22:30a

For: This conjunction introduces the reason why the Sadducees’ question was wrong and why it shows that they did not know Scripture well.

Some versions do not translate this conjunction. For example:

At the resurrection (New International Version)
-or-
When people rise from the dead (New Century Version)

in the resurrection: The resurrection refers to the time when God will cause people who have died to live again.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

when dead people come back to life
-or-
When God raises people to life (Contemporary English Version)

This same phrase is in 22:28a. Translate it the same way in both places.

they neither marry nor are given in marriage: The Greek verb that the English Standard Version translates as marry refers to the action of a man who takes a woman as wife. The Greek verb that the English Standard Version translates as are given in marriage refers to the action of a father who gives his daughter to another man as his wife.

There are at least two ways to translate these clauses.

• With an active verb followed by a passive verb. For example:

men do not marry nor are women given in marriage

• With two active verbs. For example:

men do not marry nor do they give their daughters in marriage

22:30b

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between what people in heaven do not do, and what they do. They do not marry. Instead they are unmarried like angels.

Here are some ways to translate this contrast:

• With the conjunction “but.”

• With a conjunction other than “but.” This is a common way in English to show this type of contrast. For example:

Rather (God’s Word)
-or-
instead
-or-
on the contrary

• With no conjunction. For example:

When God raises people to life, they won’t marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. (Contemporary English Version)

are like angels in heaven: This clause is a description of one thing about people which is like angels. It does not mean that people will be like angels in all respects. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

are like heavenly angels in this way

angels in heaven: The Greek word that the English Standard Version translates as angels means “messengers.” Here it refers to supernatural, spiritual beings who serve God. The phrase in heaven further identifies them as the angels who live with God.

The word “angel” first occurred 1:20. See the Note there for more information on translating this word.

© 2023 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.

3:3a

The Greek of 3:3a begins with conjunction that is often translated as “for.” This word often introduces a reason. However, here it introduces some information about John the Baptist. Do not translate this verse as if it were the reason for 3:2. The Berean Standard Bible and many English versions do not translate this conjunction.

This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: This clause means that God, through the prophet Isaiah, had spoken about John the Baptist. Many years before this time, the prophet Isaiah (in Isaiah 40:3) had prophesied about John the Baptist.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

This was the man whom ⌊God’s⌋ prophet Isaiah spoke about
-or-

⌊God,⌋ through the prophet Isaiah, spoke about this man ⌊when he wrote⌋

spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: See 1:22 and 2:23b for a similar phrase and consider how you translated it there.

3:3b

A voice of one calling in the wilderness: In the Berean Standard Bible, as in the Greek, this is not a complete sentence. In some languages, it may be necessary to make it into a complete sentence by including another form of the word calling. (See the note below for the meaning of calling in this context.) Isaiah was talking about something that would happen seven hundred years later. So you should use the verb form that is natural for a prophecy about the future. In English it is possible to use either the present or the future tense. For example:

There is a voice crying in the desert.
-or-
A voice will cry out in the desert.

A voice of one calling: The voice is the voice of a person. Someone was calling out in order to proclaim a message.

The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as calling means “shout or call out loudly.” Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

A man is shouting
-or-
Someone will call out

the wilderness: The word wilderness is the same word as in 3:1b. See how you translated it there.

3:3c–d

Before you translate 3:3c–d, there are at least two issues to consider:

Issue 1: Parallelism

Verse 3:3c–d is a Hebrew form of poetry called a parallelism. In a parallelism, an idea is repeated. In this particular parallelism, the idea in 3:3c is repeated and made more specific in 3:3d.

The parallel parts in 3:3c–d that are similar in meaning are shown here:

3c
Prepare the way for the Lord,

3d
make straight paths for Him.

In some languages, people will think that the parallel parts in 3:3c–d describe different events. In other words, they will think that “Prepare the way” and “make paths straight” describe different events.

