2:24a

So: This verse begins with the Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and” in English and is translated as “So” in the Berean Standard Bible. Here it introduces what the Pharisees said when they saw the disciples plucking grain on the Sabbath. Consider this context and connect the verse to 2:23 in the most natural way in your language. In some languages a connector may not be needed.

the Pharisees said to Him: The Pharisees are mentioned here for the first time in this story. In some languages it may be necessary to introduce them before mentioning what they said. It may also be necessary to mention that they saw what Jesus’ disciples were doing. For example:

some Pharisees were also there. They saw what Jesus’ disciples were doing, so they said…
-or-
some Pharisees came along and saw what the disciples were doing

This phrase indicates that a group of the Pharisees spoke to Jesus. In some languages it may be necessary to indicate this in some way. For example:

some men of the Pharisee-group said to Jesus…

This statement does not imply that everyone in the group spoke at once. Probably one of them spoke for them all. Use a natural way in your language to introduce this quote. See the note on “said” below.

Pharisees: The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group or party. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws very carefully and in detail. For a discussion of how to translate Pharisees, see the note on Pharisees in 2:16a.

said: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as said is a general verb of speech. Here it introduces a rhetorical question that functions as a rebuke. In some languages it may be more natural to use a different verb like “asked” or “objected.” Use a natural verb in your language for this context.

Him: The pronoun Him refers to Jesus.

2:24b

Look: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Look emphasizes the next statement.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Listen
-or-
See here!

why are they doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?: This is a rhetorical question that is both a claim and a rebuke. The Pharisees were claiming that what the disciples were doing was unlawful. The Pharisees were also saying that Jesus should not allow them to do it.

There are at least two ways to translate this:

• As a rhetorical question. For example, the New Century Version says:

Why are your followers doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath day?

• As a statement or as two statements. For example:

It is against our Law for your disciples to do that on the Sabbath! You should tell them not to do that.

Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language.

unlawful: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as unlawful means “not allowed.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

forbidden (Revised English Bible)
-or-
not permitted (God’s Word)
-or-
what they ought not to do

In this context the term “unlawful” implies that the action was against the Jewish religious law.

The Pharisees interpreted the disciples’ action of picking handfuls of grain as “harvesting.” The Jewish religious law did not allow people to harvest on the Sabbath. The Pharisees did not accuse the disciples of stealing by taking grain that belonged to someone else. You may want to explain this in a footnote. For example:

Jewish law allowed someone to pick small amounts of grain from another person’s field (Deuteronomy 23:25). The Pharisees were not accusing the disciples of stealing. They were accusing them of doing the work of harvesting. The Law of Moses required that no one should work on the Sabbath day.

© 2008 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.

3:29a

The teachers of the law had proof that Jesus was doing miracles by the power of God. However, they did not want to believe that he was from God. That is the reason they said that the Holy Spirit’s work was Satan’s work. Jesus referred to this as blaspheming against the Holy Spirit.

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as But indicates a contrast between 3:28b and 3:29: God can forgive all blasphemies (3:28b). But (in contrast to this), there is an exception (3:29). There is a type of blasphemy that makes a person guilty forever.

whoever: The pronoun whoever refers to any person. It does not just refer to the teachers of the law. Another way to say this is “anyone.”

blasphemes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blasphemes is the verb form of the noun “blasphemies” in 3:28b. This word refers to dishonoring or insulting God.

Here are some other ways to translate the word blasphemes:

slanders (Revised English Bible)
-or-
speaks against (New Century Version)

Holy Spirit: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Holy Spirit refers to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is God, together with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is Spirit in the sense that he is a living being who does not have a physical body. He is Holy in the sense that he is God and unique from every other being. He is perfect in every way and is completely pure and sinless.

Here are some other ways to translate Holy Spirit:

Spirit/Breath of/from God
-or-
Holy/Sacred Spirit

Do not imply that the Holy Spirit is like the ghost of a dead person or that God has died.

See the note in 1:8b.

3:29b–c

3:29b and 3:29c have the same meaning. For suggestions about ways to express 3:29b–c as one statement, see the General Comment on 3:29b–c at the end on the note on 3:29c.

3:29b

will never be forgiven: The words will never be forgiven are similar to the phrase “will be forgiven” in 3:28b. If you need to indicate who will never forgive the blasphemy in 3:29, you should say “God.” For example:

God will never forgive him

See the note on 3:28b for suggestions about how to translate will…be forgiven.

3:29c

he is guilty of eternal sin: The clause he is guilty of eternal sin indicates that the person has committed a sin that God will never forgive. God will forever blame that person for that sin.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

That sin will be held against you forever. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
This is a sin with eternal consequences. (New Living Translation)

General Comment on 3:29b–c

Verse 3:29c uses different words to express the same meaning as 3:29b. In some languages, it will be more natural to translate these two parts of the verse as one statement. For example:

God will blame him forever for that sin.
-or-
God will never forgive him for that sin.

