SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013 – Page 7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:17

1:17

Scholars have different opinions about the way the parts of this verse relate to each other. Here is one of the main views about how the parts of 1:17 function:

17a–bJohn will go on before the Lord…(main clause)

17c
⌊in order⌋ to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, (purpose)

17d
⌊and in order to turn⌋ the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous. (another purpose)

17e
⌊He will do all this in order⌋ to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (main purpose of all of John’s work)

1:17a

And he will go on before the Lord: In the clause he will go on before the Lord, the pronoun he refers to John. The Lord here refers to “the Lord their God” (1:16), who would come in the person of the Messiah, Jesus. This clause implies that:

(a) John will appear in public before the Lord Jesus appears.

(b) John will announce that the Lord is coming and prepare his way.

Some ways to translate this are:

He will go before him as forerunner… (Revised English Bible)
-or-
He will precede the coming of the Lord… (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. (New Living Translation (2004))

The phrase “before the Lord” was also used in 1:15a, but with a different meaning.

1:17b

in the spirit and power of Elijah: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in the spirit and power of Elijah means that John would have the same kind of character and power that Elijah the prophet had. It does not indicate that Elijah’s personal spirit had returned in John.

Some other ways to say this are:

in spirit and power like Elijah (New Century Version)
-or-
with the same kind of character and power that Elijah had

spirit: The word spirit here refers to Elijah’s character. John would be like Elijah in the way he thought and acted. He would be courageous and devoted to God, as Elijah was.

power: The word power refers to the powerful way Elijah acted. This power refers mainly to spiritual ability, effectiveness, and influence. It does not refer only to physical strength, and it does not imply a harsh way of acting. John preached with ability and authority from God. He was effective in helping the people to repent.

Elijah: Elijah was a prophet in the Old Testament. The Jews expected Elijah to return before the Messiah came (Malachi 4:5).

1:17c

to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children: The clause to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children is an idiom. It means “to cause fathers to be reconciled to their children.” This was one of the purposes of John’s work.

This part of the verse quotes part of Malachi 4:6.

fathers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fathers is the plural form of “father,” which refers specifically to a person’s male parent. Another way to translate this is:

to reconcile fathers to their children (New Jerusalem Bible)

1:17d

and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous: This part of the verse tells a second purpose of John’s work. The verb “to turn” in 1:17c is the implied verb for this part of the verse also. However, you may need to translate the verb in a different way here. It indicates that John would cause those who disobey God to turn/change and become wise, as righteous people are. Some other ways to say this are:

and he will cause those who are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
He will change disobedient people so that they will accept the wisdom of those who have God’s approval. (God’s Word)

the disobedient: The phrase the disobedient refers to people who disobey God. It does not refer specifically to children who disobey their parents.

the wisdom of the righteous: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as wisdom can be used in two different ways:

(a) It can refer to a way of thinking in general.

(b) It can refer more specifically to a wise or prudent way of thinking.

In this context it refers to “the way of the thinking of the righteous,” which is a right or wise way of thinking. It is the way of thinking that is in agreement with God and his Word. Some other ways to translate the wisdom of the righteous are:

the way of thinking of the righteous (Good News Translation)
-or-
the right/wise attitude of righteous people

In some languages it may be natural to translate this idea as a verbal expression. For example:

cause/help the disobedient to turn/change and begin to think like the righteous

the righteous: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as righteous refers to people who live according to God’s standards. They consistently do what is right. Some other ways to say this are:

those who obey God’s law
-or-
those who do what is right

In some languages, people use an idiom to express this meaning. For example:

those who follow a straight path
-or-
upright people

1:17e

to make ready a people prepared for the Lord: The clause to make ready a people prepared for the Lord is the final purpose for the preceding parts of 1:17. It expresses the overall purpose of John’s work. John would work in the ways mentioned in 1:17c–d in order to make a people ready for the Lord. These people were not ready for the Lord before, but through John’s preaching they would become ready.

Some ways to show that 1:17e is the overall purpose of John’s work are:

• Make it explicit that this clause is the purpose for all the other actions in the verse. For example:

⌊He will do all this in order⌋ to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

• Reorder this verse to put 1:17e before the other work that John would do (1:17c–d). For example:

