20:29a

Now there were seven brothers: In this verse the Sadducees began to tell Jesus a story that described a situation that might have happened. It was not a true story about actual people. The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now introduces this story. It is not a time word here. It indicates that the Sadducees had finished giving background information, and they were now beginning to tell the actual story. Some ways to introduce this story in English are:

Once there were seven brothers…. (Good News Translation)
-or-
Well, suppose there were seven brothers. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
There were seven brothers. (God’s Word)

20:29b

The first one married a wife: The first one in this context refers to the oldest brother, who would normally be the first one to marry. The phrase married a wife may be redundant in some languages. Describe the action in a natural way in your language. Other ways to say it are:

the oldest got married (Good News Translation)
-or-
The first brother married (New Century Version)

but died childless: The phrase but died childless indicates that the husband died and his wife had no children by him. He died without fathering a child. There is nothing in the story that suggests why the man died. Your translation should not imply that the woman caused the husband to die. Some other ways to translate this are:

Then he died and did not leave any children.
-or-
and he died without having fathered a child

© 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.

21:14a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So is often translated as “Therefore” (as in the NET Bible). Here it introduces a command or encouragement that is based on what Jesus said in 21:13. The context implies that since their trials will be an opportunity to testify about him, they should not worry about how to defend themselves.

Versions such as the Good News Translation and New Jerusalem Bible do not translate this conjunction. In some languages, it may not be natural to use a conjunction here. Begin 21:14 in a natural way in your language.

make up your mind: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as make up your mind is literally “put/have in your hearts.” This is an idiom that means “decide” or “resolve” (as in the Revised English Bible). In some languages there is an idiom to express this, as in the Berean Standard Bible. Some other ways to translate this are:

Settle it…in your minds (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Be firmly resolved

not to worry beforehand: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as not to worry beforehand means “not to prepare/plan in advance.” It is sometimes used of practicing a speech. In this context Jesus did not want his disciples to plan what they would say to defend themselves. The parallel passage in Mark 13:11 uses a word that means “worry, be anxious.” Jesus also did not want the disciples to worry about what they would say. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

not to meditate beforehand (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
not to rehearse ahead of time (NET Bible)
-or-
don’t worry in advance (New Living Translation (2004))

21:14b

how to defend yourselves: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as how to defend yourselves refers to what the disciples would say that would show that they were not guilty. It does not refer to using force to defend themselves. Other ways to translate this are:

about what you will say (New Century Version)
-or-
about how to answer the charges against you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
about what you will say to convince those who accuse you that you have not done anything wrong

© 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.

22:40a

When He came to the place: the place probably refers to the place on the Mount of Olives where Jesus and his disciples slept at night on the days before the Passover feast. Judas knew where to find him because Jesus usually went to that place. Some other ways to translate When He came to the place are:

On reaching the place (New International Version)
-or-
There (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
And when they arrived there

He told them: This phrase introduces what Jesus said to his disciples.

22:40b

Pray: In Greek the verb Pray probably implies the meaning “be praying” or “pray continuously.” It does not imply here that the disciples should pray only once. For more information and translation advice, see the notes on 18:1b–c. The context there also emphasizes persistent prayer, so it may be helpful to read all the notes on that verse.

that you will not enter into temptation: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as enter into temptation is literally “come into temptation.” The phrase is a figure of speech. It means “yield to temptation.” It implies here that the disciples will be enticed to do something wrong or sinful. They should pray that they will not agree to do what they are tempted to do. Some other ways to say this are:

so that you do not agree/yield when you are tempted
-or-
so that you will be able to resist temptation

In some languages it may be necessary to use an active verb and make the subject explicit. There are many things, situations, people, spirits, and attitudes that tempt people. In 22:31 Jesus had already mentioned that Satan would tempt them. If it is necessary to supply a subject here in your language, you may supply “Satan” as the subject (as in 22:31) or use a more indefinite subject. For example:

so that when ⌊Satan⌋ tempts you, you will not agree/sin
-or-
so that you will not agree to sin, when ⌊anything/anyone⌋ entices you to do wrong
-or-
so that you will refuse when ⌊anything/anyone⌋ tries to deceive/lure you into sinning

temptation: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as temptation refers to something that causes a person to want to sin or do wrong. In this context Jesus referred specifically to temptations to be unfaithful to Jesus. Jesus knew that the disciples would soon be in danger and afraid. Terrible things would happen that they did not expect. They would feel anguish and sorrow. Any of these things could influence (tempt) the disciples to stop trusting Jesus. Jesus also knew that Satan would try to influence them to stop trusting him.

In some languages it is necessary to say what the disciples would be tempted to do. If that is true in your language, you should supply a phrase that fits with how you translated 22:31–32. For example:

when you are tempted ⌊to be unfaithful⌋
-or-
when ⌊anything/Satan⌋ tries to influence/trick you ⌊to stop trusting me⌋

The word temptation also occurred in 4:13 and 11:4. See how you translated it there. You may also want to refer to the parallel verse in Mark 14:38.

© 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.

23:34a–b

Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing”: There is a textual issue here. Some Greek manuscripts do not include 23:34a–b. However, all English versions include it. Most English versions also add a footnote. For example, the Contemporary English Version has this note:

These words are not in some manuscripts. (Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you include 23:34a–b in your translation. You may also want to include a footnote. In some languages it may be helpful to include your translation of 23:34a–b in the footnote. For example:

Some Greek manuscripts do not have the words, “Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’”

23:34a

Then: In Greek, 23:34 begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “and” or “but.” The Berean Standard Bible translates this word as Then. It introduces what Jesus prayed when the soldiers crucified him. Connect these events in a way that is natural in your language.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them…”: Here Jesus prayed for the people who crucified him. This may include the Roman soldiers, the Jewish people and the Roman leaders, and even the crowd in general. The word them does not refer back to the criminals who were crucified with him.