If that is true in your language, you should:

• Indicate that both expressions refer to the same thing. For example:

3cPrepare the way for the Lord,

3d
⌊I repeat more specifically,⌋ make straight paths for Him

• Combine the parallel parts. For example:

Prepare straight paths for the Lord

Issue 2: Metaphor

In addition, 3:3c–d uses metaphors. In these metaphors, the person in the wilderness asked the people to prepare their hearts to receive the Lord. He did this by comparing preparing their hearts to preparing a road to welcome the Lord.

In biblical times, when someone important was about to visit a town, the people living there would make sure that the road was prepared for him to travel on. It had to be smooth and straight. This was a way to welcome and honor an important visitor. In the same way, people should prepare their hearts to receive and welcome the Lord. See below for some translation advice.

3:3c

Prepare the way for the Lord: This clause is the first part of the parallelism. It means approximately the same thing as 3:3d. The difference is that it is more general.

This clause is also a metaphor. In this metaphor, the person in the wilderness told the people to prepare themselves to receive/welcome the Lord. He compared preparing their hearts (or themselves) to preparing a way/road for the Lord to come. He was not literally commanding the people to make their roads better.

The way that “hearts” and “way/road” are similar is that people need to prepare these things to welcome the Lord.

Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor and explain the meaning in a footnote. A possible footnote would be:

This is a metaphor. Matthew quoted Isaiah as saying that the people needed to get ready for the Lord to come. They needed to repent and prepare their hearts and lives for his coming. Isaiah compared this to improving a road to receive the Lord.

• Change the metaphors to similes. For example:

Prepare ⌊yourselves⌋ for the Lord ⌊like you prepare⌋ a road ⌊for an important person⌋
-or-

⌊Just as you⌋ prepare a road ⌊for a king when he comes,⌋ ⌊prepare your hearts⌋ for the Lord ⌊to come⌋.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

Prepare ⌊yourselves⌋ to ⌊receive⌋ the Lord
-or-
Make the necessary changes in your life to receive/welcome the Lord

This verse refers to people preparing themselves in a moral and spiritual way. Your translation should not imply that they should prepare themselves only in a physical way, such as cleaning their houses.

way: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as way refers to a “road/path.” In this metaphor, a person’s heart or life is compared to a “road” or “path.”

the Lord: Here the word Lord refers to the “Lord God.” Matthew understood this to mean that God would come to Israel in the person of Jesus the Messiah.

3:3d

make straight paths for Him: This clause is the second part of the parallelism. It means approximately the same thing as 3:3c. The difference is that it is more specific.

This clause also repeats the metaphor in 3:3c. In this metaphor, the person in the wilderness told the people to make their hearts (themselves) correct so that they could receive and welcome the Lord. He compared making themselves correct to making straight paths for the Lord. He was not literally commanding the people to make their paths straight.

The way that “hearts” and paths are similar is that people need to prepare these things to welcome the Lord.

Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor and explain the meaning in a footnote. A possible footnote is presented above in 3:3c.

• Change the metaphors to similes. For example:

⌊Just as you⌋ make straight paths ⌊for a king⌋ ⌊make yourselves straight/correct⌋ for the Lord ⌊to come⌋.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

Make yourselves ready for him

You should translate 3:3d in a similar way to 3:3c.

straight paths: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as paths is a synonym of “way/road” in 3:3c. If your language translates both “road” and “path” with the same word, you can repeat it. Or you can use the pronoun “them” or “it.” For example:

3cPrepare the road for the Lord, 3dmake the road straight for him.

-or-

3cPrepare the road for the Lord, 3dmake it straight for him.

© 2023 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.

Section 4:18–22

Jesus chose his first four disciples

This section describes two related events that happened near Lake Galilee during the early part of Jesus’ ministry in Galilee. First Jesus asked Peter and his brother Andrew to become his disciples. Later he asked James and his brother John to become his disciples. All four of these men were fishermen. These became four of his twelve disciples.

