Translation commentary on Luke 9:18

Exegesis:

kai egeneto ‘and it happened,’ cf. on 1.8, introduces an independent narrative without connexion with the preceding as to time and place.

en tō einai auton proseuchomenon kata monas lit. ‘during his praying alone,’ hence ‘when he was praying alone.’ kata monas does not exclude the presence of the disciples as shown by what follows.

sunēsan autō hoi mathētai ‘his disciples were with him,’ connecting clause after kai egeneto, best understood as implying that the disciples did not take part in the praying.

suneimi with following dative ‘to be with (somebody).’

kai epērōtēsen autous ‘and he asked them.’ Here begins the narrative proper. For eperōtaō cf. on 2.46.

tina me legousin hoi ochloi einai? ‘who do the people say that I am?’ hoi ochloi is not to be understood as taking up hoi ochloi in v. 11 and later references (vv. 12, 13, 16); hence a general rendering like ‘the people’ is preferable.

Translation:

The introductory sentence may have to be adjusted, e.g. ‘once he/Jesus was praying alone and the/his disciples were with him (or, were near him/nearby, or, were there also, or, were at the same place).’

Alone, or, “by himself” (An American Translation), “in retirement” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation, which may lead to a further shift ‘once Jesus had retired (from the crowd) for prayer…’).

Who do the people say that I am, see ‘in the opinion of the people/crowd, who am I said (to be)’ (cf. Balinese, Javanese).

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Luke 9:18

Section 9:18–22

Peter declared that Jesus is the Christ

In Section 9:7–9, Herod was confused about what kind of person Jesus was. In Section 9:10–17, when Jesus fed more than five thousand people, he showed that he was someone with miraculous power. In this Section, 9:18–22, Jesus asked his disciples what people were saying about who he was. This question implies that he wanted to know whether people thought that God had sent him. He also wanted to know what they thought his mission was. Their answers were very similar to the reports that Herod had heard in 9:7–9.

Jesus then asked the disciples what they themselves thought about him. Peter replied that Jesus was the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus ordered them not to tell others who he was. He explained to the disciples what would happen to him as the Messiah. In contrast to what the disciples thought that Jesus would do as their Messiah, God planned for him to suffer, die, and live again.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other headings for this section are:

Peter’s declaration that Jesus was the Messiah
-or-
Peter stated his belief about who Jesus was

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 16:13–16 and Mark 8:27–30.

Paragraph 9:18–20

9:18a

One day as: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as One day as is literally “And it happened that.” This phrase simply introduces another event that happened. It does not say when it happened. Translate it with a phrase that is natural in your language for introducing a new incident. For example:

Once when (New International Version)
-or-
One time when (New Century Version)

Jesus was praying in private and the disciples were with Him: These two clauses indicate that Jesus was alone with his disciples. They were away from the crowds of people. Jesus was praying to God, and a small group of his disciples was near him while he prayed. Some other ways to translate these clauses are:

he had been praying by himself in the company of his disciples (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Jesus left the crowds to pray alone. Only his disciples were with him (New Living Translation (2004))

was praying: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as was praying indicates here that Jesus was speaking to God.

Some languages may use different words to refer to specific kinds of prayer, such as requests, thanks, or praise. Here you should use a word or expression that has a general meaning. Avoid a term that may imply magical or meaningless words.

the disciples were with Him: There is a textual issue in this clause:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts have “they were with.” For example:

with only the disciples near him (New Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Revised English Bible, New Century Version, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), English Standard Version, NET Bible)

(2) Some Greek manuscripts have “they joined.” For example:

his disciples came to him (New Jerusalem Bible)

(New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version)

It is recommended that you follow option (1), since it has the best manuscript support. Also most English versions follow this option.

9:18b

It is implied that Jesus finished praying and then asked his disciples the question in 9:18b. In some languages this implied information may need to be made explicit. For example:

⌊After he finished praying,⌋ he asked them

He questioned them: “Who do the crowds say I am?”: The crowds already knew Jesus’ name and family and hometown. Jesus was asking what the common people in the crowds thought about his role in God’s plan.

crowds: The word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as crowds refers here to the common people in general. It does not imply that “crowds” of people said anything as a group about Jesus. Other ways to translate this question are:

What do people say about me? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Who do people say I am? (New Living Translation (2004))

say: In this context the verb say refers to what the people thought or believed, as well as to what they said. In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb like “think” or “believe” here.

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