SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013 – Page 6

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:23

Paragraph 1:23–25

1:23a

And when the days of his service were complete: Zechariah continued working in the temple as a priest until he finished his week of work. Some other ways to translate this are:

When his time of service at the Temple was finished (New Century Version)
-or-
When Zechariah’s week of service in the Temple was over (New Living Translation (2004))

1:23b

he returned home: Zechariah and Elizabeth lived outside Jerusalem in the hill country of Judea.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:55

1:55a

as He promised to our fathers: Mary used the phrase our fathers to refer to all the people of Israel who had lived before Mary and Elizabeth were born. Some versions translate this phrase as “our ancestors.” She also used the word our to refer to the ancestors of all the people of Israel. God had promised to all the people of Israel that he would send a Savior. He did not make this promise only to the ancestors of Mary and Elizabeth. So it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

just as he said to the ancestors ⌊of our people⌋

1:55b

to Abraham and his descendants forever: There are two interpretations of the way this clause relates to the context:

(1) Abraham and his descendants are the ones who received God’s mercy that is mentioned in 1:54b. For example:

He has remembered to show mercy to Abraham and to all his descendants forever! (Good News Translation)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, and the majority of commentators)

(2) Abraham and his descendants are the ones who received God’s promise that is mentioned in 1:55b. In this interpretation, Abraham and his descendants has the same meaning as “our fathers” in 1:55b. This means that God spoke a promise to our fathers/ancestors who are Abraham and his descendants. For example:

as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his children forever (New Century Version)

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

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

to Abraham and his descendants: As mentioned above, the phrase Abraham and his descendants is connected to the word “merciful” in 1:54b. God showed his mercy to Abraham and Abraham’s descendants by sending the Messiah. This phrase is another way to refer to Israel, since Abraham was the ancestor of the Israelites.

General Comment on 1:54–55

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder these verses in order to put God’s promise to their ancestors first (1:55b). Here is one way you could do that:

55bGod promised our ancestors that 54ahe would help his servants the Israelites. ⌊Now he has fulfilled his promise.⌋ 54bHe has remembered to be merciful 55ato Abraham and to all of his descendants.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2:7

2:7a

her firstborn, a Son: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as her firstborn, a Son is literally “her son, the firstborn.” It indicates that this baby was Mary’s first child, and that he was a boy. Another way to translate this is:

She gave birth to her first child, a son. (New Living Translation (2004))

2:7b

She wrapped Him in swaddling cloths: Mary wrapped strips of cloth around the baby Jesus. It was a Jewish custom to wrap newborn babies in that way. This kept them warm, and it also kept their arms and legs straight.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

She wrapped the baby with pieces of cloth (New Century Version)
-or-
She wrapped his ⌊arms and legs snugly⌋ with pieces of cloth
-or-
She put/wrapped strips of cloth around him ⌊as was their custom⌋

swaddling cloths: These cloths were long strips of cloth like bandages that were wrapped about the baby many times.

2:7c-d

and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn: According to many people’s understanding or traditions, Mary and Joseph arrived at Bethlehem just at the time when Mary was ready to give birth. They approached an inn or hotel in Bethlehem, but were told that it was full. Instead they were guided to a stable with animals, where Mary gave birth.

But according to Luke 2:6, they had already been in Bethlehem for a time when the moment came to give birth. And it is likely that they stayed in a house. Joseph probably had relatives in Bethlehem, and they would have invited him to stay with them. The home where they stayed had a room for guests, but it was already occupied. So they stayed in another room that was close to where animals were kept inside the house at night. This meant that a manger would have been nearby, and it became a good place to lay the newborn baby. This understanding of the story is followed in the notes below.

because there was no room for them in the inn: This clause explains the reason why Mary laid the baby in a manger, which was not a usual place to lay a baby. It was because there was not enough space for the couple to stay, or to have the baby, in the guest room of the house. Instead they stayed near where the family kept their animals, and so they laid the baby in a nearby manger. See the translation suggestions at the end of the note on “because there was no room for them” at 2:7d for ways to make some of this information explicit.