17aHe will…precede the coming of the Lord, 17epreparing the people for his arrival. 17cHe will turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, 17dand he will change disobedient minds to accept godly wisdom. (New Living Translation (1996))

to make ready a people prepared: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to make ready and prepared have similar meanings. In some languages, it may be more natural to use only one term to express this meaning. For example:

to prepare a people for the Lord
-or-
he will make a people fully ready for their Lord (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

a people: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a people here refers to a large group or community of people such as a nation or ethnic group. John’s message was to people who would be part of a community of people who were faithful to God. Translate this in a way that can refer to a large group of people that is loyal to a leader (such as a king, chief, or religious leader). For example:

a people/nation
-or-
a community
-or-
subjects/citizens

prepared for the Lord: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prepared for the Lord here refers to being ready for the Lord to come. They are ready because they choose to do the things that please God. The word prepared does not refer here to being alert. John prepared the people for the Lord by telling them to stop sinning and obey God. He told them to be reconciled to their families and to live wisely and righteously. In some languages it may be more natural to use an adjective in place of the passive verb prepared. Some other ways to translate this are:

fit for the Lord (Revised English Bible)
-or-
ready for the coming of the Lord (New Century Version)
-or-
prepared ⌊to receive/welcome⌋ the Lord

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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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 1:49

1:49a

For: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the reason why all people would call Mary blessed. Some English versions, such as the Good News Translation, translate it as “because” here. In some languages this connection may be implied without a conjunction.

the Mighty One: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Mighty One is a title for God. It refers to him as very strong and powerful. He is more powerful than all other beings. Some other ways to translate this in English are:

God All-Powerful (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the Almighty

has done great things for me: Here the phrase great things refers to things that are very significant, important, and wonderful. Mary was referring specifically to the fact that God had chosen her to be the mother of the Messiah.

1:49b

The Berean Standard Bible begins a new sentence with this verse part. Other English versions connect these parts of the verse with the word “and.” The New International Version has a dash before this part of the verse, at the end of 1:49a. Use a natural way to connect 1:49a and 1:49b in your language.

Holy is His name: The word name here represents God himself and his character or nature. So the clause Holy is His name means that God is holy. If a literal translation of name would not mean that in your language, you can translate the meaning directly. For example:

Holy is he
-or-
He is holy

Holy: In this context, the word Holy refers to the fact that God is divine. He is perfect in every way and is completely pure and sinless. Because of these qualities, he is worthy of awe. In some languages there may be an idiom to describe this.

Some ways to translate Holy in this context are:

He is totally pure/good
-or-
He is worthy of all worship/awe
-or-
He is perfect
-or-
He is set apart as the only God

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2:1

Section 2:1–7

Jesus was born

In this section the things that the angel told Mary about in 1:31–37 happened. In those verses the angel told Mary that she would give birth to a son through the power of the Holy Spirit. This would happen even though she was a virgin. In this section, that prophecy was fulfilled. Mary gave birth to Jesus in Bethlehem. This section begins about six months after John the Baptizer was born (1:26).

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:

The Birth of Jesus (Good News Translation)
-or-
Mary gave birth to the Savior

Paragraph 2:1–3

This paragraph is the introduction to this section. It tells when the events happened. It also tells about an event that was background information for the main events of the section.

2:1a–b

Now: Here Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Now introduces background information. Many English versions do not have a conjunction here. Introduce this information in a way that is natural in your language.

in those days: The phrase in those days refers back to 1:57–79. It refers to around the time that John the Baptizer was born. He was born about six months before Jesus was born. The phrase in those days does not refer to 1:80, which talks about John becoming a man. Other ways to translate this phrase are:

At that time
-or-
At about the time when John was born

a decree went out from Caesar Augustus: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as a decree went out from Caesar Augustus refers to a command/order that this emperor issued. It is a figure of speech that describes the decree as if it went out by itself. Some ways other to translate this clause are:

a command came from Caesar Augustus
-or-
Caesar Augustus ordered/commanded
-or-
Augustus Caesar sent an order (New Century Version)

Caesar probably gave this command directly to his officials. Then they told this order to the people so that people would come for the officials to write their names. Describe this situation in a natural way in your language. If you need to say whom he ordered, you can say:

Caesar ordered his people
-or-
Caesar ordered the people that he ruled

See the General Comment on 2:1a–b at the end of the notes on 2:1b for another translation suggestion.

Caesar: The word Caesar was a title for the great king of the city of Rome and of the Roman empire. He ruled many countries and kings that the people of Rome had conquered. The title Caesar means “Emperor.” Other ways to translate this are:

high king
-or-
paramount chief

Augustus: The title Augustus means “exalted.” It is a title that the Senate of Rome gave to the emperor who was ruling when Jesus was born. Many English versions transliterate the word Augustus. You may also decide to translate the meaning of both Caesar and Augustus. For example:

the exalted high king
-or-
the emperor called great

2:1b

that a census should be taken: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as that a census should be taken is literally “to be registered/enrolled.” This word indicates that government officials would have to write the names of people in a book. Then the officials would count the names so that the emperor would know how many people were living in the empire. The Romans would also know where these people lived and which of them had to pay taxes.

Some other ways to translate a census should be taken are:

⌊people must⌋ register/enroll
-or-

⌊officials must⌋ register/record people’s names
-or-

⌊government officials must⌋ write people’s names in a book ⌊and count them⌋

the whole empire: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the whole empire is literally “all the world.” This does not mean all the nations on the whole earth at that time. Rather, it refers here to all the countries that the Roman emperor ruled.

