21From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and undergo great suffering at the hands of the elders and chief priests and scribes and be killed and on the third day be raised.
God transcends gender, but most languages are limited to grammatical gender expressed in pronouns. In the case of English, this is traditionally confined to “he” (or in the forms “his,” “him,” and “himself”), “she” (and “her,” “hers,” and “herself”), and “it” (and “its” and “itself”).
Modern Mandarin Chinese, however, offers another possibility. Here, the third-person singular pronoun is always pronounced the same (tā), but it is written differently according to its gender (他 is “he,” 她 is “she,” and 它/牠 is “it” and their respective derivative forms). In each of these characters, the first (or upper) part defines the gender (man, woman, or thing/animal), while the second element gives the clue to its pronunciation.
In 1930, after a full century with dozens of Chinese translations, Bible translator Wang Yuande (王元德) coined a new “godly” pronoun: 祂. Chinese readers immediately knew how to pronounce it: tā. But they also recognized that the first part of that character, signifying something spiritual, clarified that each person of the Trinity has no gender aside from being God.
While the most important Protestant and Catholic Chinese versions respectively have opted not to use 祂, some Bible translations do and it is widely used in hymnals and other Christian materials. Among the translations that use 祂 to refer to “God” were early versions of Lü Zhenzhong’s (呂振中) version (New Testament: 1946, complete Bible: 1970). R.P. Kramers (in The Bible Translator 1956, p. 152ff. ) explains why later versions of Lü’s translation did not continue with this practice: “This new way of writing ‘He,’ however, has created a minor problem of its own: must this polite form be used whenever Jesus is referred to? Lü follows the rule that, wherever Jesus is referred to as a human being, the normal tā (他) is written; where he is referred to as divine, especially after the ascension, the reverential tā (祂) is used.”
In that system, one kind of pronoun is used for humans (male and female alike) and others for natural elements, non-liquid masses, and some spiritual entities (one other is used for large animals and another one for miscellaneous items). While in these languages the pronoun for spiritual entities used to be employed when referring to God, this has changed into the use of the human pronoun.
Lynell Zogbo (in The Bible Translator 1989, p. 401ff. ) explains: “From informal discussions with young Christians especially, it would appear that, at least for some people, the experience and/or concepts of Christianity are affecting the choice of pronoun for God. Some people explain that God is no longer ‘far away,’ but is somehow tangible and personal. For these speakers God has shifted over into the human category.”
In Kouya, God (the Father) and Jesus are referred to with the human pronoun ɔ, whereas the Holy Spirit is referred to with a non-human pronoun. (Northern Grebo and Western Krahn make a similar distinction.)
Eddie Arthur, a former Kouya Bible translation consultant, says the following: “We tried to insist that this shouldn’t happen, but the Kouya team members were insistent that the human pronoun for the Spirit would not work.”
In Burmese, the pronoun ko taw (ကိုယ်တော်) is used either as 2nd person (you) or 3rd person (he, him, his) reference. “This term clearly has its root in the religious language in Burmese. No ordinary persons are addressed or known by this pronoun because it is reserved for Buddhist monks, famous religious teachers, and in the case of Christianity, the Trinity.” (Source: Gam Seng Shae in The Bible Translator 2002, p. 202ff. )
In Thai, the pronoun phra`ong (พระองค์) is used, a gender-neutral pronoun which must refer to a previously introduced royal or divine being. Similarly, in Northern Khmer, which is spoken in Thailand, “an honorific divine pronoun” is used for the pronoun referring to the persons of the Trinity (source: David Thomas in The Bible Translator 1993, p. 445 ). In Urak Lawoi’, another language spoken in Thailand, the translation often uses tuhat (ตูฮัด) — “God” — ”as a divine pronoun where Thai has phra’ong even though it’s actually a noun.” (Source for Thai and Urak Lawoi’: Stephen Pattemore)
The English “Contemporary Torah” addresses the question of God and gendered pronouns by mostly avoiding pronouns in the first five books of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament (unless God is referred to as “lord,” “father,” “king,” or “warrior”). It does that by either using passive constructs (“He gave us” vs. “we were given”), by using the adjective “divine” or by using “God” rather than a pronoun.