Here are some other headings for this section:

Jesus chose four fishermen to be his disciples
-or-
Jesus asked four men to follow him

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 1:16–20 and Luke 5:1–11.

Paragraph 4:18–20

4:18a–e

Verse 4:18b–e gives four pieces of information about Simon and Andrew:

18bthey were brothers

18ctheir names were Simon and Andrew

18dthey were casting their net into the lake

18ethey were fishermen

You should put these four pieces of information in the order that is most natural in your language for introducing these new characters. Here is one example of a way to reorder:

18aAs Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, 18ehe saw two fishermen 18dwho were casting their net into the lake. 18bThey were brothers, 18cand their names were Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew.

4:18a

As Jesus was walking: This clause describes the setting for the story that follows. In some languages, it may be natural to introduce this story with a time word or phrase. For example:

One day as Jesus was walking (New Living Translation (2004))

beside the Sea of Galilee: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as beside indicates that Jesus was walking close to the Sea of Galilee. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

by the Sea of Galilee (English Standard Version)
-or-
along the Sea of Galilee (God’s Word)
-or-
along the shore of Lake Galilee (Contemporary English Version)

the Sea of Galilee: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as Sea is the same word that is translated as “sea” in 4:13. You should translate it here as you did there.

4:18b

He saw two brothers: The phrase two brothers refers to two men who were brothers of one another. These men were not brothers of Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

he saw a man and his brother
-or-
he saw two men who were brothers

Simon was the older brother of Andrew. If your language needs to indicate whether it is an older or a younger brother, you can say:

he saw a man and his ⌊younger⌋ brother

4:18c

Simon called Peter: This phrase indicates that Simon had another name. This other name was Peter.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Simon who was ⌊also⌋ called/named Peter
-or-
Simon, also known as Peter (Contemporary English Version)

and his brother Andrew: Some languages use different words for brother or “sibling,” depending on:

(a) whether a person is younger or older

(b) whether a person is the brother of a woman or brother of a man

(c) whether they are brothers of the same father or mother

(d) whether it is important to specify whether a sibling is male or female

Most scholars assume that Peter was the older brother, because he was mentioned first in this passage. We may also assume that Peter and Andrew had the same father and mother. For Peter’s brother Andrew, use whatever term is natural in your language to refer to a younger male sibling with the same father and mother. For example:

his younger brother Andrew

4:18d

They were casting a net into the sea: In Greek, the phrase casting a net is a single word. It describes someone who stands on shore or in a boat and repeatedly throws a net into the water to catch fish. The net mentioned here was made of string or thread knotted together. The net was circular with small weights attached around its edge to make it sink quickly. It was small enough for one man to handle.

In some languages, it may be difficult to translate the idea of throwing a net into the water. In these languages, it may be necessary to use a more general expression. For example:

catching fish…with a net (Good News Translation)
-or-
fishing with a net (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
catching fish

Be sure not to use an expression that implies that Simon and Andrew were throwing their nets away.

into the sea: In areas where people are familiar with net fishing, it may be redundant to include the words into the sea. That information will be clear from the context. So you can leave it implicit. In other areas, it may be necessary to include this information. Do whatever is clear and natural in your language.

4:18e

for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces some additional background information about Simon and Andrew. This information is that these men were fishermen. In some languages, it will be more natural to put this information at another part of the verse. See the note above on 4:18a–e for an example.

Some English versions translate this word as “because.” However, 4:18e is not a direct reason for 4:18d.

they were fishermen: The word fishermen refers to men whose job is to catch fish and sell them.

If your translation of “casting a net” in 4:18d already made explicit a phrase such as “to catch fish,” you may not need to repeat that information here. You may be able to say:

that was their work

Their work was to throw a net into the lake to catch fish. They earned their living by fishing. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

their work was fishing

© 2023 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.

Paragraph 5:25–26

In 5:25–26 in the Greek text, the pronouns for “you” or “your” are all singular. But the teaching applies to all of Jesus’ followers. So in some languages, it is more natural to use the plural form of “you” here.