© 2008 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.

4:27a

Night and day he sleeps and wakes: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Night and day he sleeps and wakes is literally: “he might sleep and rise, night and day.” This expression indicates that many days pass. It also indicates that the seeds sprout and grow while the farmer sleeps and while he is awake.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up (New International Version, 2011 edition)
-or-
He sleeps at night, is up and about during the day, and all the while (Good News Bible)
-or-
then going to bed each night and getting up every morning, while (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
While he is asleep and while he is awake, as both night and day pass…

4:27b

sprouts: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sprouts refers to the way seeds become plants. Use the proper expression in your language.

4:27c

though: The word though means “despite the fact that.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Yet (Good News Bible)
-or-
but (New Century Version)
-or-
although (God’s Word)

he knows not how: The phrase he knows not how means that the man has no knowledge about the way a seed becomes a plant and grows.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

he has no idea how it happens (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
he is ignorant about the way they become plants and grow

© 2008 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.

5:19a–b

In Greek, this verse begins with a common conjunction that is often translated as “and” in English. It connects the man’s request to Jesus’ response. Because Jesus’ response contrasted with the man’s request, some English versions translate this conjunction as “But,” as the Berean Standard Bible does. In some languages it may be more natural to express this contrast later in the verse.

But Jesus would not allow him. “Go home to your own people,” He said: The phrase Jesus would not allow him indicates that Jesus did not give the man permission to come with him. Instead, he sent him on a mission back to his own people and area. Introduce what Jesus said in 5:19b in a way that is natural in your language.

Here is another way to translate this:

But Jesus would not allow it. Instead, he told the man, “Go home to your family…” (God’s Word)
-or-
But instead Jesus told him that he wanted him to go home to his own people…

Notice that the second example uses indirect speech to express the way that Jesus did not allow the man to come with him. If you do that, use a polite expression in your language.

Go home to your own people: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Go home to your own people is literally “Go to your home, to the yours.” The first part, “Go to your home” probably means that he should go to the area where his home had been and especially to his family. The second part, “to the yours,” probably means he should go back to be among his relatives and neighbors. It is recommended that you translate this in a way that indicates a more general group than just his family. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible says:

Go home to your people

5:19c

and tell them how much the Lord has done for you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as how much means “what great things.” The Lord had done something great and wonderful for the man.

the Lord: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Lord means “master, one who has authority over others.” Jesus was referring to God here.

In some languages, people may not naturally use a word that means “master” to refer to God. If speakers of your language do not understand that your word for “Lord” refers to God in this context, here are other ways to translate it:

• Use your word for God.

• Use your word for God and indicate that he is the Lord. For example:

God the Lord
-or-
Master God

If you include the word for God in your translation of Lord here, you may want to include a footnote to give the literal Greek meaning. For example:

Here the Greek text is literally “Lord.”

See Lord in the Glossary.

5:19d

and what mercy He has shown you: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as shown…mercy means to have compassion on or to show kindness to those who suffer or are poor.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

how kind he has been to you (Good News Bible)
-or-
how merciful he has been (New Living Translation)
-or-
how compassionately he has treated you

General Comment on 5:19c–d

The two clauses “how much the Lord has done for you” and “how he has had mercy on you” are very similar in meaning. In some languages it may be more natural to combine them or to express them in a different order. For example:

what the Lord in his mercy has done for you (Revised English Bible)
-or-
19dhow the Lord was so merciful to you 19cand did so much for you

© 2008 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.

6:9

and to wear sandals, but not a second tunic: It is implied here that the disciples were not to take extra clothes. The New American Standard Bible gives a fairly literal translation of the Greek: “but to wear sandals; and…not put on two tunics.” In other words, Jesus told them to wear what they had on, but not to take more clothing than that.

sandals: The word sandals refers to a type of shoe. The sandals people wore in that time were usually pieces of leather that made a shoe sole (bottom of the shoe). This leather sole was tied onto the foot with leather straps.

Translate this word as you did in 1:7c.

second tunic: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as tunic refers to a long “shirt” or “undergarment” which covered the body from the shoulders to the knees. Both men and women wore this kind of garment next to the skin and then put an outer garment over it.

If you have a term for an undergarment that covers the body from the shoulders to the knees, you should use it here. But if you do not have such a term, you may want to use a general term. Here are some examples:

extra clothes
-or-
a change of clothes (God’s Word)
-or-
shirt (Good News Bible)

second: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as second is literally “two.” For example, the Revised Standard Version says:

two tunics

General Comment on 6:8–9

In Greek, 6:8b–9 is indirect speech. For example, the NET Bible says:

8aHe instructed them 8bto take nothing for the journey except a staff—8cno bread, no bag, no money in their belts—and to put on sandals but not to wear two tunics.