Some Protestant and Orthodox English Bibles use a referential capitalized spelling when referring to the persons of the Trinity with “He,” “His,” “Him,” or “Himself.” This includes for instance the New American Standard Bible or The Orthodox New Testament, but most translations do not. Two other languages where this is also done (in most Bible translations) are Twents as well as Indonesian and Malay. In the latter two languages this follows the language usage according to the Qur’an, which in turn predicts that usage (see Soesilo in The Bible Translator 1991, p. 442ff. and The Bible Translator 1997, p. 433ff. ).
The Greek Iēsous is “only” a proper name but one with great importance. The following quote by John Ellington (in The Bible Translator1993, p. 401ff. ) illustrates this:
“In Matthew’s account of the birth of Jesus Christ, Joseph is told that when Mary gives birth to a son ‘you will name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins’ (1:21). This name is a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name [Yeshua (יֵשׁוּעַ) which is a short form of a name meaning] ‘the Lord [Yahweh] saves.’ The name is very significant and is in itself especially dear to Christians around the world. (…) Unquestionably great importance is attached to the name of Jesus by Christians of all persuasions and backgrounds.”
While Iēsous (pronounced: /i.ɛː.suːs/) is transliterated as “Jesus” (pronounced /ˈdʒiːzəs/) in English (but was translated as “Hælend” [the “healing one”] in Old English — see Swain 2019) it is transliterated and pronounced in a large variety of other ways as well, following the different rules of different languages’ orthographies, writing systems and rules of pronunciation. The following is a (partial) list of forms of Jesus in Latin characters: aYeso, Azezi, Boiyesuq, Cecoc, Chesús, Chi̍i̍sū, Chisɔsi, Ciisahs, Ciise, Ciisusu, Djesu, Ɛisa, Ƹisa, Eyesu, Gesù, Gesû, Gesü, Ġesù, Ghjesù, Giêsu, ꞌGiê‑ꞌsu, Giê-xu, Gyisɛse, Hesu, Hesús, Hisus, Hisuw, Ià-sŭ, Iesen, Ié:sos, Iesu, Iesui, Iesusɨn, Iesusiva, Ié:sos, Ihu, Īhu, Iisus, Iisussa, Ijeesu, iJisọsị, Iji̍sɔ̄ɔsi, Iosa, Íosa, Ìosa, İsa, I’sa, Isiso, Isõs, Ísu, Isus, Isusa, Iisussa, Isuthi, Itota, Îtu, Isuva, Izesu, Izesuq, Jasus, Jeeju, Jeesus, Jeesuse, Jeezas, Jehu, Jeisu, Jeju, Jejus, Jesesi, Jeshu, Jeso, Jesoe, Jesosa, Jesoshi, Jesosi, Jesosy, Jesu, Jesû, Jesua, Jesuh, Jesuhs, Jesuo, Jesús, Jésus, Jesúsu, Jethu, Jezed, Jezi, Jézi, Ježiš, Jezu, Jezus, Jézus, Jėzus, Jēzus, Jezusi, Jėzus, Jezuz, Jiijajju, Jíísas, Jiisusi, Jiizas, Jíìzọ̀s, Jisas, Jisase, Jisasi, Jisasɨ, Jisaso, Jisesi, Jisɛ̀, Jisos, Jisọs, Jisɔs, Jisu, Jiszs, Jizọs, Jizɔs, Jizọsi, Jizọsu, Jòso, Jusu, Jweesus, Ketsutsi, Njises, ọYẹsọ, Sesi, Sisa, Sísa, Sisas, Sises, Sīsū, Sizi, Txesusu, uJesu, Ujísɔ̄si, ŵaYesu, Xesosi, ´Xesús, Xesús, Yasu, Ya:su, yasuɛ, Yasuuⓐ, Ɣaysa, Yecu, Yeeb Sub, Yeeh Suh, Yeesey, Yeeso, Yeesso, Yēēsu, Yehsu, Yëësu, Yeiqsul, Yeisu, Yeisuw, Yeshu, Yē shú, Yeso, Yéso, Yesò, Yëso, Yɛso, ye-su, Yésu, Yêsu, Yẹ́sụ̃, Yěsù, Yésʉs, Yeswa, Yet Sut, Yetut, Yexus, Yezo, Yezu, Yiesu, Yiisa, Yiisu, Yiitju, Yis, Yisɔs, Yisufa, Yitati, Yusu, ‑Yusu, :Yusu’, Zeezi, Zezi, Zezì, Zezuz, Zezwii, Ziizɛ, Zisas, Zîsɛ, Zjezus, Zozi, Zozii, and this (much more incomplete) list with other writings systems: ᔩᓱᓯ, ᒋᓴᔅ, Հիսուս, ᏥᏌ, ኢየሱስ, ያሱስ, ܝܫܘܥ, Ісус, Їисъ, 耶稣, იესო, ईसा, イエス, イイスス, イエスス, 예수, येशू, येशो, ਈਸਾ, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ජේසුස්, যীশু, ଯୀଶୁ, ཡེ་ཤུ་, ‘ঈছা, இயேசு, ಯೇಸು, ພຣະເຢຊູ, ယေရှု, ઇસુ, जेजू, येसु, เยซู, យេស៊ូ, ᱡᱤᱥᱩ, ယေသှု, యేసు, ᤕᤧᤛᤢ᤺ᤴ, އީސާގެފާނު, ਯਿਸੂ, ꕉꖷ ꔤꕢ ꕞ, ⵏ⵿ⵗⵢⵙⴰ, ଜୀସୁ, يَسُوعَ,ㄧㄝㄙㄨ, YE-SU, ꓬꓰ꓿ꓢꓴ, 𖽃𖽡𖾐𖼺𖽹𖾏𖼽𖽔𖾏, ꑳꌠ, ᠶᠡᠰᠦᠰ (note that some of these might not display correctly if your device does not have the correct fonts installed).