In some languages, it may be more natural to put the reason clause before the result clause. For example:

Because there was no space for them in the guest room, she placed him in a manger.
-or-
There was no place for them in the room for travelers, so she laid him in a manger.

2:7c

in a manger: A manger was a box or trough that held food for animals, especially for large animals such as cattle and horses. People made this feeding box out of wood or stone. Other ways to translate this are:

in a feeding trough
-or-
in a feeding box for animals
-or-
in a trough where people put food for the animals (Translation for Translators)
-or-
on a bed of hay (Contemporary English Version)

Jewish peasant families commonly kept their animals in their houses at night. So the manger was probably inside a house where Mary and Joseph were invited to stay, and not in a stable away from a house. You may want to make this information explicit in your translation. For example:

in a feeding trough ⌊in a home⌋
-or-
in an animal’s feeding box ⌊at the house where they were staying⌋

2:7d

because there was no room for them in the inn: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as inn is a general word that refers to any place for travelers to stay or lodge. (This is a different Greek word than the word translated as “inn” in Luke 10:34.) The word can refer to an inn, a guesthouse, or a guest room in a house. In this context, it probably refers to a room in a village home where guests could stay. It does not refer to a building such as a hotel with many rooms.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

guest room (New International Version (2011))
-or-
in the room ⌊of the house⌋ for travelers/visitors

because there was no room for them in the inn: In this context, the words no room mean that there was not enough space for them either to stay or to have the baby in the guest room. That room was already occupied, possibly by other relatives or travelers who had arrived for the census before Joseph and Mary or who had higher status. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

because there was no place for them in the guestroom (CEB)
-or-
because there was not enough space for them in the room/place for travelers
-or-
because the guest room was full (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-
because other people were already staying in the guest room ⌊of the house where they stayed⌋

This clause because there was no room for them explains the reason why Mary laid Jesus in a manger, a place where people do not usually lay a baby. Mary and Joseph were probably invited to stay in a home, possibly with relatives. But since the guest room of that home was already full, they stayed in another part of the house. They may have shared the room where the host family stayed. Wherever they stayed, it was near the part of the house where the family kept their animals inside at night. So the most suitable place Mary could find to lay the baby was in a nearby manager.

You may want to make some of this information explicit in your translation. For example:

Since the guest room was already full, ⌊the most suitable place that Mary could find⌋ to lay the baby was the manager.
-or-
She laid him there ⌊because there was no better place for him where they were staying⌋. That was because other people were staying in the guest room.
-or-
Since other people were staying in the guest room, ⌊Mary and Joseph stayed near where their hosts kept their animals in the house.⌋ So she laid the baby in a ⌊nearby⌋ manger.
-or-

⌊That was the best place to lay the baby.⌋ This was because there was no space for them in the guest room of the house. ⌊Instead/so they stayed in the house near the animals and the manger was there.⌋

General Comment on 2:6a–7d

In some languages, it may be more natural to put 2:7d before 2:6a. For example:

7dThere was not enough room/space for them in the guest room ⌊of the house where they stayed,⌋ ⌊so they stayed in the part of the house near where the animals sleep⌋. 6a-7cWhile they were there…

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2:39

Paragraph 2:39–40

2:39

When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth: The Gospel of Matthew indicates that Joseph and Mary went to Egypt before they returned to Nazareth. Translate this verse in a way that fits with that information. For example:

After Joseph and Mary had done everything…they returned to Galilee to the town of Nazareth where they had lived ⌊earlier⌋.

