14:70a

But he denied it again: The word again indicates that Peter had denied this before. Peter’s first denial was in 14:68b. 14:70a records his second denial.

he denied it again: The phrase he denied it indicates that Peter denied that he was one of Jesus’ disciples.

14:70b

After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter: There were people standing near Peter out by the entryway. They probably had heard what the servant girl said about Peter (see 14:69b–c).

After a little while: According to Luke 22:59, the little while was about an hour. You should not specify “an hour” here, but you may want to add a footnote with this information.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

after a short time had passed
-or-
a little later

those standing nearby said once more to Peter: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as once more, in this context, probably indicates that again people said that Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples, as the servant girl had said in previous verses. The phrase once more does not imply that these particular people had already said that to Peter.

One way to avoid this wrong meaning is to leave “once more” implied, as some English versions have done. It may also be possible to emphasize that this time it was the bystanders, not the servant girl, who made the same accusation. For example, the New Jerusalem Bible has:

A little later the bystanders themselves said to Peter

Translate the idea of “once more” in a way that is natural in your language.

14:70c

Surely you are one of them: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Surely literally means “truly” or “really.” These people felt certain that Peter was one of Jesus’ disciples.

for you too are a Galilean: The clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for you…are a Galilean gives the reason for the people’s conclusion that Peter was one of the disciples. There is implied reasoning here. The people knew that Jesus and most of his disciples were from Galilee. They could tell that Peter was also from Galilee. Therefore they concluded that Peter must belong to the same group.

You may want to add a footnote here to explain how the people knew that Peter was from Galilee. For example:

These people knew that Jesus and Peter were from Galilee Province, because people from Galilee spoke with an accent that was different from the accent of people from Jerusalem (Matthew 26:73). Jesus and His disciples were all from Galilee, except for Judas Iscariot. (Translator’s Reference Translation)

you too are a Galilean: The word “too” implies “like Jesus and his other disciples.” (Some scholars feel that the use of kai ‘also’ here is an interpretation issue. (1) kai indicates that Peter is a Galilean also, along with Jesus and the other disciples; (2) kai introduces another reason for their conclusion that Peter is a disciple. The first reason is not stated, but it may be the confidence of the maid; (3) kai ‘indeed’ indicates that Peter is indeed a Galilean. Many English versions (New International Version, Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Living Translation, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, New Jerusalem Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, King James Version) do not translate kai here.) In some languages this implied information may need to be made explicit. (Most English versions, including the New International Version and Revised Standard Version, do not do not include the word “also.” Versions that make it explicit include Berean Standard Bible, New American Standard Bible, Good News Bible, New Century Version and NET Bible.) For example:

you are from Galilee Province just like the rest of them (Translator’s Reference Translation)

a Galilean: The phrase a Galilean refers to a person from the region of Galilee. Galilee was a region, district or province north of Judea. Nazareth was a town in that region. See how you translated “Galilee” in 1:9a.

General Comment on 14:70c

In some languages it may be more natural to reorder the clauses in this part of the verse. For example:

You are from Galilee just like they are, so you must be one of them.

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