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In some languages the different confessions have selected different transliterations, such as in Belarusian with Isus (Ісус) by the Orthodox and Protestant churches and Yezus (Езус) by the Catholic church, Bulgarian with Iisus (Иисус) by the Orthodox and Isus (Исус) by the Protestant church, Japanese with Iesu (イエス) (Protestant and Catholic) and Iisusu (イイスス) (Orthodox), or Lingala with Yesu (Protestant) or Yezu (Catholic). These differences have come to the forefront especially during the work on interconfessional translations such as one in Lingala where “many hours were spent on a single letter difference” (source: Ellington, p. 401).
In Literary and Mandarin Chinese where transliterations of proper names between the Catholic and Protestant versions typically differ vastly, the Chinese name of Jesus (Yēsū 耶稣) remarkably was never brought into question between and by those two confessions, likely due to its ingenious choice. (Click or tap here to see more).
The proper name of God in the Old Testament, Yahweh (YHWH), is rendered in most Chinese Bible translations as Yēhéhuá 耶和華 — Jehovah. According to Chinese naming conventions, Yēhéhuá could be interpreted as Yē Héhuá, in which Yē would be the family name and Héhuá — “harmonic and radiant” — the given name. In the same manner, Yē 耶 would be the family name of Jesus and Sū 稣 would be his given name. Because in China the children inherit the family name from the father, the sonship of Jesus to God the Father, Jehovah, would be illustrated through this. Though this line of argumentation sounds theologically unsound, it is indeed used effectively in the Chinese church (see Wright 1953, p. 298).
Moreover, the “given name” of Sū 稣 carries the meaning ‘to revive, to rise again’ and seems to point to the resurrected Jesus. (Source: J. Zetzsche in Malek 2002, p. 141ff., see also tetragrammaton (YHWH))
There are different ways that Bible translators have chosen historically and today in how to translate the name of Jesus in predominantly Muslim areas: with a form of the Arabic Isa (عيسى) (which is used for “Jesus” in the Qur’an), the Greek Iēsous, or, like major 20th century Bible translations into Standard Arabic, the Aramaic Yēšūaʿ: Yasua (يَسُوعَ). (Click or tap here to see more.)
Following are languages and language groups that use a form of Isa include the following (note that this list is not complete):
In Indonesian, while most Bible translations had already used Yesus Kristus rather than Isa al Masih, three public holidays used to be described using the term Isa Al Masih. From 2024 on the government is using Yesus Kristus in those holiday names instead (see this article in Christianity Today ).
Some languages have additional “TAZI” editions (TAZI stands for “Tawrat, Anbiya, Zabur, and Injil” the “Torah, Prophets, Psalms and Gospel”) of the New Testament that are geared towards Muslim readers where there is also a translation in the same language for non-Muslims. In those editions, Isa is typically used as well (for example, the Khmer TAZI edition uses Isa (អ៊ីសា) rather than the commonly used Yesaou (យេស៊ូ), the Thai edition uses Isa (อีซา) rather than Yesu (เยซู), the Chinese edition uses Ěrsā (尔撒) vs. Yēsū (耶稣), and the English edition also has Isa rather than Jesus.)