2:39a

When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as everything required by the Law of the Lord is literally “everything according to the law of the Lord” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This includes all the things that Jewish parents did when they had a newborn child, based on the Lord’s Law. They completed all of the following ceremonies:

(a) they had the baby circumcised and named at home;

(b) they presented the baby Jesus at the temple (because he was a firstborn male);

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

After they had finished doing all these necessary things, just as the Law of the Lord teaches
-or-
When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages, it may be clearer to make this clause a complete sentence. For example:

Joseph and Mary finished doing everything that the Law of the Lord commanded.

everything: The word everything refers here to the things that were listed in the first note on this part of the verse. These things related specifically to what parents did after the birth of their son if he was a first child. It does not refer to the many other types of laws and sacrifices that the Law of the Lord mentions. In some languages, it may be necessary to translate this with a more specific phrase. For example:

all the things that the Law of the Lord required ⌊new parents to do⌋

the Law of the Lord: The Law of the Lord refers to the Law that God gave to the Israelites through Moses.

2:39b

they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth: Joseph and Mary returned with Jesus to Nazareth, where they had been living. In 2:4 Joseph and Mary left Nazareth to come to Bethlehem for the census. In this context the phrase their own town does not refer to the home of their ancestors, which was Bethlehem. Use a general term in your language.

Galilee: Galilee was the name of a province/district of the Roman Empire. It was located in the northern part of what is currently the nation of Israel.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 3:19

Paragraph 3:19–20

In the next two paragraphs Luke did not tell the events in the order in which they happened. Paragraph 3:19–20 tells about something that would happen after John baptized Jesus in 3:21–22. In some languages, it will be more natural to put these events in the order in which they actually happened. For example:

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened 22and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

19
⌊Sometime after this⌋ John rebuked Herod the tetrarch because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, and all the other evil things he had done. 20⌊Then⌋ Herod added this to them all: He locked John up in prison.

3:19a

he rebuked Herod the tetrarch: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rebuked here means “to say that what someone did was wrong.” John said that what Herod did was wrong. It was sinful. John could have said this directly to Herod or he could have said it about him to other people.

In some languages it may be more natural to translate this as direct speech. In that case it is possible to say either:

John said about Herod the tetrarch, “He has done wrong….”
-or-
John told Herod the tetrarch, “You have done wrong….”

Herod the tetrarch: Herod was the name of the government leader of the district of Galilee.

Some ways to translate Herod the tetrarch are:

Herod the ruler (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the ruler Herod (God’s Word)
-or-
Herod the leader

This same phrase also occurs in 3:1c. See 3:1c for more details about the meaning of tetrarch.

3:19b

regarding his brother’s wife Herodias:
Herod had divorced his own wife and had married Herodias. Herodias had earlier been married to one of Herod’s half-brothers. It was against God’s law for Herod to marry her. Herod had sinned. For the whole story, see Mark 6:14–29.

In some languages it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

because ⌊he had married⌋ Herodias, his brother’s wife

brother’s: In this context the word “brother” refers to an older half-brother. The two men had different mothers. (This half-brother, Herod Philip, is not the same as the half-brother named Philip who was mentioned in 3:1.)

3:19c

all the evils he had done: The phrase all the evils he had done indicates that John also rebuked Herod because of other ways that Herod had sinned.

General Comment on 3:19a–c

In some languages it may be natural to reorder this verse and put it in chronological order. For example:

19bHerod the tetrarch ⌊had married⌋ his brother’s wife Herodias 19cand had done many other evil things, 19a⌊so⌋ John rebuked him.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 4:24

4:24a

He added: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He added is literally “he said” (as in the Revised Standard Version). In 4:23 Jesus said what the people were thinking. In 4:24a, he began to express his response to their thoughts. Because of this, the Berean Standard Bible has translated the Greek word as He added. In some languages, it may be more natural to use a different speech clause. For example:

he continued (New International Version)
-or-
Then Jesus said (New Century Version)

Truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. He wanted people to listen with extra attention. Some other ways to show this emphasis are:

I assure you that (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
I can guarantee this truth (God’s Word)

