SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013 – Page 97

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 19:44

19:44a

They will level you to the ground—you and the children within your walls: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as level…to the ground has two meaning, “level to the ground” and “throw to the ground.” Here the verb has two different objects:

(a) One object is you, which refers to the city itself. With this object, the verb indicates that the army will break down the walls and buildings and level them.

(b) The other object is the children within your walls. This object refers to the people of Jerusalem. With this object, the verb indicates that the soldiers will kill the people by throwing them to the ground.

In some languages there may be one verb that can be used with both objects, such as “destroy” or “dash” in English. Here is another way to translate this:

They will destroy you and all your people (New Century Version)

If there is no verb like this, you may use two different verbs. For example:

They will break your(sing) walls to the ground and they will kill your(sing) people by smashing them against the ground.

you and the children within your walls: Here Jesus continued to use a figure of speech to speak of Jerusalem. He spoke as though Jerusalem were a mother and its people were her children. In this context he was saying that the enemy would destroy the city itself and the people in the city. The word children does not refer only to children. It includes all the people in Jerusalem.

In some languages people may not understand this figure of speech. You may need to translate the meaning without the figure, as in the example in the preceding note.

within your walls: The city of Jerusalem was surrounded by high walls that protected it from enemies. However, here the Greek text does not actually mention these walls. It says “within you.” The Berean Standard Bible has supplied your walls in order to make clear that Jesus was still speaking to the city about its people. Other ways to translate it are:

who live within you(sing)
-or-
in the/your city

19:44b

They will not leave one stone on another: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as They will not leave one stone on another indicates that they will knock down every single stone. This is a figure of speech called hyperbole. It emphasizes that the enemy soldiers would completely destroy the city. It does not mean literally that no stone would be on top of any other stone.

Other ways to translate this are:

not a single building or wall will be left standing
-or-
your walls and buildings will be completely destroyed

19:44c

because you did not recognize the time of your visitation from God: This clause gives the reason for the things that would happen in 19:43–44. In some languages it may be helpful to make the connection more explicit. For example:

⌊All this will happen⌋ because you did not recognize…

your visitation from God: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates literally as your visitation reflects a Hebrew term with the same meaning that occurs often in the Old Testament. Both terms refer to a special visit by God to bring judgment or mercy. In this context it refers to a visit of mercy. It indicates that God had visited the people of Jerusalem in the person of Jesus, the Messiah. He came to save and bless them.

It is recommended that you make clear that God is the one who visits, as the Berean Standard Bible does and as a number of English versions also do:

your visitation from God (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-

God’s coming to you (New International Version)

It may also be helpful to make clear the reason for this visit:

when God came to you in/with mercy
-or-
when God came to save you (Good News Translation)

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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 20:28

20:28a

“Teacher,” they said: The Berean Standard Bible places the words they said after the word Teacher. In Greek, the word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they said occurs at the beginning of 20:28a. Place the words they said where it is natural in your language.

If you begin 20:28a with they said you may want to use a word or phrase to show the connection between 20:28a and 20:27b. For example:

⌊So⌋ they said to him
-or-

⌊With this in mind⌋, they said to him

For help in translating Teacher, see the note on 20:21a.

Moses wrote for us: This phrase introduces a specific law that God gave the Jews. Moses wrote this law for them in Deuteronomy 25:5–10. The word us here includes Jesus, because he also was a Jew.

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit that what Moses wrote was a law. It may also be necessary to clarify that the phrase for us refers to the Jews in general. It does not refer only to the Sadducees of Jesus’ time. One way to clarify these things is:

Our(incl) law that Moses wrote says
-or-
Moses wrote this law for us Jews:

In some languages it may be more natural to refer to this particular law as a custom. For example:

Moses wrote that we Jews should follow this custom

Moses: Moses was one of the greatest leaders of the Jews. He lived long before Jesus was born. He wrote God’s laws for the Jews. That is why the first five books of the Old Testament are often called “the Law of Moses.”

20:28b

if a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children: This clause describes the situation that Moses gave instructions about in Deuteronomy 25:5–10. It is a situation that might happen. A married man might die without having any children. Moses wrote a law that would apply to the wife and the man’s brother in this situation.

Languages have different ways to begin a description like this. Another way to do this in English is:

He told us what a man should do when his married brother dies without having any children.

In some languages it may be more natural to begin by talking about the brother who died. For example:

If a man dies and leaves a wife but no children, that man’s brother must marry the widow

Use a natural way in your language to begin describing this situation.

a man’s brother: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as brother could refer to an older or younger brother. The verses in Deuteronomy do not indicate whether one brother was older or younger than the other. However, if you must be specific, you can specify that the older brother died. It is more likely that an older brother would marry and die before his younger brother.

