SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013 – Page 9

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 8:48

8:48a

Daughter: Jesus called the woman Daughter to show his kind concern for her and so to reassure her. Daughter was an appropriate term for a teacher like Jesus to use to speak kindly to a woman.

The word Daughter does not imply here that the woman was literally Jesus’ daughter. It also does not imply that she was much younger than Jesus. The text does not indicate whether she was younger or older. In some languages it may not be natural to use a word such as Daughter here, or it may imply a wrong meaning. Use an appropriate term in your language for this context.

your faith has healed you: The noun faith refers here to the action of believing and trusting Jesus. The phrase your faith has healed you implies that the woman believed that Jesus would heal her. In some languages it may be more natural to translate faith as a verb. If that is true in your language, you may also need to make explicit who or what was believed. Some ways to translate this are:

You trusted ⌊in me⌋ and that has healed you.
-or-
You are well because you believed ⌊that I could heal you⌋.

See believe, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.

has healed you: The form of the Greek verb here implies that the woman was healed in the past, when she touched Jesus’ clothes. She was now well. Use the appropriate verb form in your language for this.

healed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as healed is the same word that is commonly used in the Bible to mean “saved, rescued.” In this context, it means “saved/rescued from illness” or “healed.” If you have an expression that could be used for both “rescue from sins” and “rescue from an illness,” consider using it here.

8:48b

Go in peace: The phrase Go in peace was a common blessing that a Jewish person gave to someone who was leaving. This blessing means “may you go with peace.” To Jewish people it strongly implies that God is the one who gives that peace. Jesus used this blessing here to reassure the woman. Other ways to say this are:

Go and may God ⌊continue to⌋ give you his peace
-or-
You may go home now with ⌊the blessing of⌋ God’s peace
-or-
Go and may the peace of God rest upon you
-or-
You may go home now, ⌊knowing that you are⌋ at peace ⌊with God⌋

This same expression occurs in 7:50b. See also peace, Meaning 6, in the Glossary.

© 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.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 9:24

9:24a

For: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces a reason or explanation for what Jesus said in 9:23. In some languages an explicit connecting word or phrase may not be needed. Show this connection in a way that is natural in your language.

whoever wants to save his life will lose it: In this part of the verse the word life and the pronoun it refer to two different meanings of “life.” The word life refers to a person’s own way of life in this world. The pronoun it refers to a person’s true life with God.

whoever wants to save his life: The phrase whoever wants to save his life refers to a person who is not willing to deny himself and suffer for Jesus (9:23). Instead, he wants to save or preserve his own way of life. See save, Meaning 1, in the Glossary. Some ways to translate this are:

whoever wants to protect his own life
-or-
if you want to guard your life on this earth

his life: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as life is literally “soul.” It refers to a person’s inner being or true self, as well as his physical life.

will lose it: The phrase lose it refers to losing true life, that is, life with God that lasts forever. The person will fail to experience that life either here on earth or in heaven after he dies. He will eventually lose his physical life because no one can live forever. He will also lose the opportunity to gain true life with God.

In some languages, a literal translation of “lose” may imply that a person misplaces something and is unable to find it. It may also imply that a person who already has eternal life will lose it. Be careful to avoid both these implications. Some ways to express the correct meaning are:

will forfeit true life
-or-
will lose the opportunity to gain eternal life
-or-
will not gain life with God

9:24b

whoever loses his life for My sake: The phrase whoever loses his life for My sake refers to anyone who renounces or gives up his right to follow his own way of life in order to follow Jesus. It also includes anyone who dies or is killed for Jesus.

for My sake: The phrase for My sake gives the reason for which a disciple must be willing to give up his own life. He must renounce his own way of life because of his faith in Christ and his desire to obey Christ. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

because you believe in me
-or-
on account of his loyalty to me
-or-
because of his following/serving me

Be careful not to translate the phrase for My sake in the sense of “for my benefit” or “in my place.” That is often the correct meaning in the context of Christ dying for us. It is not correct in the context of a disciple giving up his life for Christ.

will save it: The pronoun it refers to a person’s eternal life with God. The person who gives up his earthly life for Jesus will save himself from spiritual death. He will gain true life with God in this world and in heaven. Some other ways to translate will save it are:

will find true life (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
will gain/experience life that is forever
-or-
will have true life (New Century Version)

See save, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.