5:25a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in 5:25a–b. Compare the Berean Standard Bible with the New Living Translation (2004) and New Century Version below.

25aReconcile quickly with your adversary, 25bwhile you are still on the way to court (Berean Standard Bible)

25bWhen you are on the way to court 25awith your adversary, settle your differences quickly. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

25bIf your enemy is taking you to court, 25abecome friends quickly, 25bbefore you go to court. (New Century Version)

5:25a

Reconcile: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Reconcile means “settle matters” or “make friends.” A believer who has wronged someone must resolve the problem.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Make friends (Revised Standard Version)
-or-
Settle matters (New International Version)
-or-
settle the dispute (Good News Translation)
-or-
make peace

quickly: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as quickly means “at once, without delay.” In this context, it refers to settling matters before court begins.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

while there is time (Good News Translation)
-or-
immediately
-or-
before you arrive at the court

your adversary: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as your adversary refers to the person who is against you. He is the person taking you to court to accuse you before the judge.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

accuser (English Standard Version)
-or-
opponent (God’s Word)
-or-
enemy (New Century Version)
-or-
the one who has accused you of wrong

5:25b

while you are still on the way to court: The Greek text that the Berean Standard Bible translates as while you are still on the way to court is literally “while you are with him on the road.” The Berean Standard Bible has added the words to court. By doing this, the Berean Standard Bible makes it clear that “your adversary” is the one who initiated the court case. Your adversary has accused you of doing something wrong. The two of you are going to court so that the judge can hear your case. This clause does not mean that your enemy is literally carrying or dragging you to court.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

while you are on the way to court with him (God’s Word)
-or-
as he is taking you to where the judge is
-or-
while there is time, before you get to court (Good News Translation)

5:25c

Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Otherwise can also be translated as “so that not” or “lest.”

This clause and 5:25d indicate what will happen if matters are not settled quickly. You may need to translate this clause somewhat differently in order to make it clear. For example:

so that your opponent will not hand you over to the judge
-or-
lest, your accuser hand you over to the judge (English Standard Version)
-or-
If you do not ⌊settle matters quickly⌋, he will hand you over to the judge

hand you over to the judge: The words hand you over refer to putting someone under the power or authority of another. This accuser will bring you before the judge, and the judge will decide how to punish you.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

will deliver/take you to the judge
-or-
will give/bring you to the judge
-or-
will cause you to appear before the judge

5:25d

and the judge may hand you over to the officer: In the Greek, this phrase is literally “and the judge to the officer.” There is an ellipsis here. The words may hand you over are implied from 5:25c.

officer: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as officer refers to a policeman or similar official who fulfills the judge’s orders. He has the authority to put someone in jail or set him free, as the judge tells him to.

Here are some other ways to translate officer:

guard (English Standard Version)
-or-
warden (NET Bible)
-or-
person in charge of prisoners

5:25e

you may be thrown into prison: The verb be thrown is passive. The guard in 5:25d obeys the order of the judge and puts the believer in prison. Some ways to translate this clause are:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

you will be put in jail (Good News Translation)
-or-
you will be locked up

• Use an active verb. For example:

he will put you in prison

-or-

who will put you in jail (Contemporary English Version)

© 2023 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.

Paragraph 6:9–13

In this paragraph, Jesus gave his disciples a model prayer to show them how he would like them to pray. Many English speaking Christians call this prayer “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Several English versions print each part of this prayer on a different line. For example:

9Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name,

10your kingdom come,

your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

11Give us this day our daily bread,

12and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

13And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

When you prepare the book of Matthew for printing, you will have to decide how to format this prayer.