Some English versions, like the New International Version, translate 6:8b–9 as direct speech. This is perhaps because 6:10–11 is direct speech. You should do whatever is more natural in your language.

© 2008 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.

6:41a

Taking the five loaves and the two fish: One of the disciples gave Jesus the loaves and fish, and Jesus took them.

loaves…fish: Use the same word for loaves that you used in 6:38a and the same word for fish that you used in 6:38c.

6:41b

and looking up to heaven: Jesus looked up toward the sky/heaven because he was about to thank God. Jewish people commonly looked upward toward heaven while they prayed.

heaven: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heaven here refers to the sky as a symbol of God’s dwelling place. Since Jesus literally looked upward at the sky, you could translate the word heaven here with the usual word for sky. You do not have to use a special term that refers to the place where God lives.

6:41c

Jesus spoke a blessing: There are two ways to interpret the Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus spoke a blessing:

(1) It refers to thanking God for the food. For example, the New Century Version says:

he thanked God for the food

(New International Version, Good News Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, NET Bible, New Century Version)

(2) It refers to blessing the food. For example, the Contemporary English Version says:

blessed the food

(Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New Living Translation, New American Standard Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, Revised English Bible, King James Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). As a custom, Jews praised God and thanked him for the food that he provided for them. If you need to make some of the implicit information clear, you could say:

He gave thanks to God for the food

In some languages the meaning of Jesus giving thanks for the food needs to be expressed with a direct quote. For example:

He said “Thank you.”

See bless, Meaning 4, in the Glossary.

and broke the loaves: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as broke the loaves refers to tearing the bread into large pieces. This was the normal way a meal was begun. Use a term in your language that refers to dividing bread. Here is an example:

and tore/divided the loaves

6:41d

Then He gave them to His disciples: The words Then he gave them to his disciples refer to Jesus giving the pieces of bread to his disciples.

disciples: See the note at 6:1c.

to set before the people: This is a purpose clause. Jesus gave the bread to his disciples so that they would give it to the people.

set before the people: The words set before the people imply that the disciples were to go out among the groups of people to give them the bread. They may have carried the bread in baskets and set the baskets in front of each group of people. Then the people could pass the bread around.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

distribute to the people (Good News Bible)
-or-
give to the people (New Century Version)

6:41e

And He divided the two fish among them all: The words divided…among them all imply a similar process to the one in 6:41b–c for breaking and distributing the bread. For example:

He also divided the two fish, so that everyone could have some.

Some languages may need to make it more explicit that Jesus distributed the fish the same way he did the bread. In other words, he asked his disciples to pass the pieces of fish among the groups of people. Here is one example:

In the same way, he divided and distributed the two fish among the people.

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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.

7:18a

The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Are you still so dull? is more literally “Then are you also without understanding?” (as in the Revised Standard Version). For the discussion in 7:18a, the Revised Standard Version, which is more literal, is used.

(Revised Standard Version) Then are you also without understanding?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus asked this question to rebuke his disciples. He rebuked them because not only had the crowd not understood, even his own disciples had not understood him.

There are at least two ways to translate this rebuke.

• As a rhetorical question. For example, the New Revised Standard Version says:

Then do you also fail to understand?

• As a statement. For example:

You also fail to understand like the others!

Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language.

(Revised Standard Version) Then: The Greek word that the Revised Standard Version translates as Then also means “thus” or “so.” Here Jesus used this conjunction to emphatically introduce his question. In English, a word like “so” works well here.

You should do whatever is natural in your language to emphasize this rebuke.

(Revised Standard Version) you: The Greek pronoun that the Revised Standard Version translates as you is emphatic. It emphasizes the comparison with the crowd.

(Revised Standard Version) also: Greek word that the Revised Standard Version here translates as also means “also,” “in addition,” “in the same way,” or “even.” The word also compares the disciples to the people in the crowd.

(Revised Standard Version) without understanding: The Greek word that the Revised Standard Version translates as without understanding means “without insight, foolish.” Jesus implied here that the disciples should have understood what he meant. Jesus did not imply that the disciples were not intelligent. He implied that they were not using their intelligence to understand spiritual truth.

7:18b–19c

In the Greek, 18b–19c is one rhetorical question. The first part of the rhetorical question is a rebuke. In the last part, Jesus taught his disciples. The Berean Standard Bible has therefore divided 18b–19c into one question and two statements.

7:18b

Do you not understand?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses a rebuke. Jesus rebuked his disciples because they still did not understand who he really was.

There are at least two ways to translate this rebuke:

• As a rhetorical question. For example, the NIRV says:

Don’t you see?

• As a statement. For example:

You still do not understand.

Use whichever form is most natural to express this rebuke in your language.

7:18c

defile: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as defile in this context refers to being impure and unfit in the sight of God. See the note in 7:15b.

© 2008 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.