General Comment on 9:24a–b

In some languages it may be unnatural or impossible to translate “life” as a noun here. It also may not be natural to refer to it as something that can be lost or kept. Here is an example of how to translate “life” as a verb:

For whoever is determined to keep on living his own way will never truly live. But whoever is willing to stop living for himself in order to devote himself to me will be able to live with God eternally/forever.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 9:56

9:56

And: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as And here introduces the next action in the story. Other ways to introduce the next clause are:

Then they went to another town. (New Century Version)
-or-
So they went to another village. (God’s Word)

He and His disciples: For clarity, the Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek pronoun “they” (which is implicit in the verb form “went”) as He and His disciples. It may be helpful in your language to make this reference explicit. For example:

Jesus and his disciples (Good News Translation)
-or-
they all (Contemporary English Version)

went on to another village: The text does not say whether the village they went to next was Samaritan or Jewish. You should not specify either one in your translation.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 10:26

10:26a

What is written in the Law?: Jesus responded to the law expert’s question about eternal life by asking him another question. Jesus’ question contains implied information:

What is written in the Law ⌊about what a person must do to inherit eternal life⌋?

In some languages it may be necessary to supply some of this implied information. For example:

What ⌊answer⌋ is written in the Law?
-or-
What is written ⌊concerning this⌋ in the Law?

is written in the Law: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is written is a passive verb. The text does not say who wrote the words in the Law, but the Jews knew that God caused Moses to write them. Some ways to translate this clause are:

What did ⌊God⌋ cause to be written in the Scriptures?
-or-
What did ⌊Moses⌋ write in the Law ⌊concerning this⌋?
-or-
What does the law of Moses say? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
What do the Scriptures say? (Good News Translation)

in the Law: The term the Law can refer specifically to the first five books of the Old Testament, which Moses wrote. But it can also refer more generally to the Old Testament Scriptures. You may use either sense to translate this term here.

In Greek, the phrase in the Law is emphasized in this verse. Jesus wanted the expert to think specifically about what the Law said concerning the question that he had asked. You may want to use a method in your language to emphasize the Law.

Jesus replied: The Berean Standard Bible has placed the phrase Jesus replied in the middle of the two questions in this verse. In Greek it occurs before the two questions. You should place this phrase wherever is most natural in your language.

The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus replied is more literally “he replied.” The Berean Standard Bible has used the name Jesus to identify the speaker more clearly. Some languages may be able to follow the Greek here and say “he replied.” Use a natural way in your language to refer to Jesus here.

10:26b

How do you read it?: Here Jesus was probably asking the expert to summarize or explain what he thought the Law said about the issue. Some other ways to translate this question are:

What do you read there? (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
How do you understand it? (NET Bible)
-or-
How do you interpret them? (Good News Translation)

This question is very similar to Jesus’ first question in 10:26a. Notice that the law expert answered both questions with a single answer.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:16

11:16

others: The word others refers to yet a different group in the crowd. This group addressed Jesus directly. Introduce this other group in a way that is natural in your language.

tested Him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as tested means “to examine in order to determine certain characteristics.” Here certain people wanted to examine Jesus to determine whether he came from God and whether his power came from God. They did this by asking him for a sign from heaven.

In the context of 11:17a, these people were probably not trying honestly to determine the truth about Jesus’ authority. They were probably trying to discredit him. In some languages, it may be clearer to express this negative aspect of “tested.” For example:

Others wanted to trap Jesus (Good News Translation)

by demanding: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as demanding is literally “seeking.” Another way to translate this is:

asking for (New International Version)

a sign from heaven: Here the word heaven is a euphemism for God. So the phrase a sign from heaven means “a sign from God.” For example:

a sign from God (Contemporary English Version)

Some other ways to translate a sign from heaven are:

a miraculous sign from heaven (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
a miracle to show that God approved of him (Good News Translation)

See heaven, Meaning 3, in the Glossary.

These people wanted Jesus to do a miracle to prove to them that he drove out the demon by God’s power. One way to translate this would be:

Others tested him by asking him to do a miracle ⌊to show that his power came⌋ from God.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 11:48

11:48a

So: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as So introduces the conclusion to be drawn from 11:47b–c. Other ways to introduce this conclusion are:

Thus/Therefore
-or-
In this way (New Jerusalem Bible)

you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers is more literally:

you are witnesses and you approve of the deeds of your fathers (New American Standard Bible)

Another way to translate this is:

you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did (New International Version)

Whether the noun “witnesses” or the verb “testify” is used, this word refers here to their actions, not words that they said. By their actions in building the tombs, the law experts showed that they approved of what their ancestors had done in killing the prophets.

Some other ways to translate this entire clause are:

you show that you approve of what your ancestors did (New Century Version)
-or-
by doing this you prove/show that you agree that what your ancestors did was right

11:48b

They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs: Luke 11:48b says the same things as 11:47b–c. Jesus was continuing to speak ironically or sarcastically. He was saying that the law experts were continuing the work of their ancestors. They built grave memorials to make it look as if they were honoring the prophets whom their ancestors had murdered. In fact, they continued doing the same things as their ancestors had done—refusing to obey God’s prophets, not believing their words, and persecuting them.

Consider how you might show that Jesus was speaking ironically here.