6:9a

So then, this is how you should pray: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So then also means “therefore” or “so” (as in the NET Bible). This conjunction introduces the conclusion to what was said in 6:7–8. The words that follow in 6:9b–13 are an example of how to pray.

this: The pronoun this refers ahead to the whole prayer in 6:9b–13.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

So you should pray like this: (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
Therefore, when you pray to God, here is the way to do it:
-or-
So, when you talk to God, say this:

6:9b

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

Our Father ⌊God⌋
-or-

⌊God⌋ our Father

in heaven: The words in heaven refer to God living there.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

⌊who is/lives⌋ in heaven
-or-

⌊God⌋ our heavenly Father

6:9c–13b

Verses 6:9c–13b are a series of requests to God. In Greek, these requests are third person commands. In some languages, when praying to a deity, requests are expressed very politely. For example:

We pray/request that your name be hallowed
-or-

Our request is that your name be hallowed
-or-

Please help us to hallow your name

You should translate these requests in a way that is natural for people making requests to God.

6:9c

hallowed be Your name: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hallowed be Your name is a prayer. It is a prayer that God would cause his name to be recognized/honored as holy. In some languages there may be a more natural way to begin a prayer. For example:

May your holy name be honored (Good News Translation)
-or-

we pray/ask that your name be recognized as holy

In some languages it may be more natural to remove the passive verb and say who should honor the name of God. It is possible to supply either “we/us” or “everyone.” For example:

help us to honor your name (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

⌊we pray that⌋ everyone will honor your name.

hallowed be: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hallowed comes from the same Greek word as “holy.” It means “make or cause ⌊something⌋ to be holy.”

This verb is passive. The text does not specify who should make God’s name holy. This action involves both God and people. God makes his name holy by revealing to people that he is holy. He is completely perfect and sinless and is worthy of awe. People make God’s name holy by honoring or treating him as the holy God who deserves their worship and obedience.

If possible, translate this clause in a way that both God and people can be understood as the ones who make God’s name holy. Here are some other ways to do this:

• Use a passive verb, as in the previous two examples.

• Use an active verb. For example:

cause ⌊people⌋ to recognize that your name is holy
-or-
reveal ⌊to everyone⌋ that you are holy so that they will recognize you as the only God
-or-
help us to honor your name (Contemporary English Version)

If you need to specify that either God or people are the ones who make God’s name holy, it is recommended that you specify people. For example:

we pray that ⌊all people⌋ would honor/respect your holy name
-or-
may ⌊all people⌋ recognize that you are holy

Your name: In Jewish thinking, a person’s name represented the person himself. When people honored someone’s name, it was the same as honoring him. If this would not be understood in your language, it may be necessary to translate the meaning of name. For example:

may you be honored as the holy ⌊God⌋
-or-
may ⌊people⌋ treat you with the respect you deserve as God

-or-

⌊we ask that⌋ you will cause ⌊men to say⌋, “You are holy”

© 2023 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.

Section 7:7–12

Pray about your needs

In this section, Jesus taught about prayer. He also said that we should act toward other people the way we want them to act toward us.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Ask, seek, knock
-or-
Ask God and you will receive
-or-
The Power of Prayer (God’s Word)

Paragraph 7:7–11

In this paragraph, Jesus told his disciples that they should pray earnestly to God for the things that they need, and God will give them these things. God will give good things to his followers just as a human father gives good things to his children.

Matthew 7:7–8 has almost the same words as Luke 11:9–10, and they mean the same thing.

7:7a–c

In 7:7, Jesus instructed his disciples to pray to God for the things that they need. He restated this in three ways using three verbs: “ask,” “seek,” and “knock.”

The three sayings in 7:7 are like proverbs. Proverbs are short without much explaining. You may want to add little or no implied information to these sayings, as long as the sayings are natural in your language.

7:7a

This is the first way to say that we should pray for the things we need, and then God will give them to us.