20:28c

the man is to marry his brother’s widow: This clause tells what a man must do in the situation described in 20:28b. It is the Jewish law and custom for that situation.

the man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the man refers to the surviving brother. Refer to him in the way that is most natural in your language.

widow: A widow is a woman whose husband has died. If she remarries, she is no longer a widow. However, she would still be considered the widow of her deceased husband.

20:28d

raise up offspring for him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as offspring is literally “seed.” Here it refers to a son and that son’s descendants. When the brother and the widow had their first son, that son would inherit the dead brother’s name and land. Through this son, the dead brother would then have descendants and his family could continue.

You may want to make explicit in your translation that only the first child would be considered the child of the dead brother. For example:

Their first son would then be thought of as the son of the dead brother. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
…his brother should marry the widow and have a child who will be the brother’s heir. (New Living Translation (1996))

Consider if it would be helpful to have a footnote briefly explaining this custom. For example:

In ancient Israel there was a custom that if a man married and then died childless, one of his brothers should marry his widow. The first son that the widow bore in her new marriage would legally be the son of her first husband. He would be the heir of the first husband’s name and property. See Deuteronomy 25:5–10.

for him: In this context the phrase for him means “in his brother’s name” or “to keep alive his brother’s family line.” Other ways to translate the phrase for him are:

who will carry on the brother’s name (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
who will be considered the dead man’s child
-or-
who will be his brother’s heir

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 21:13

21:13

This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as This will be your opportunity to serve as witnesses is literally, “It-will-result for you in a-testimony/witness.” This clause indicates that when the disciples are taken to kings and other leaders (21:12), they will be able to testify. Another way to say this is:

This will be your opportunity to testify. (Revised English Bible)

In 21:12b–d, Jesus indicated that the disciples will be taken to the kings and leaders because of him. This implies that the testimony will be about Jesus. They will be able to tell the leaders what they know about him. In many languages it is helpful to make this explicit. For example:

But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me. (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages it is necessary to have a phrase or clause to connect this verse with 21:12. For example:

When that happens, you will be able to tell what you know ⌊about me⌋.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 22:7

Section 22:7–13

Jesus sent two disciples to prepare for the Passover celebration

This section begins on “the Day of Unleavened Bread.” On that day the Jewish people had to remove from their houses all “leaven” (yeast) and any bread or other food that was made with yeast. Also on that day, each family had to sacrifice a lamb for the Passover meal. In the context of sacrifice, people could refer to any of these lambs as “the Passover” without adding the word “lamb.” For example, see Exodus 12:21 and Deuteronomy 16:2. This is similar to its use in 1 Corinthians 5:7: “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”

Luke, Paul, and other New Testament writers implied that the lamb that was sacrificed on Passover symbolized the fact that Jesus offered himself as a sacrifice to save people from slavery to sin. Jesus knew that during the time of the festival, he himself would become a sacrifice. He would become the “Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).

In this section, Jesus sent two disciples to make preparations for the Passover celebration.

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 26:17–25, Mark 14:12–21, and John 13:21–30. Examples of other headings for this section are:

The Preparation of the Passover (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Jesus makes arrangements for his last Passover with his disciples (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

Paragraph 22:7–8

22:7a–b

Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed: This sentence identifies the day on which the events in this section occurred. The day of Unleavened Bread refers to the day when people removed all yeast from their houses. They also sacrificed a lamb in preparation for the Passover meal in the evening. Luke spoke of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread as one eight-day feast.

Some other ways to translate this verse are:

The day had come for the Festival of Thin Bread, and it was time to kill the Passover lambs. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
On the day ⌊when people began to celebrate⌋ ⌊the Feast of⌋ Unleavened Bread, ⌊the lamb for⌋ the Passover ⌊meal⌋ had to be sacrificed.
-or-
Then came the first day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. (New American Standard Bible)

Unleavened Bread: The term Unleavened Bread refers to bread that is flat or thin because people have prepared it without yeast. See the note on 22:1a–b for translation advice and examples.

the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed is more literally “it was necessary for the Passover to be sacrificed.” This verb to be sacrificed is passive. It does not specify who must sacrifice the lamb. However, the instructions in Exodus indicate that each family must sacrifice a lamb. It was necessary to sacrifice the lambs because God commanded them to do it.

Some other ways to translate this clause are:

when ⌊each family⌋ had to sacrifice a lamb for the Passover ⌊festival⌋
-or-
when ⌊people⌋ must sacrifice ⌊sheep/lambs⌋ for Passover, ⌊as God commanded⌋

the Passover lamb: The word Passover refers here to the lamb that must be sacrificed, so the Berean Standard Bible supplies the word lamb. The Passover lamb is more specifically described in Exodus 12:5, which says, “The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.”

