9:22a

“The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as He said is literally “having-said.” Another way to translate this is:

saying (New Revised Standard Version)

This form of the word probably indicates that Jesus’ next statement about the Son of Man is an explanation of his warning in 9:21. Jesus did not want the disciples to tell people about his identity, because his disciples did not yet fully understand what this identity implied. Also, it was not yet the proper time for the disciples to publicly announce Jesus’ identity as the Christ/Messiah.

Many English versions begin a new sentence at the start of this verse, as the Berean Standard Bible does.

The Son of Man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as The Son of Man is literally “the Son of the human/person.” It is a title that Jesus often used to refer to himself. It implies that:

(a) he was a true human being, and he represented all people

(b) he came from God and had authority from God

Some ways to translate this title are:

the Man whom God Sent
-or-
the True Man from God/Heaven
-or-
the Representative of Mankind
-or-
The Older Brother of All People

In some languages it may be necessary to indicate explicitly that Jesus was referring to himself here. For example:

I, the Son of Man

This term first occurs in Luke at 5:24a.

must: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must applies to all the following verbs in this verse: “suffer,” “be rejected,” “be killed,” and “be raised.” The verb indicates that it was necessary for all these things to happen. It is implied from other verses that it was necessary because God had planned for them to happen. Be sure to indicate that in some way in your language.

suffer many things: In this context the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as many things indicates that Jesus would have to suffer in various ways. It also implies that the suffering was terrible and was not just for a short time. Some other ways to translate this phrase are:

suffer a lot (God’s Word)
-or-
undergo many sufferings
-or-
suffer many terrible things (New Living Translation (2004))

9:22b

He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes: The clause be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes is passive. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb, you could say:

and the elders, chief priests, and teachers of the law must reject him/me

be rejected: To be rejected means to be “judged by someone as being unworthy or unfit and thus not accepted.” In this verse it indicates that the groups of Jewish leaders would refuse to accept Jesus as their Messiah.

by the elders, chief priests, and scribes: These three groups together represented all the leaders of the Jews.

elders: The elders were respected leaders in the community. They were not necessarily religious leaders. They were generally older men.

In some cultures a term such as “old men” may not imply that the men were leaders. If that is true in your language, you may need to use a different term. Some other ways to translate this are:

leaders
-or-
important men
-or-
leading men among the people

The term elders also occurs at 7:3b.

chief priests: A Jewish priest was a man who offered sacrifices to God on behalf of the people. He also performed other rituals for them. The phrase chief priests refers to the leaders among these priests. Some ways to translate chief priests are:

the leading/ruling priests
-or-
the elders among the Jewish sacrificers
-or-
the most prominent priests

See also priest in the Glossary.

scribes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scribes refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the Law of Moses. This was their most important work at the time of Jesus. The original work of these men was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. But in New Testament times, this was no longer their main task, and so this word is sometimes translated as “teachers of the law,” as in the New International Version.

Some ways to translate this term are:

teachers of the Law of Moses (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
teachers of religious law
-or-
experts in the law (NET Bible)

Before you decide how to translate this term, see the note on “expert in the law” in 10:25a. That is the Berean Standard Bible’s translation of a different Greek word. Both words have the same meaning and refer to the same group of men. It is recommended that you translate both terms in the same way.

See also teacher of the law and expert in the law in the Glossary.

9:22c

He must be killed: This is a passive clause. The pronoun He refers to Jesus as the Son of Man, and the focus is still on him. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb here, you can supply a general subject and say:

⌊people⌋ must kill him

killed: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as killed means “to cause a person to die.” In this context people would kill or execute Jesus. Use an appropriate verb for this in your language. For example:

put to death (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible)

and on the third day: The phrase on the third day refers to the third day after Jesus died. The Jews counted any part of a day as a whole day. The day on which Jesus died was counted as one day. The complete day that he was in the tomb was counted as the second day. The part of the day before he rose from the dead was counted as the third day.

be raised to life: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as be raised to life is literally “be raised.” It indicates here that the Son of Man (Jesus) must become alive again after he died. This is a passive phrase. The focus is still on what will happen to the Son of Man. If it is more natural in your language to use an active form, here are some ways to translate it:

he will rise to life (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he will live again
-or-

⌊God will cause⌋ him to live again

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