Ask: In this context, the verb Ask refers to asking God for something when praying. In some languages a literal translation would refer to asking in general. It would not refer to praying. If that is true in your language, you may want to include some implied information. For example:

Ask ⌊God⌋
-or-
Ask ⌊in your prayers⌋
-or-
Ask ⌊God⌋ ⌊for whatever you need⌋

Jesus was speaking to his disciples, so this verb is plural.

it will be given to you: This clause is passive.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

it will be given to you (New International Version)

• Use the active form of “give.” For example:

God will give to you (New Century Version)

• Use another verb. For example:

you will receive (Good News Translation)

7:7b

This is the second way to say that we should pray for the things we need, and then God will give them to us.

seek, and you will find: The verb seek means to “search” or “look” for something. This is a figure of speech. It compares “asking God for something” to “searching for it.” It also compares “God answering the prayer” to “the person finding/receiving” what he was searching for.

If the meaning of this figure of speech will not be clear in your language, you may need to supply some information. For example:

seek ⌊from God⌋ ⌊what you need⌋, and you will find it
-or-
search ⌊for what you need⌋, and ⌊he/God⌋ will provide it for you

you will find: The verb find indicates that you will get/receive something that you did not have. It does not imply that you had lost something and found it again.

Here are some other ways to translate this verb:

you will get/obtain it
-or-
you will receive it
-or-
God will give it to you

7:7c

This is the third way to say that we should pray for the things we need, and then God will give them to us.

knock, and the door will be opened to you: This clause is also a figure of speech. It compares asking God for something to knocking on a door to indicate that the person inside should open it. The image of the door being opened means that God responds favorably to the person’s request.

In some languages it may be necessary to make explicit where a person should knock, and who would open it. For example:

knock ⌊on the door⌋, and ⌊God⌋ will open it for you

To knock is a cultural gesture to announce that a person is at the door. In some cultures, people call out or clap to announce that they are there, then wait outside the door. If the custom of knocking on a door is not used or understood in your area, you may want to:

• Explain the meaning of the gesture of knocking in the text. For example:

Knock/Tap ⌊on the door⌋ ⌊to ask God to open it⌋, and ⌊he⌋ will open it for you

• Use a gesture that has the right meaning in your area. For example:

Call/Clap at the door, and ⌊God⌋ will open it

© 2023 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.

Paragraph 8:10–12

8:10a

He marveled: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as marveled implies that Jesus was surprised but pleased. It pleased Jesus that the centurion recognized his authority and had such great faith in him. Do not use a word that means to be amazed about something bad or displeasing.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

was ⌊pleasantly⌋ surprised
-or-
was amazed ⌊and pleased⌋
-or-
was impressed

8:10b

those following Him: This clause probably includes Jesus’ disciples and other people. Wherever Jesus went, crowds followed him.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

the crowd following him (Contemporary English Version)

8:10c

Truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. When he began a statement with these words, he was asking people to listen with extra attention.

Here are some other ways to introduce this:

I assure you (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
Listen to this:
-or-
Let me tell you this:

If you have another way in your language to emphasize a statement or to alert people to listen with special attention, consider using it here.

This same Greek phrase first occurs in 5:18a. You should translate it here as you did there.

8:10d

I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith: This sentence means that Jesus had not seen any Israelite/Jew who believed in him as much as this Roman soldier did. This indicates that this Gentile had more faith than any Jew.

In this context, the word found means that this was the first time that Jesus met someone with such great faith. The word found does not imply that he was searching in some way.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

I haven’t seen faith like this in all the land of Israel! (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
I have not seen/met anyone in Israel who has as much faith as this man.
-or-
Even among the Jews, I have not met a person who believes as strongly ⌊in me⌋ as this person

anyone in Israel: This phrase means “any person living in the land of Israel.” In other words, it refers to the Jews.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

anyone among the people of Israel
-or-
a Jew

such great faith: In this context, the words such great faith means “a strong and sincere faith/belief.” The centurion strongly believed that Jesus was able to heal his servant.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

faith as great as this (God’s Word)
-or-
believes so strongly ⌊in me⌋

-or-

has such confidence/trust ⌊in me⌋

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