Some ways to indicate who Jesus referred to here are:

Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people!…” (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus prayed for those ⌊who crucified him⌋, saying, “Father, forgive them…”

Father: Here Jesus addressed God as Father. If it is not clear that Jesus was referring to God, you may need to make it explicit. For example:

Father ⌊God⌋

In some languages, it may be more natural to supply a pronoun here. For example:

⌊My⌋ Father

forgive them: The phrase forgive them is a prayer for God to forgive them for crucifying Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to say what God should forgive. For example:

forgive them ⌊for what they are doing to me⌋

forgive: Here the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as forgive means “pardon.” When someone pardons people who have sinned against him, he decides not to punish them or seek revenge against them. He also decides that he will not continue to be angry or resentful toward them.

Some possible ways to translate forgive are:

pardon
-or-
free…from the sin/punishment
-or-
forget/cancel…wrongdoing

The word was also used of God forgiving sins in 11:4. See how you translated it there.

23:34b

for they do not know what they are doing: This clause gives the reason that God should forgive the people who crucified Jesus. God should forgive them because they did not realize that they sinned by crucifying Jesus. They knew that they were crucifying him, but they did not know that it was a terrible sin. Another way to translate this reason is:

because they don’t know what they are doing (New Century Version)

know: In this context the word know means “understand, realize the meaning of” an action. The people did not realize that they were crucifying the Son of God. Some other ways to translate know in this context are:

understand
-or-
realize

what they are doing: The clause what they are doing refers to the sin of crucifying Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:

⌊the sin⌋ that they are doing

23:34c

And: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And introduces another event that happened after soldiers put Jesus on the cross. The event was not part of what Jesus said in 23:34b. Some other ways to introduce the event are:

Meanwhile (God’s Word)
-or-
While the crowd stood there watching (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
As for the soldiers

Introduce this event in a natural way in your language.

they divided up His garments by casting lots: The phrase they divided up His garments indicates that the soldiers did a certain action to decide who would get the different items of Jesus’ clothing. It does not imply that they tore his clothes into pieces and distributed the pieces among themselves.

The Romans had a custom that the soldiers who crucified a criminal had the right to take his clothes for themselves. Jesus’ clothing included an outer robe, a tunic (a shirt worn under the robe), and probably also a belt and sandals. The soldiers decided which of them would get each piece of clothing by casting lots. See the next note for more information.

Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

they threw lots to decide who would get his clothes (New Century Version)
-or-
they drew lots for Jesus’ clothes in order to share them out

This action fulfilled the prophecy in Psalm 22:18. You made want to include a footnote or cross reference to this verse.

casting lots: The phrase casting lots tells what the soldiers did to decide which of them would take various items of clothing. They threw small objects, like dice, pebbles, or sticks, on the ground. Then they looked at the way these things fell. Casting lots was a custom that was used to make difficult decisions. It was a way to decide these things by chance. Another way to translate the phrase is:

throwing dice (Good News Translation)

If you have a similar way to decide something by chance, consider using it here. If not, you may use a general expression. For example:

gambled for his clothes (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
played a game of luck

© 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.

24:10a

It was: The phrase It was introduces the list of the women who told Jesus’ followers what happened at the tomb. Introduce this list in a natural way in your language.

Mary Magdalene: The phrase Mary Magdalene means “Mary who came from Magdala.” The name Mary was common in New Testament times. The term Magdalene distinguished this Mary from other women who had the same name. This name was also mentioned in 8:2. Other ways to translate the phrase are:

Mary from Magdala (God’s Word)
-or-
Mary of Magdala (New Jerusalem Bible)

Joanna: The name Joanna also occurs in 8:3.

Mary the mother of James: This Mary was the mother of a man named James, whom the disciples knew. She was probably the same woman who was mentioned in Mark 15:40.

24:10b

the other women with them: The phrase the other women with them refers to other women who went to the tomb with the two Marys and Joanna.

24:10c

who told this to the apostles: The form of the Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as told suggests that the women probably told the apostles many things about what had happened. The word this refers back to the phrase “all the things” in 24:9b.

apostles: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as apostles occurred in 17:5. In this context it refers to the same people as the phrase “the Eleven” in 24:9b. Refer back to them in a natural way in your language.

For more information and translation suggestions for the word apostles, see the note on 17:5.

General Comment on 24:9–10

In some languages it may be natural to reorder these verses in order to put the names of the women earlier in the account. For example:

10When Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James and the other women with them 9acame back from the tomb, 9bthey told all these things to the eleven apostles and the others.

If you reorder the verses like this, you may want to put both verse numbers at the beginning of the verses. For example:

9–10Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women were the ones who had gone to the tomb. When they returned, they told the eleven apostles and the others what had happened. (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.

24:42

So they gave Him a piece of broiled fish: The disciples brought Jesus part of a broiled fish to eat. The phrase broiled fish refers to fish that someone had cooked by grilling or roasting it over a fire or hot coals. This detail is given to indicate that the fish was cooked. It was not raw. Another way to translate the verse is:

They brought him part of a cooked/prepared fish

© 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.