General Comment on 11:47–48

One possible way to make 11:47–48 clearer is to change the order of some of the phrases and supply some implied information. For example:

47cIt was your ancestors who murdered the prophets, 47band ⌊now⌋ you build fine monuments ⌊to honor⌋ those prophets. 48aSo ⌊by doing this⌋ you show that you approve of what your ancestors did. 48b⌊That is to say,⌋ they killed the prophets and you build the prophets’ tombs! 47aGod will punish you severely for this!

If the meaning still seems unclear to people, you have the following options:

• Provide a footnote. For example:

The experts in the law wanted people to think that they were honoring the prophets by building the tombs. But since they did not follow the teaching of the prophets, they proved that they were no better than their ancestors who killed the prophets.

• Make your translation even more explicit. For example:

47cIt was your ancestors who ⌊did not obey the message of the prophets. Instead, they⌋ killed the prophets. 47b⌊Now⌋ you build fine monuments ⌊to honor⌋ those prophets, ⌊but you also do not obey their message⌋. 48aSo, ⌊by doing that⌋ you show that you approve of what your ancestors did. 48b⌊That is,⌋ they killed the prophets and you ⌊continue their work by⌋ building tombs for those prophets! 47aGod will punish you severely for this!

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 12:26

12:26

So: In Greek, this verse begins with a conjunction that many English versions translate as “then.” This conjunction introduces a conclusion to Jesus’ third reason. The Berean Standard Bible uses the word So. Other versions do not translate this word. Another way to introduce this conclusion is:

Therefore if you cannot do…

if you cannot do such a small thing, why do you worry about the rest?: This is another rhetorical question. It functions as a mild rebuke. It also emphasizes that worrying is useless. By worrying, a person cannot even do something small such as make his life one hour longer. So a person should not worry about other things either.

Some ways to translate this rebuke are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

If you cannot do a small thing like that, why worry about other things?
-or-
And if worry can’t accomplish a little thing like that, what’s the use of worrying over bigger things? (New Living Translation (2004))

• As a statement. For example:

Since you cannot do even a small thing like that by worrying, then you should not worry about other things either.
-or-
Worrying cannot do a small thing like lengthen your life. So do not worry about bigger issues.

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

such a small thing: The phrase such a small thing refers to adding a short length of time to how long a person would live.

the rest: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the rest refers to other things or problems that people worry about. Some other ways to translate this are:

the other things (Good News Translation)
-or-
everything else (Contemporary English Version)

It is implied that the rest contrasts with the “small thing.” It may be helpful to make this explicit. For example:

bigger things (New Living Translation (2004))

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 13:10

Section 13:10–17

Jesus healed a crippled woman on the Sabbath

In this section Jesus healed a woman whom an evil spirit had caused to be unable to stand straight. This story occurred on a Sabbath day sometime during Jesus’ ministry. It did not necessarily occur after the previous section. One of its possible connections with the previous section is that Jesus called people in both sections “hypocrites.”

Another possible heading for this section is:

The Healing of a Woman with a Bent/Crooked Back

This story occurs only in Luke.

Paragraph 13:10–16

13:10

This section connects to the previous section with a Greek conjunction that many English versions translate as “now.” It is not a time word but introduces a new incident in the narrative. The Berean Standard Bible does not translate it explicitly. Introduce this incident in a way that is natural in your language.

One Sabbath: The word Sabbath is the name of the seventh and last day of the week for the Jews. This was the special day in the week when they rested and worshiped God. The Law of Moses said that the Jews must not do any work on that day (Deuteronomy 5:12–15).

Some ways to translate Sabbath are:

the ⌊Jewish⌋ rest day
-or-
the day for resting
-or-
the day to rest and worship God

If the word Sabbath is already known in your area, you may write it according to the sounds of your language. You may also want to include a phrase to explain the meaning. For example:

the Sabat, the ⌊Jews’⌋ rest day

The word Sabbath first occurs in Luke in 4:16b. See how you translated this word there.

synagogues: The term synagogues describes buildings where Jews gathered to pray, read Scripture, teach their beliefs, and worship God. The Jews also gathered there for cultural activities. Some ways to translate synagogues are:

prayer-houses ⌊of the Jews⌋
-or-
meeting-places ⌊of the Jews⌋
-or-
worship buildings
-or-
houses for gathering together

If you make explicit a phrase such as “of the Jews,” be sure that it does not imply that Jesus was not a Jew.

You will need a different term to translate synagogue than you use for temple. There was only one temple (in Jerusalem), but each Jewish community had a synagogue.

If the word “synagogue” is already known in your area, you may write it according to the sounds of your language. You may want to include a word or phrase to explain the meaning. For example:

sinagog house/building

The word “synagogue” also occurs in 4:15a and 11:43b. See also synagogue in the Glossary.

Search

Step into the multitudes of languages of the Bible and join the worldwide conversation!

Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013