In German the name Jesus (pronounced: /ˈjeːzʊs/) is distinguished by its grammatical forms. Into the 20th century the grammatical rules prescribed a unique Greek-Latin declination: Jesus (nominative), Jesu (genitive, dative, vocative), Jesum (accusative), from which today only the genitive case “Jesu” is still in active use. Likewise, in Seediq (Taroko), the morphological treatment of “Jesus” also occupies a special category by not falling under the normal rule of experiencing a vowel reduction when the object-specific suffix an is added “since it was felt that the readers might resent that the name has been changed that drastically.” (Compare Msian for “Moses” (Mosi) as an object, but Yisuan for “Jesus” (Yisu).) (Source: Covell 1998. p. 249)
In Lamba the name ŵaYesu consists of a transliteration Yesu and the prefix ŵa, a plural form for “proper names when addressing and referring to persons in any position of seniority or honor.” While this was avoided in early translations to avoid possible misunderstandings of more than one Jesus, once the church was established it was felt that it was both “safe” and respectful to use the honorific (pl.) prefix. (Source C. M. Doke in The Bible Translator 1958, p. 57ff. )
In virtually all sign languages, “Jesus” is signed with the middle finger of each hand pointing to the palm (or wrist) of the other in succession (signing the nails of the cross). In the context of Bible translation this has been pointed out as theologically problematic since the “semantic connections of the original name Jesus do point towards ‘salvation,’ they do not naturally lead to crucifixion.” (Source: Phil King in Journal of Translation 1 (2020), p. 33ff.)
Following is the oldest remaining Ethiopian Orthodox icon of Jesus from the 14th or possibly 13th century (found in the Church of the Saviour of the World in Gurji, Ethiopia). As in many Orthodox icons, Jesus’ right hand forms the Greek letters I-C-X-C for IHCOYCXPICTOC or “Jesus Christ.” Another interpretation of the right hand is that it shows three fingers pointing to the Trinity, while the two other fingers point to Jesus’ two natures.
Orthodox icons are not drawings or creations of imagination. They are in fact writings of things not of this world. Icons can represent our Lord Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the Saints. They can also represent the Holy Trinity, Angels, the Heavenly hosts, and even events. Orthodox icons, unlike Western pictures, change the perspective and form of the image so that it is not naturalistic. This is done so that we can look beyond appearances of the world, and instead look to the spiritual truth of the holy person or event. (Source )
The following is the so-called “Wales Window for Alabama.” It is a stained-glass window by the artist John Petts from Carmarthenshire, Wales, created in response to the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing which took place in 1963:
Stained glass is not just highly decorative, it’s a medium which has been used to express important religious messages for centuries. Literacy was not widespread in the medieval and Renaissance periods and the Church used stained glass and other artworks to teach the central beliefs of Christianity. In Gothic churches, the windows were filled with extensive narrative scenes in stained glass — like huge and colorful picture storybooks — in which worshipers could ‘read’ the stories of Christ and the saints and learn what was required for their religious salvation. (Source: Victoria and Albert Museum )
The style of the following drawing of Jesus by Annie Vallotton is described by the artist as this: “By using few lines the readers fill in the outlines with their imagination and freedom. That is when the drawings begin to communicate.” (see here ; see also We All are One in Christ)
Illustration by Annie Vallotton, copyright by Donald and Patricia Griggs of Griggs Educational Service.
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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.
One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme rare (られ) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, hajime-rare-ru (始められる) or “start” is used.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
In at least five significant respects the first part of this verse differs from the parallel in Mark (8.31–9.1): (1) Mark uses the simple conjunction “and” to join this episode with the previous one, whereas Matthew uses the adverbial phrase From that time. Thus in translation this adverbial marker should be made prominent. (2) In place of the verb “teach” Matthew uses a stronger verb (show), which Good News Translation renders “say plainly to”; both New English Bible and New Jerusalem Bible have “make it clear to,” while Phillips translates “explain to.” The helping verb is correctly rendered began by most all English translations, except that New American Bible has “started to indicate.” The problem with “started to” for English speakers is that it could imply that this is something that Jesus intended to do but did not accomplish. (3) Mark uses the pronoun “them” as an indirect object, which Matthew replaces with the more explicit his disciples, thus laying greater stress upon their role in this learning process. (4) By the construction Jesus … he, Matthew unambiguously identifies Jesus as the one who must experience these sufferings, whereas Mark returns to the phrase “the Son of Man.” It is interesting that this is a reversal of what the two writers did earlier (Matt 16.13; Mark 8.27). (5) Matthew makes specific mention of Jerusalem as the place where Jesus must suffer; neither Mark (8.31) nor Luke (9.22) mention the city by name.
