is literally “they will say.” The phrase refers to people in general. It probably refers mainly to the people who will be in the city of Jerusalem at the terrible time that Jesus predicted. However, it could refer to anyone who talks about that situation. Use a natural way in your language to introduce what some people will say at that time. In some languages it may be more natural to use indirect speech to tell what the people will say. For example:

people will say that…

23:29c–e

‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed!’: Here Jesus gave an example of what people will say during the future time of suffering. Normally Jewish people considered a woman who had many children to be Blessed. But in that future time, the children of Jerusalem will suffer in terrible ways. Then the people will think that it is better for people who do not have children. They do not have the grief of seeing their children suffer or die.

In some languages it may be necessary to make the reason for the saying more explicit. For example:

It is good/blessed not to have children ⌊during this terrible time⌋. It is good/blessed never to have had a child or nursed a baby.
-or-

⌊In this time of suffering,⌋ barren women are ⌊more⌋ fortunate/blessed ⌊than mothers⌋! It is better never to have given birth or nursed a baby!

Blessed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Blessed describes a person who is in a good situation. In the Bible, the good situation usually results from God showing favor/kindness to the person. Some other ways to translate this word are:

How good it is for…
-or-
fortunate

Often, a person who is blessed in this sense will have good feelings like happiness. However, in this context the women did not have good feelings. But the context implies that they did not have as much grief as the women who watched their children suffer.

For more information, see bless, Meaning 3, in the Glossary.

the barren women, the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed: Jesus used three phrases here to refer to women who have never had children. The phrase the barren women has the same meaning as the phrase the wombs that never bore. The phrase breasts that never nursed also has the same general meaning as the other two phrases in this context. These three phrases emphasize that the whole statement in 23:29 is a surprising and terrible warning.

barren women: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as barren literally means “sterile” or “incapable of having children.” However, in this context the focus is on not having children at that time of suffering. Because of that, it may be more natural in some languages to use a more general term. For example:

women who are childless (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
women who never had children (Good News Translation)

the wombs that never bore, and breasts that never nursed: These two phrases are figures of speech that further explain the meaning of “barren women” in 23:29c. In some languages it is not natural or appropriate to speak of wombs and breasts being blessed. If that is true in your language, you can speak of the women who never bore children or nursed them. For example:

the women…who couldn’t give birth, and who couldn’t nurse a child (God’s Word)
-or-
the women who cannot bear children and the women who never gave birth and gave suck

General Comment on 23:29c–e

In some languages it may be more natural to combine one or more of the three phrases in 23:29c–e. For example, it may be helpful to combine the phrases “the barren women” and “the wombs that never bore.” For example:

Happy are the women who cannot have children and who have no babies to nurse. (New Century Version)

In some languages it may be more natural to use only one phrase. For example:

Women who never had children are really fortunate! (Contemporary English Version)

Translate 23:29c–e in a natural way in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 24:5

24:5a

As: In the Greek text, 24:5a begins with an common conjunction that is often translated as “and” or “but” (as in the New International Version). The Berean Standard Bible translates it as As. Here it introduces what the men said when the women bowed to them. Other ways to translate it are:

Then (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
but (New International Version)

Some versions do not have a conjunction. Connect this part of the verse with 24:5b in a natural way in your language.

the women bowed their faces to the ground: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible literally translates as bowed their faces to the ground is likely an idiom. It is not clear in this context whether they bent only their heads or whether they also bowed down or knelt. In this context the action probably showed both fear and respect.

Some other ways to translate this action are:

the women bowed down to the ground (Good News Translation)
-or-
the women bowed their heads to the ground (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
they bowed ⌊to show respect⌋ (Translator’s Reference Translation)

Translate the action in a way that communicates respect or fear in your culture.

in terror: The phrase in terror indicates that the women were very afraid. Some ways to translate it are:

The women were very afraid (New Century Version)
-or-
The women were terrified (God’s Word)
-or-
Full of fear (Good News Translation)

24:5b

the two men asked them: This clause introduces a rhetorical question that the men asked the women. Use a natural verb in your language. Some other ways to translate the clause in English are:

The men asked the women (God’s Word)
-or-
the men said (Revised English Bible)

24:5c

Why do you look for the living among the dead?: This is a rhetorical question. The men used it as a mild rebuke to the women. The men were saying that it was useless for the women to look for a live person in a tomb. The question implies that Jesus was alive, and therefore the women did not need to look for him in a tomb.

Some ways to translate this mild rebuke are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why are you looking among the dead for one who is alive? (Good News Translation)
-or-
Should you search for a living person in this place for the dead?

• As a statement. For example:

It is useless for you to look in the place of the dead for someone/one who is alive!