Some English versions translate this phrase literally. For example:

all the world (New Revised Standard Version)

Some other English versions translate the meaning that this phrase had at the time, “the entire Roman world.” Other ways to translate this are:

all the empire (NET Bible)
-or-
throughout the Roman empire (Good News Translation)
-or-
all people in the countries under Roman rule (New Century Version)

General Comment on 2:1a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to put Caesar’s words in direct speech. For example:

In those days, Caesar Augustus gave this order: “Everyone in the empire must be registered.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2:33

Paragraph 2:33–35

2:33

The Child’s father and mother:
The phrase The Child’s father and mother refers to Jesus’ parents, Joseph and Mary.

were amazed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as were amazed has the same root as the word translated as “amazed” in 2:18.

at what was spoken about Him: The clause at what was spoken about Him tells what Jesus’ parents were amazed about. The things that Simeon said about Jesus amazed them. This clause is passive. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate it as an active clause. For example:

at the things Simeon said about him (Good News Translation)

Him: The pronoun Him refers to the baby Jesus.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 3:13

3:13

Collect no more than you are authorized: The clause Collect no more than you are authorized means “Do not take any more tax money from people than the law requires you to take.” The government rulers had made a law that the Jewish people must give them a certain amount of money. This was the amount that the tax collectors were required to collect.

Some other ways to translate this are:

Do not require/force people to pay more tax money than the law says they must pay.
-or-
Do not charge people more money than they owe the government in order to get money for yourselves.

he answered: The Berean Standard Bible places the phrase he answered at the end of this verse. Some versions place it at the beginning of the verse, where it occurs in the Greek. Place this phrase where it is natural in your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 4:18

4:18–19

These verses are from the ancient Greek translation of Isaiah 61:1–2. They contain a prophecy concerning the Messiah. In it, the Messiah is speaking about himself, so the word “me” refers to the Messiah.

In this passage, there are four groups of people:

(a) poor people

(b) prisoners

(d) oppressed people

Some, and perhaps all, of these groups of people have both a literal and a spiritual meaning. It is good to refer to these groups of people in a literal way that can also be interpreted in a spiritual sense.

4:18a

The Spirit of the Lord is on Me: The phrase The Spirit of the Lord is on Me means, “The Spirit of God is with me to give me power.” It indicates that the Lord’s Spirit was with the Messiah. Some other ways to translate this are:

The Lord’s Spirit has come to me (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The Lord has put his Spirit in me (New Century Version)
-or-
The Spirit of God is with me ⌊to help me⌋

This phrase is similar to one in 2:25d.

The Spirit of the Lord: The word Lord here refers to God. If this is not clear in your language, you can translate this as:

the Spirit of God
-or-
God’s Spirit
-or-
the Spirit of the Lord God

See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

Spirit: You should use the same word for Spirit here as in the term Holy Spirit in 4:1a. Be careful to use a word that does not refer to a ghost or spirit of a dead person.

4:18b

because He has anointed Me: The clause because He has anointed Me refers back to 4:18a. The reason why the Lord’s Spirit was with the Messiah was that the Lord had anointed him. The Lord’s Spirit was with him to enable him to do the ministry described in 4:18–19.

It is also possible to leave the connection between 4:18a and 4:18b implied. For example:

18aThe Spirit of the Lord is with me. 18bHe has anointed me… (God’s Word)

He has anointed Me: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as anointed means “poured oil on the head.” In Old Testament times, people poured oil on the head of someone to appoint him to a special task or role.

Here the word anointed has a figurative sense. It indicates that God had appointed the Messiah to do the things that are listed in 4:18–19. It does not indicate that God literally poured oil on the Messiah’s head. Some other ways to translate this clause are:

he has appointed me (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
he has chosen me (Contemporary English Version)

to preach good news to the poor: The expression to preach good news is the translation of one Greek word. The Spirit of God had appointed the Messiah to tell poor people about the good things that God would do to help them.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

to tell the Good News to the poor (God’s Word)
-or-
to bring Good News to the poor (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
to announce to poor people the message ⌊from God⌋ that causes joy

Be sure that the term you choose does not refer only to a news report or to a story that is not true.

This word also occurs in 1:19b, 2:10b, and 3:18b.

the poor: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the poor refers to people who do not have enough food or other things that they need, such as clothing or shelter.

4:18c

He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives: The clause He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives means that God had sent the Messiah to announce to people who were captives that they would be set free. Another way to translate this is:

He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released (New Living Translation (2004))

proclaim liberty to the captives: The word proclaim means “to announce, to tell, to send out news about something.” The phrase proclaim liberty to the captives means to tell prisoners/captives that there is freedom for them. The captives will be released and liberated.