As we indicate above, From that time Jesus began requires a clear adverbial marker like “From then on Jesus began” or “That was the time when Jesus began.”
Quite frequently, as here, must is used in the Gospels of a necessity imposed upon a person in the fulfillment of the divine will (see 17.10; 24.6; 26.54). Some translators have even used a phrase like “that God required that” or “that it was God’s will that” to convey the full force of must.
The elders and chief priests and scribes constituted the highest Jewish council in Jerusalem, known as the Sanhedrin. They had supreme authority in matters of the Jewish faith, and the Roman government even allowed them to exercise some power in the regulation of Jewish life. Elders can often be translated literally and be understood, especially in societies where the men (generally not the women) of a certain age and status are leaders of the community. But otherwise “leaders” can be used. Chief priests and scribes were first mentioned in 2.4 (see comments there).
That he must go … and be killed, and on the third day be raised is shifted into direct discourse in Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant, and Good News Translation: “I must go … I will be put to death, but three days later I will be raised to life.” In addition to the shift to direct discourse, one may also employ an active construction for the passives be killed and be raised: “They will put me to death … God will raise me back to life.”
This sentence often gets a little long and awkward, and some translators break it up into two or more sentences; for example, “Jesus began to explain to his disciples that it was God’s will he go to Jerusalem. There the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law would cause him to suffer greatly and then would have him killed.” Those who use direct discourse may have “Jesus began to explain to his disciples, ‘I must go to Jerusalem. There the elders, chief priests, and the teachers of the Law will make me suffer many things, and they will have me put to death.’ ”
It is probably better to say “have put to death,” as above, than to render the verse as if the elders and others will actually be the ones killing Jesus.
The verb be raised (Good News Translation “be raised to life”) may also be used with the meaning “rise” (meaning “I will come back to life”; see 14.2 where the same verb is used), but it is better understood as God’s action in raising Jesus back to life. Therefore “But God will raise me back to life” or “But I will be raised back to life” are possible translations.
On the third day (so also New English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible) may be translated “three days later,” as in Good News Translation. Of course, each translator will use whatever expression is natural. For the Jews, the day of the event spoken of was the first day, the day after that was the second day, and the day after that was the third day. Languages which count the day after the event as the first day may have “two days later.” (Note that English is such a language, and therefore Good News Bible is actually translated incorrectly.) But because “third day” or “in three days” are phrases that are frequently used in the Bible with some symbolic value, many translators prefer an expression like that in Revised Standard Version.
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .
In the previous section, Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ (or Messiah). But Peter and the other disciples did not fully understand what it meant that Jesus was the Messiah. They probably had the same ideas as many other Jews at that time. They thought that the Messiah would be a fighting hero. He would defeat the enemies of Israel and establish a political kingdom.
In this section, Jesus began to try and teach them about the real work of Messiah. He did not come to lead armies and set up a kingdom like other countries. His work was to suffer and die and then be raised back to life again. He also told them that all those who want to follow him should prepare to suffer in the same way. He also promised that the true kingdom was coming very soon.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus foretold/predicted his death and resurrection
-or-
Jesus Speaks about His Suffering and Death (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Jesus Says that He Must Die (New Century Version)
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 8:31–9:1 and Luke 9:22–27.
Paragraph 16:21–23
In this paragraph Jesus told his disciples what was going to happen to him. This probably happened soon after the events in the previous paragraph.
16:21a
From that time on Jesus began: This phrase marks a transition in the story of Jesus. Here the story changes from the ministry of Jesus to the preparation for his suffering and death. (This same phrase occurs at 4:17 to mark the start of his ministry.)
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
From that time on Jesus began (God’s Word)
-or-
Starting from then, Jesus began
-or-
From that day, Jesus started
to show: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as show can also be translated as “explain” or “make clear.” Jesus had hinted before that he would suffer and die. Now he began to make it clear to his disciples.