Translate this mild rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.

the living: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the living refers to Jesus. It indicates that Jesus was alive. This is clear from the Greek text, which uses a singular form. Other ways to translate the phrase are:

someone who is alive (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the living one (God’s Word)

among the dead: The phrase the dead refers to dead people. The Greek text uses a plural form. The phrase among the dead implies that they should not be looking in a tomb, the place for burying dead people, to find a living person.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 24:37

24:37

This verse tells the reactions of Jesus’ followers when he suddenly appeared to them. They did not rejoice immediately, because they were afraid. The reason for their fear was that they thought they were seeing Jesus’ ghost (24:37b). In some languages it is more natural to change the order of 24:37a and 24:37b so that the reason for the fear comes first. For example:

37bbut they thought he was a ghost, 37aso they were terrified

See the General Comment on 24:37a–b at the end of 24:37b for another example.

24:37a

But: In Greek this verse begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But. It introduces how the disciples felt when Jesus appeared to them. Many English versions do not have a conjunction here. Do what is natural in your language. In some languages it may be natural to introduce the verse with a clause. For example:

When they saw him

they were startled and frightened: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they were startled and frightened are very similar in meaning. The Greek word for startled probably indicates that the disciples felt shocked when they saw Jesus so suddenly. The word for frightened refers to the fear that they felt because they thought that they were seeing a ghost. They did not realize that they were seeing the living Jesus himself.

Luke used these two words together to emphasize the disciples’ surprise and fear when Jesus suddenly appeared to them. In some languages it may be more natural to express their reaction in a different way. Some other ways to describe their reaction are:

And they were very much afraid
-or-
But they were startled and their fear was excessive
-or-
They were terrified

24:37b

thinking they had seen a spirit: The phrase thinking they had seen a spirit in the reason that the disciples were afraid. Another way to translate it is:

because they thought they were seeing a ghost (Contemporary English Version)

Translate this reason in a natural way in your language.

thinking: The disciples were wrong in what they were thinking. Jesus was not a ghost, as they feared. In some languages it is good to use a word or phrase that implies a wrong thought or belief. For example:

assuming
-or-

⌊wrongly⌋ thinking

a spirit: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a spirit refers to the spirit of a dead person. It does not refer here to an evil spirit. Use the appropriate word to refer to it in your language.

General Comment on 24:37a–b

In this verse 24:37b is the reason for the result in 24:37a. In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

37bBecause they thought he was a spirit, 37athey were startled and afraid.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:14

1:14–17

In these verses, the angel talked about the joy that John’s birth would bring to many people. He also gave the reasons why they would be joyful. The verses are written in a poetic style. English versions differ in how they connect the clauses into sentences. For example, the Revised Standard Version and the New Jerusalem Bible have two long sentences, the New International Version has four sentences, and the Good News Translation has six sentences. Consider how to connect the clauses and begin new sentences in a way that is natural in your language.

1:14a

He will be a joy and delight to you: The two words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as joy and delight are a doublet. They mean approximately the same thing. But the second word is stronger and suggests a more intense emotion. Together the two words mean “immense joy.” For example:

He will give you great joy
-or-
He will make you very happy

to you: The pronoun you refers to Zechariah.

1:14b

many will rejoice at his birth: This clause indicates that many people would be happy that John was born. They would especially be happy because he was the person whom God sent to prepare people for the Messiah. The clause does not indicate that people would only be happy at the time of his birth. It indicates that they would be happy about his birth and life. Another way to say this is:

many will rejoice that he was born

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:46

Section 1:46–56

Mary praised God

In this section Mary spoke a poem or song of praise to God. In 1:46–49 she praised God for blessing her personally. In 1:50 she praised God because he is merciful to all people who fear him. In 1:51–53 she spoke of the way God had rejected the proud, the powerful, and the rich. She spoke of the way he had instead chosen to bless those who are poor and lowly. In 1:54–55 she praised God for helping the people of Israel.

When Mary talked about what God had done, she was not just talking about the past. She was talking about what God was doing at that time and about what he would continue to do through the Messiah. By choosing Mary to be the mother of the Messiah, God had shown mercy to her as a poor and lowly person. He had also shown mercy to the people of Israel, because the Messiah would save them. This was similar to the way he had worked in the past, showing mercy to his people and helping them against their enemies.

It may be good to write this song (1:46–55) as poetry in your translation, using separate lines at appropriate places. For examples, see 1:46–55 in the Revised Standard Version, New International Version, and Good News Translation. There may be special phrases in your language that are appropriate to use in poetry that you do not use in ordinary conversation. Because this song is poetry, you may be able to use those phrases here.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Mary’s song of praise to God
-or-
Mary praised God for the kindness he was showing to Israel and to her

Paragraph 1:46–56

1:46–47

As in 1:33, in these verses the same meaning is expressed in two different ways. 1:46 is very similar in meaning to 1:47. “My soul” and “my spirit” are similar. “Glorifies” and “rejoices” are similar. “The Lord” and “God my Savior” both refer to the same person. See below how the parallel parts of the verse relate to each other (for example, how “My soul” is similar to “my spirit,” etc.):

46
My soul glorifies the Lord

47and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.