Use an appropriate word in your language to refer to a sheep or goat that is a year old. The text does not refer to a baby animal. A year-old animal would be large enough to feed a whole family for the feast.

to be sacrificed: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to be sacrificed may refer either to offering an animal as a sacrifice or more generally to killing it. People took their Passover lamb to the temple of God to kill it. Then a priest poured the lamb’s blood on the altar and took part of its meat. The family ate the rest of the meat at the Passover meal in the evening.

In some languages a verb like sacrificed implies that the entire lamb is burned or that all the meat is given to the priest. If that is true in your language, you may need to use a more general word. For example:

to be killed (Good News Translation)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 22:39

Section 22:39–46

Jesus prayed in a garden called Gethsemane

Jesus then went out to the Mount of Olives with his disciples. There he prayed to God about his coming suffering, and there his enemies, whom Judas was leading, arrested him.

Jesus knew that his enemies would soon arrest him. So during this last time that he had with his disciples, he prayed to God and encouraged them to pray to God. He told his disciples to pray that they would not be overcome by temptation. Jesus also prayed that he himself would do what his heavenly Father wanted rather than what he himself wanted.

Other examples of headings for this section are:

Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives (Good News Translation)
-or-
Jesus Prays Alone (New Century Version)
-or-
The Garden of Gethsemane

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 26:36–46 and Mark 14:32–42.

Paragraph 22:39–40

22:39a

Jesus went out: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus went out is more literally “And he came out, and went,” as in the Revised Standard Version. The context shows that Jesus and his disciples left the room where they ate the Passover and went out of the city of Jerusalem. They walked to a place outside the city. Some other ways to translate it are:

Jesus left the city and went (Good News Translation)
-or-
Jesus went out of the city to (God’s Word)
-or-
Jesus left ⌊the house/room⌋ and went

In 22:39b the text indicates that Jesus’ disciples went with him. In some languages it may be more natural to mention the disciples along with Jesus at the beginning of the verse. See the General Comment on 22:39a–b below for translation suggestions.

as usual: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as as usual is more literally “according to the custom/habit.” Jesus often went to this place with his disciples. In 21:37 the text indicates that Jesus and his disciples had slept there each night during the days after they arrived in Jerusalem.

Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

as he usually did (Good News Translation)
-or-
as was his custom (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
because they always slept there

to the Mount of Olives: The Mount of Olives was a hill/mountain on the east side of Jerusalem. Many olive trees grew there. The Mount of Olives was mentioned in 19:29. See the notes on “Mount of Olives” and “Olives” at 19:29b for more information and translation examples.

22:39b

and the disciples followed Him: In this context the phrase followed Him indicates that the disciples went with Jesus. They accompanied him to the Mount of Olives. Another way to translate this is:

the disciples went with him (Good News Translation)

disciples: Here the term disciples refers to the apostles who had been with him for the Passover celebration. However, it does not include Judas, who had left them during the supper. Refer back to the disciples in a natural way in your language.

General Comment on 22:39a–b

In some languages it may be more natural to change the order of some phrases in this verse. For example:

39bThen, accompanied by the disciples, 39aJesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives. (New Living Translation (2004))

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 22:71

22:71a

“Why do we need any more testimony?” they declared: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they declared are literally “but/and they said.” The Berean Standard Bible places these words in the middle of what the council of the elders said. This is good English style. However, in some languages, it may be necessary to put these words where they are in the Greek, at the beginning of 22:71a. For example:

Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony?” (New International Version)

Place them where it is natural in your language.

Why do we need any more testimony?: This is a rhetorical question. It implies that Jesus’ answer was enough to condemn him. So they did not need any other witnesses to give testimony against him. The council members said this to emphasize that they did not need anyone else to testify against Jesus.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why do we need other witnesses? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
What further evidence do we need? (Revised English Bible)

• As a statement. For example:

We do not need any more evidence ⌊against him⌋.
-or-
That statement of his is all we need ⌊to execute him⌋!

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

22:71b

We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips: The Jewish leaders indicated here that what they just heard Jesus say proved that he was guilty. When he said that he was the Son of God, they thought that was all they needed to show that he deserved to be executed. Other ways to say this are:

We’ve heard him say it ourselves. (God’s Word)
-or-
We have heard him condemn himself by his own words.