Here are some other ways to translate this verb:
to say plainly (Good News Translation)
-or-
to explain (New International Version)
-or-
to clearly say/tell
16:21b–e
that He must: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as must is often used to talk about something that God’s will requires. It is sometimes translated in English as “it is necessary.”
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
that it was necessary for him (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
that it was important/required that he
-or-
that it was God’s will for him
There are four things that were “necessary” for Jesus to do at that time to follow God’s will:
(a) go to Jerusalem (16:21b)
(b) suffer many things (16:21c)
(c) be killed by the leaders (16:21d)
(d) be raised on the third day (16:21e).
If possible, translate these clauses in a way that it is clear that Jesus must do these four things. For example:
he must go…and suffer…and be killed…and be raised…
In some languages, it may be natural to repeat “must” or “(it is) necessary” as the New International Version does in 16:21c. For example:
he must go…and suffer many things…and that he must be killed and…be raised… (New International Version)
In some languages, it will be natural to use direct speech for 16:21b–e. For example:
He said, “I must go to Jerusalem. There the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses will make me suffer terribly. I will be killed, but three days later I will rise to life.” (Contemporary English Version)
16:21c
suffer many things: This is the second thing that Jesus must do.
The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as many things indicates that Jesus must suffer in different ways.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
suffer a lot (God’s Word)
-or-
suffer many terrible things (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
⌊must⌋ have many hardships
at the hands of: The phrase at the hands of indicates that the elders, chief priests, and scribes were responsible for the suffering.
Here are some other ways to translate this idea:
from (English Standard Version)
-or-
caused by
the elders, chief priests, and scribes: These three groups of men were the leaders of Israel. When Jesus mentioned these three groups, he was probably talking about the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the ruling body of the Jews.
In some languages, it may be good to include a footnote to make it clear that these groups were the rulers in Israel. Here is a sample footnote:
These three groups of men were the Sanhedrin. The Sanhedrin was the highest ruling body in Israel. These men lived and worked in Jerusalem.
the elders: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as elders refers to the civil leaders of the Jews. These leaders were generally older men. People valued older men for their wisdom and experience.
Every location in Israel had elders who served in local governing groups. In Jerusalem the elders were a part of the Sanhedrin, the high council of the nation of Israel.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
the rulers/councilmen
-or-
the older Jewish leaders (New Century Version)
-or-
the nation’s leaders (Contemporary English Version)
chief priests: A priest was a religious leader who offered sacrifices to God for the people. Jewish priests led the people in worship at the temple in Jerusalem. The phrase chief priests refers to the leaders among these priests.
Here are some other ways to translate chief priests:
• Use a descriptive term that focuses on the duty of priests. For example:
the leaders of the sacrificers
-or-
the elders among the men who offer sacrifices to God
-or-
the leaders of those who represent people to God
• Use a local word for priest. This option may be acceptable if the duties of a local priest are similar to those of a Jewish priest. You may need to indicate that the word refers to a Jewish priest. For example:
Jewish people’s leading priests/sacrificers
The term chief priests also occurs in 2:4a. You should translate it here as you did there.
scribes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scribes refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the law of Moses. These men were called scribes because their original work was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. (A scribe is someone who copies manuscripts.) In New Testament times, this was no longer their main task.
Here are some other ways to translate this term:
teachers of the Law of Moses (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
teachers of religious law (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
teachers of the law (New International Version)
-or-
experts in the law
Translate this term in the same way as you did in 12:38a and 15:1a.
16:21d
be killed: This is the third thing that Jesus must do. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:
⌊and he must⌋ be killed
-or-
⌊it is necessary for him to⌋ be killed
-or-
⌊it was God’s will for him to⌋ be killed
This verb is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
be put to death (New Jerusalem Bible)
• Use an active verb. For example:
⌊the leaders⌋ must kill him
-or-
⌊people⌋ would kill him
16:21e
on the third day be raised to life: This is the fourth thing that Jesus must do. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:
⌊and he must⌋ be raised on the third day
-or-
⌊and it is necessary for him to⌋ be raised on the third day
-or-
⌊and it is God’s will for him to⌋ be raised on the third day
be raised to life: The verb be raised to life means “raised from the dead” or “brought back to life.”
This verb is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:
• Use a passive verb. For example:
then be raised from the dead (New Century Version)
-or-
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