4:24b

no prophet is accepted in his hometown: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is accepted means “is welcomed” or “is honored.” The clause no prophet is accepted in his hometown means that people in the town where a prophet grew up generally do not honor him. People find it hard to believe that someone whom they know personally is a prophet from God. Some other ways to translate this are:

prophets are never welcomed in their hometown (Good News Translation)
-or-
no prophet is acceptable in his hometown (NET Bible)
-or-
no prophets are liked by the people of their own hometown (Contemporary English Version)

Like the proverb “Physician, heal yourself!” (4:23b), this clause also appears to be a proverb.

no prophet is accepted: This clause is passive. Some ways to translate this are:

• Use a passive clause. For example:

a prophet is not accepted (New Century Version)

• Use an active clause and supply a subject. For example:

⌊People⌋ do not accept a prophet

prophet: The word prophet also occurs in 4:17a. Translate it the same way in both verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 5:12

Section 5:12–16

Jesus healed a man with a dreaded skin disease

In this section, Jesus healed a man with a skin disease, and so Jesus’ fame spread in that region. As a result, crowds of people came to hear him teach and to be healed of diseases.

In Jesus’ time, having a skin disease made a person ceremonially or ritually “unclean.” This meant that a person with such a disease was not allowed to worship God with other people. This person had to live apart from healthy people, including his family.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Jesus made a man with a skin disease pure/clean
-or-
The Man With Leprosy (New International Version)
-or-
Jesus Heals a Man with Leprosy (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Jesus showed his power over a skin disease

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 8:1–4 and Mark 1:40–45.

Paragraph 5:12–13

5:12a

While: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as While is literally “and it happened.” This phrase introduces the beginning of a new story. Luke did not indicate when this story occurred. Introduce this event in a natural way in your language. For example:

One day (God’s Word)
-or-
When (New Century Version)
-or-
Once (Good News Translation)

Jesus was in one of the towns: The phrase one of the towns does not indicate the exact location of the town. Mark 1:38–40 indicates that it was one of the towns in Galilee. In some languages, it may be necessary to say something more precise. For example:

While Jesus was in one of the towns ⌊of/in that region⌋
-or-
While Jesus was in one of the towns ⌊of Galilee⌋

5:12b

a man came along who was covered with leprosy: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a man came along who was covered with leprosy is literally “and look, a man full of leprosy.” The phrase “and look” introduces the man with leprosy. It also draws attention to him as a person who will be important in the story. (“Look” is the same word that the Berean Standard Bible translates elsewhere as “behold” or “look” or “now.”) Introduce this man in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

There was a certain man there. He had leprosy over his whole body
-or-
there was a man covered with a serious skin disease (God’s Word)
-or-
Jesus met a man with an advanced case of leprosy (New Living Translation (2004))

covered with leprosy: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as covered with leprosy is literally “full of leprosy.” This means that the disease was all over the man’s skin. He had probably had the disease for a long time. The disease was in an advanced and serious state.

leprosy: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as leprosy refers to several different skin diseases. Scholars disagree as to whether these diseases included modern-day leprosy (Hansen’s disease). They agree that in New Testament times the Greek word referred to dreaded skin diseases. People believed that these diseases were spread by contact with someone who had the disease. A person who had one of these diseases was also considered ritually unclean.

Some ways to translate this word are:

• Use a general phrase that describes the nature or significance of the disease. For example:

a dreaded skin disease (Good News Translation)
-or-
a serious skin disease (God’s Word)
-or-
a contagious skin disease

• Use a term that refers specifically to leprosy. For example:

leprosy
-or-
something like leprosy

A term that refers specifically to leprosy may be appropriate in areas where people are already familiar with the term “leprosy.”

5:12c

When he saw Jesus: This clause introduces the actions of this event. Use a natural way in your language to begin the main actions of an event. Some ways to translate this clause are:

When the man saw Jesus (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
As soon as he saw Jesus
-or-
Seeing Jesus

he fell facedown: The phrase he fell facedown means that the man knelt down and then lowered his face to the ground. He did this deliberately in order to show his humility and his great respect for Jesus. He did not fall by accident.

