19:29a

As He approached: The word He refers to Jesus, but the context implies that his followers were also with him. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

As he ⌊and his followers⌋ approached
-or-
As they came near

Bethphage and Bethany: Bethphage and Bethany were two villages near Jerusalem. Probably fewer than two hundred people lived in either village at that time. Bethany was the village where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. It was less than two miles from Jerusalem. Bethphage is mentioned in Matthew 21:1 and Mark 11:1.

19:29b

at the Mount of Olives: This phrase tells about the location of Bethphage and Bethany (19:29a). These villages were located near the Mount of Olives or on the slope of it. Some other ways to translate the phrase are:

on the Mount of Olives (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
on the hillside going up the mountain called the Place of Olives
-or-
near the hill called the Mount of Olives (New Century Version)

the Mount of Olives: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Mount of Olives is literally “the hill called Of Olives.” This phrase is describing the name of a hill/mountain on the east side of Jerusalem. The highest point of the Mount of Olives is approximately 830 meters (2,675 feet) above sea level. It is about sixty meters (two hundred feet) higher than Jerusalem, but it is separated from Jerusalem by a deep valley.

People called this hill/mountain the Mount of Olives because it had olive trees growing on it. Some other ways to translate it are:

Olive Mountain/Hill
-or-
Olive Tree/Grove Hill
-or-
hill/mountain with olive trees

If olive trees are not known in your area, you may borrow the word that means Olives from another language. If this word is not well known, you may want to add a descriptive phrase. For example:

hill ⌊where the trees⌋ called “olive” grow

Olives: The word Olives can refer to a kind of tree or to the fruits that grow on those trees. Here it refers to the trees.

The olive fruit grows on trees. It is small and round with a hard seed inside. The olive was an important food in ancient times. It was pressed into oil that was used in cooking, as fuel for lamps, and in medicine and cosmetics. It was also used in some religious rituals.

19:29c

He sent out two of His disciples: The word sent indicates that Jesus told the two disciples to go and do a particular task.

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