In some languages, it may be necessary to translate liberty as a verb or adjective. For example:

to tell the captives that they are free (New Century Version)

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as liberty often means “forgiveness.” So here liberty could also have a spiritual sense. It could mean that the Messiah/Christ will proclaim that he offers forgiveness to those who are captive to sin. For example:

to announce forgiveness to the prisoners of sin (God’s Word)

the captives: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as captives refers to people who are “prisoners of war.” They are captured during a war and taken to another country. For this reason, while many English versions translate this word as “prisoners,” many others, like the Berean Standard Bible, translate it as “captives.” This word does not refer to people who are in prison because they have committed a crime. Another way to translate this is:

people who are being held captive

The word captives can also refer to people who are “prisoners to sin.” See the example above from the God’s Word.

If you have several words for “prisoner,” try to choose a term that can refer to captives of both types: prisoners of war and prisoners of sin.

4:18d

This verse tells the second thing that God had sent the Messiah to proclaim. In some languages it may be necessary to repeat the verb “sent” from 4:18c. For example:

and ⌊he sent me⌋ ⌊to declare/announce⌋ recovery of sight for the blind

and recovery of sight to the blind: The clause recovery of sight to the blind indicates here that the Messiah would cause blind people to see again.

In some languages, it may be natural to use verbs instead of the nouns recovery and sight. For example:

and to tell the blind that they can see again (New Century Version)

recovery of sight: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as recovery of sight implies that these blind people had once been able to see and had become blind. Now the Messiah would cause them to see again.

4:18e

This verse tells the third thing that God had sent the Messiah to proclaim. In some languages it may be necessary to repeat the verb “sent” from 4:18c. For example:

⌊He has sent me⌋ to release the oppressed

to release: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to release is literally “send into freedom.” So it is possible to translate this phrase as “to free.” For example:

to free (New Century Version)

the oppressed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as oppressed is literally “crushed” or “broken.” This refers to people whom others had mistreated and hurt. Some other ways to translate this are:

broken victims (Revised English Bible)
-or-
those who have been treated unfairly (New Century Version)
-or-
everyone who suffers (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 5:6

5:6a

When they had done so: The clause When they had done so means “Once the fishermen had lowered/cast their nets into the water.” It connects Jesus’ command with what happened next. Some other ways to translate this are:

When the fishermen did as Jesus told them (New Century Version)
-or-
They let them down (Good News Translation)

5:6b

they caught such a large number of fish: The pronoun they refers to the fishermen.

In some languages it may be more natural to make the nets the subject. For example:

their ⌊nets⌋ trapped such a large number of fish
-or-
their nets were so full of fish (New Living Translation (2004))

caught: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as caught has the basic meaning “to enclose.” Different languages have different expressions for “catching” fish. See 5:4c for some examples.

a large number of fish: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a large number of is the same word that is often used to describe a large crowd of people. It describes a large number of something.

If your language has a specific word for a large group of fish, use it here. For example:

a great shoal of fish (Revised Standard Version)

(The word “shoal” is a specific English term that is used only for a group of fish.)

their nets began to tear: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tear also means “break.” For example:

their nets began to break (New International Version)

Use a term in your language that refers to nets breaking or tearing.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 5:38

5:38

In this verse, Jesus gave the conclusion to his illustration. In the metaphor, new wine represents the new way of living that Jesus was teaching. The new wineskins represent new traditions, that is, new ways of thinking and acting. Jesus’ new teaching must go along with new ways of thinking and acting.

Instead: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Instead is a conjunction that indicates strong contrast. Verse 5:37 described what people do not do. Verse 5:38 describes what people do and should do. Some ways to translate this conjunction are:

But (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
No (New International Version)
-or-
Rather (God’s Word)

Connect this verse with 5:37 in a natural way in your language.

new wine is poured into new wineskins:
The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek phrase, which is literally “new wine is to-be-put,” as a passive clause. In some languages, it will be necessary to translate it with an active verb and provide a subject. For example:

⌊people⌋ must pour new wine into new wineskins
-or-

⌊you⌋ have to put new wine into new wineskins

new wine…new wineskins: The two Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as new are not the same. The first one means “new in time” or “young.” It is used with “wine” as a phrase meaning unfermented grape juice. It is the same word that was used in 5:37a and 5:37b.

The second one means “new” in the sense of “unused, fresh.” Several English versions translate this word as “fresh.” For example:

new wine is to be poured into fresh skins (God’s Word)

General Comment on 5:37–38

You may want to add a footnote to explain some of the meaning of Jesus’ illustration about the wineskins. Some sample footnotes are:

Jesus implied that putting unfermented wine into old (dry) goatskin containers was like mixing his teaching with the old traditions. When the wine ferments, the containers will not be able to expand, and so they will burst. In the same way, his new teaching does not go with old traditions.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013