2:27a

Then Jesus declared: In 2:27 Jesus continued to speak, but his speech is introduced by the clause Then Jesus declared. This clause emphasizes Jesus’ conclusion in 2:27–28. Use the expression that is used in your language when a teacher announces his conclusion or main idea. For example:

And Jesus concluded (Good News Bible)
-or-
Jesus finished by saying (Contemporary English Version)

Then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then is the common one that is often translated as “and.” Use a natural way to introduce the conclusion in your language. In some languages a connector may not be needed.

Jesus: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus is literally the pronoun “he.” Use a natural way to refer to Jesus here.

2:27b–c

The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath: In this part of the verse Jesus said what he wanted to teach from the story about David. He used a saying or parallel proverb. It is in a special Jewish style in which the middle ideas match and the outer ideas match. This style emphasized his conclusion:

The Sabbath was made for man,

not man for the Sabbath.

Consider whether you have a special way in your language to express a saying like this. Use a style that emphasizes the idea that the Sabbath was created to be helpful for man. Man was not created to be helpful to the Sabbath.

2:27b

The Sabbath was made for man: The clause The Sabbath was made for man means that the Sabbath was started or established for the sake of people. This is a passive clause. If it is more natural in your language to use an active verb here, you may need to supply the subject, “God.” For example:

God made the Sabbath for man
-or-
God created/established the Sabbath for the good of people

The clause expresses the reason God wanted people to have the day of rest. Another way to say this is:

God commanded his people to have the day of rest. He wanted it to be helpful for people.

for man: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for man here means “for the sake of mankind/humanity” or “for the good of people.” The word man does not refer only to males. God wanted the day of rest to be helpful to people. The New Living Translation, 1996 edition has:

The Sabbath was made to benefit people

2:27c

not man for the Sabbath: The phrase not man for the Sabbath is an ellipsis that means:

mankind was not made for the Sabbath

If your language would not use an ellipsis here, you may need to repeat the verb that you used in 2:27b or use a different appropriate verb. See the General Comment on 2:27b–c below for suggestions.

General Comment on 2:27b–c

As you translate this proverb or saying, consider how you would express a similar saying in your language. In some languages, you may want to use the same verb or a similar expression in both 2:27b and 2:27c. Use a verb that is appropriate for what God did when he decided that people should have the Sabbath. For example:

God created the rest day to benefit people. He did not create people to benefit the rest day.

In some languages it may not be possible to use the same verb in both clauses. You may need to use different verbs and make the statements similar in a different way. Choose appropriate expressions in your language. For example:

When God started the rest day, his purpose was to benefit people. He did not create people to benefit the rest day.

In some languages it may be more natural to state the negative expression first. For example:

God did not create people for the rest day. Instead, he established the rest day for people.

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