13:54a

Coming to His hometown: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hometown refers to the town/place where a person lived with his parents while he was growing up. Jesus’ hometown was Nazareth.

Capernaum is in a valley, and Nazareth is on a large hill. The walk from Capernaum to Nazareth is a one or two day journey of about forty kilometers to the west. It is a rise in elevation of about 550 meters.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

and went ⌊over⌋ to his hometown
-or-
and went ⌊up⌋ to the town where he grew up
-or-
and went back to his hometown (Good News Translation)

13:54b

their synagogue: This phrase refers to the synagogue of the Jews of that area. (This same phrase occurs in 4:23b, 9:35b, and 12:9.) In many languages, it is natural to simply say that Jesus went to “a synagogue.” For example:

a synagogue (Good News Translation)

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

their worship place
-or-
their prayer house
-or-
a ⌊local⌋ house of worship

13:54c

and they were astonished: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and indicates a connection. When Jesus taught, the result was that:

(a) people were astonished, and

(b) they asked themselves a number of rhetorical questions (in 13:54d–56b).

Here are some other ways to begin this clause:

• Use the conjunction “and.” For example:

and those who heard him were amazed (Good News Translation)

• Begin a new sentence here. For example:

They were astonished (NET Bible)

they were astonished: The people were astonished at Jesus’ wisdom and teaching. Jesus had more wisdom than anything he learned at school as a child. The Holy Spirit gave this wisdom to him. The people of Nazareth knew Jesus from when he was a child, and so they were not expecting such great wisdom.

Here are some other examples:

everyone was amazed
-or-
they were very surprised ⌊at his wisdom⌋

13:54d

Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise. The people were surprised that Jesus had such wisdom and could do miracles. They asked themselves about the source of these things.

Here are some other ways to translate this surprise:

• As a rhetorical question or questions. For example:

Where did this man get this wisdom and this power to do miracles? (New Century Version)
-or-
Who taught this man? Who gave him the power to do these miracles?

• As a statement. For example:

We wonder where this man got his wisdom and the power to do these miracles. It is very surprising.

Translate this surprise in a way that is natural in your language.

this man: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as this man is more literally “this (one).” The people referred to Jesus like this even though they knew his name. They did not say “our brother” or “our son.” This probably implies a lack of respect. If there is a way to show a lack of respect in your language when addressing someone, translate in that way.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

this fellow/guy

such wisdom: The phrase such wisdom refers to the wise teachings of Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

this knowledge/learning
-or-
these wise teachings

In some languages, it may be natural to translate the noun wisdom as an adjective. For example:

become smart/clever/wise

miraculous powers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as miraculous powers refers to the miracles that Jesus did.

In some languages, it may not be natural to say “where did he get these miracles.” It may be necessary to say:

the power to do these miracles (God’s Word)

they asked: The people asked themselves these questions. They did not ask Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

and ⌊they⌋ said to ⌊each other⌋

-or-

and ⌊they⌋ asked ⌊themselves⌋

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