In some languages it may be confusing to repeat the same meaning in different words here. It may imply that Mary was making two separate statements that had different meanings. If that is true in your language, it may be necessary to combine these statements. For example:

I glorify the Lord God my Savior and rejoice in him.

1:46

Then Mary said: In this verse Mary responded to what Elizabeth said with a poem to praise the Lord. Introduce this poem in a natural way in your language. Some other ways to do this are:

Mary responded (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Then Mary replied ⌊with a song⌋

My soul magnifies the Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as soul refers to the part of a person that thinks and feels emotions. In some languages, people express this meaning with an idiom that uses a part of the body such as the heart, throat, stomach, or liver.

In this context the phrase My soul represents Mary herself. In some languages it may be necessary or clearer to translate this meaning directly. For example:

I glorify the Lord

magnifies: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as magnifies literally means to “make great” or “make large.” Mary was telling how great the Lord is. Some other ways to translate this verse are:

proclaims the greatness of the Lord (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
praises the Lord’s greatness! (God’s Word)
-or-
honors the Lord
-or-
says/sings “The Lord is great!”

the Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord here refers to God. See the note on 1:6b for more information. See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:78

1:78a

because of the tender mercy of our God: The phrase because of the tender mercy of our God expresses God’s motivation or basis for forgiving and saving people in 1:77. He does it because of his tender mercy. This phrase also connects with 1:78b: because of God’s tender mercy, the “Dawn” will come to visit us. Some English versions connect the phrase with 1:77, and others connect it with 1:79. Either option is acceptable.

You should decide how to connect this phrase to the context in the most natural way in your language. In some languages you may be able to leave these connections implied. For example:

77…having their sins forgiven.

78aOur God is merciful and tender.

78bHe will cause the bright dawn of salvation to rise on us… (Good News Translation)

Some other ways to express the connections in English are:

77
⌊You will⌋ give his people knowledge of salvation through our God forgiving their sins 78abecause of his tender mercies. As a result of his mercies, 78bthe Rising One will visit us from heaven…
-or-

77…and lead his people to a knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins: 78for in the tender compassion of our God the dawn from heaven will break upon us… (Revised English Bible)

tender mercy: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tender mercy is an idiom that refers to mercy and kindness that someone feels intensely. This kindness and compassion comes from a person’s deepest emotions.

Some ways to translate this are:

• Use an idiom that has the same meaning in your language. For example:

the heart of our God is full of mercy (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

• Translate the meaning of the idiom directly. For example:

the compassionate mercy of our God
-or-
our God is loving and merciful (God’s Word)
-or-
the compassion that our God feels deeply/intensely

1:78b

by which the Dawn will visit us from on high: This part of the verse indicates a result of God’s tender mercy toward us. A literal translation of it is “by which (the) rising (sun) will visit us from the height.” The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek phrase that introduces this result as by which. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

by God’s tender mercy
-or-

through God’s tender mercy
-or-

as a result of God’s tender mercy
-or-

because of God’s tender mercy, ⌊he will cause⌋

the Dawn: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Dawn refers to the sun at dawn. It refers to the moment when the sun rises and the day begins. It is a figure of speech that refers to the Lord/Messiah. This figure is repeated from Malachi 4:2. It indicates that the coming of the Messiah is like light shining on people in dark places.

Some ways to translate this figure of speech are:

• Indicate in the translation whom the Dawn refers to. For example:

⌊the Messiah/Lord, like⌋ the rising sun
-or-

⌊the Lord, like⌋ sunrise/dawn

• Include a footnote and say that the Dawn represents the Lord/ Messiah. For example:

The word “Dawn” (or the phrase “rising sun”) represents the Messiah coming from heaven.

See the General Comment on 1:78b–79b at the end of 1:79b for another suggestion about how to translate this figure of speech.

will visit: There is a textual issue here:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts have the future tense “will come/visit.” For example:

A new day will dawn (God’s Word)

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Translation, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004), God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)

(2) Other Greek manuscripts have the past tense “has come/visited.” For example:

the rising Sun has come (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, King James Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1) because it has early and strong manuscript support. Also, most English versions follow this option.

from on high: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as on high refers to two places. It refers to the sky, where the sun is, and also to God’s dwelling, where the Messiah came from. Try to choose a phrase that can refer to both places, as “from on high” does.

See heaven, Meanings 1 and 2, in the Glossary.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2:30

2:30

For: The conjunction For introduces the reason why Simeon could die in peace. He could die in peace because he had seen the salvation of the Lord.

my eyes have seen: The expression my eyes have seen is an emphatic way of saying “I have seen.” Some other ways to express this are:

I have really/actually seen
-or-
I have seen with my own eyes

Your salvation: The phrase Your salvation is another way to refer to “the Lord’s Christ” (2:26b). Simeon described the Christ as Your (God’s) salvation because the Christ was the one whom God had sent to save people.

Some ways to translate Your salvation are:

the salvation that comes from you
-or-
the Savior who comes from you
-or-
the person whom you have sent to save us

See save in the Glossary (see the note on salvation).

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013