Some ways to translate this are:

he bowed with his face to the ground (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
he knelt down to the ground in front of Jesus (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he ⌊got on his knees and⌋ bowed/prostrated himself with his face on the ground

5:12d

and begged Him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as begged means “to plead for” something. It emphasizes how much the speaker desires what he is asking for. The man with leprosy made an earnest request in a humble way.

Use the most natural way in your language to introduce what the man asked for. For example:

He begged Jesus (God’s Word)
-or-
begging to be healed (New Living Translation (2004))

Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Lord is the same word that Simon used in 5:8c. Translate the word in the same way here.

See Lord, Context 3, in the Glossary for more information.

if You are willing, You can make me clean: When he said this, the man with leprosy showed that he believed that Jesus had the power to heal him. However, he did not know whether Jesus was willing to do it. This statement was a polite way for the man to ask Jesus to heal him.

In some languages, it may be necessary to make that request explicit. In some languages, it is more polite to request something by using a question form.

Some ways to translate this are:

If you are willing, you can make me clean, ⌊so will you please heal me?⌋
-or-
Please make me clean! ⌊I know⌋ you are able to do this if you want to!

You can make me clean: The phrase make me clean in this context means “make me ritually clean by healing me.” It does not refer to cleansing from physical dirt.

According to Jewish law, people with the skin disease called “leprosy” were ritually unclean or impure. They were not allowed to participate in public religious ceremonies or to worship God at the temple. They had to live away from other people who did not have this disease. When they were healed, they became ritually clean. Then they were allowed to come to the temple again and participate in community activities.

Here are several ways to translate the phrase make me clean:

• Translate both the idea of healing and the idea of causing the man to become ritually clean. Translate the ideas in a natural order in your language. For example:

you can heal me and make me ⌊ritually⌋ clean
-or-
you can heal me ⌊so that I will be⌋ ⌊ritually⌋ pure

• Translate only the idea of healing here. For example:

you have the power to make me well (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
you can heal me if you will (New Century Version)

• Translate only the idea of causing the man to be ritually clean. For example:

you can make me ⌊ritually⌋ clean

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 6:5

6:5

Then Jesus declared: In 6:5 Jesus continued to speak, but his speech is introduced by the clause Then Jesus declared. This clause emphasizes Jesus’ conclusion to his story about David.

Use the expression that is used in your language when a teacher announces his conclusion. For example:

Jesus continued/concluded by saying
-or-
Jesus finished by saying (Contemporary English Version)

The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath is literally “Lord of Sabbath is the Son of Man.” The word Lord means “master” or “one who has authority,” and it is emphasized in this part of the verse.

In this context the word Lord refers to Jesus’ authority over the Sabbath day. Although the Sabbath was given by God, Jesus had authority over it. He had this right because he was the Son of Man, whom God sent. He had the right to decide what people could or could not do on the Sabbath day.

Some other ways to translate this are:

I…am master even of the Sabbath! (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
I…have authority over the rest day.
-or-
I…have the right to decide what a person can do on the day for resting.
-or-
I…have the authority to say what people are allowed to do on the rest day.

The Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” It is a title that Jesus often used to refer to himself. It implies that:

(a) he was a true human being, and he represented all people;

(b) he came from God and had authority from God.

Try to use an expression that implies both meanings. Some expressions that translators have used are:

the Man whom God Sent
-or-
the True Man from God/Heaven
-or-
the Representative of Mankind
-or-
The Older Brother of All People

In some languages, it may be necessary to use a form like “I” or “me” to indicate that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

me, the Son of Man
-or-

I who became man/human

This term first occurs in Luke at 5:24a. Translate it the same way in both places. See also the Son of Man in Key Biblical Terms.

Sabbath: See the note on Sabbath at 6:1a for advice on translating the word Sabbath.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013