We: In this verse We is emphatic. They did not need any other witnesses to confirm what they themselves had heard. In some languages the statement itself expresses this emphasis. In other languages there may be another natural way to express it. Here is another way to translate this:

We ourselves have heard what he said! (Good News Translation)

from His own lips: This is an idiom. It refers emphatically to something that Jesus himself said. Some ways to translate this idiom are:

• Use a similar idiom in your language. For example, another English idiom is:

from his own mouth

• Translate the meaning directly. For example:

He said it himself! (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 23:33

23:33a

When they came: The phrase When they came refers to arriving at the place of crucifixion. The word they may refer to the soldiers or it may refer to the whole group, including the soldiers, Jesus, the two criminals, and people who came to watch. Another way to begin 23:33 is:

After they arrived

Begin 23:33 in a way that is natural in your language.

to the place called The Skull: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as called The Skull is literally “called Skull.” This was the place where the Romans crucified criminals. It is not certain why this place was called Skull. It may have been a hill (or near a hill) that looked like a skull, or people may have called it Skull because the Romans had executed so many people there. The name does not imply that there were skulls on the ground at that place.

In some languages it may be helpful to include a footnote. For example:

It is not certain why this place was called “Skull.” Perhaps it was a hill (or near a hill) that looked like a skull, or possibly it was called that because the Romans had executed so many people there.

called The Skull: In some languages it may be necessary to say who called this place Skull. For example:

the place ⌊that people⌋ called “Skull”
-or-
the place ⌊that people⌋ had named “Skull ⌊place⌋”

Skull: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Skull refers to the large bone of a person’s head. Use an appropriate word or phrase to refer to this large bone.

23:33b–c

they crucified Him: This clause indicates that the soldiers attached Jesus to the cross. There were different ways to do that. Probably the soldiers laid the cross on the ground, laid Jesus on it, and nailed him to it. For more information, see the note on “Crucify him” at 23:21b. You should translate the term “crucify” in a similar way in both verses.

Some other ways to translate the clause they crucified Him are:

they nailed/put him on a cross to die
-or-
they nailed Jesus onto the post ⌊and set it upright in the ground⌋
-or-
they nailed him to the cross (New Living Translation (2004))

there: The word there refers back to the “place called The Skull” in the preceding clause.

along with the criminals, one on His right and the other on His left: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as along with the criminals is more literally “and the evildoers.” It indicates that the two criminals were also nailed to crosses. One criminal was on a cross at Jesus’ right, and the other criminal was on a cross at Jesus’ left.

In some languages it may be helpful to translate this part of the verse as a separate sentence. Make it clear that the three men, Jesus and the two criminals, were on three separate crosses. Jesus was in the middle. For example:

They nailed one of the criminals to a cross on Jesus’ right, and the other to a cross on his left.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 24:9

24:9a

And when they returned from the tomb: In Greek, this part of the verse is more literally “and having returned from the tomb.” It introduces what the women did after they heard what the angels said in 24:8. The women left the tomb and returned to the city of Jerusalem to tell Jesus’ apostles.

Some other ways to translate 24:9a are:

The women left the tomb and went back to the city. (God’s Word)
-or-
So they rushed back from the tomb… (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Then the women returned from the tomb.

Some English versions include 24:9–10 in the preceding paragraph. Some even connect 24:9 to 24:8, as the Berean Standard Bible does. For example:

and when they returned from the tomb (NET Bible)

Connect this information to 24:8 and 24:9b in a natural way in your language.

they: The pronoun they refers to the women who went to the tomb and saw the angels in 24:1–8. Some of their names are mentioned in 24:10a. In some languages it may be helpful to put their names here in 24:9a. See the General Comment on 24:9–10 at the end of 24:10c for a suggestion on reordering information in these verses.

24:9b

they reported all these things to the Eleven and to all the others: The phrase all these things refers to everything that the women saw and heard when they went to the tomb. It does not refer only to what the angels told them. Some other ways to translate the clause are:

they told all this to Jesus’ eleven apostles and to all the others
-or-
they went to Jesus’ eleven apostles and the others and told them all that had happened

the Eleven: The phrase the Eleven refers to Jesus’ apostles. There were now only eleven apostles instead of twelve, because Judas Iscariot was no longer among them. After he betrayed Jesus, he did not continue as an apostle. In some languages it may be necessary to supply the word “apostles” here, as some English versions do. For example:

the eleven apostles (God’s Word)

all the others: The phrase all the others refers to other people who followed Jesus. The phrase does not specify exactly which people are included. The text may refer to those who were gathered with the apostles at that time, or it may include other followers in Jerusalem. Other Scriptures indicate that many of Jesus’ followers and family members stayed together in Jerusalem after he died.

Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

all his other followers
-or-
all the rest (Revised Standard Version)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 2013