14:26a

If anyone comes to Me: It is implied from 14:26d that the person comes to Jesus in order to follow him or to become his disciple. In some languages it may be more natural to make this information explicit here. For example:

If a person comes to me ⌊to be my disciple⌋

anyone: Jesus was speaking here to anyone in the crowd. In this context, English can use a wide range of nouns or pronouns. For example:

a person
-or-
people (God’s Word)
-or-
Those (Good News Translation)
-or-
you (New Living Translation (2004))

Use a natural way in your language to address any individual in a crowd.

14:26b

and does not hate: This verse part gives the condition that a person must fulfill in order to become Jesus’ disciple. In many languages it will be more natural to state this condition in a separate clause as a requirement. For example:

he must hate

hate: The word hate is used here as a figure of speech in which hatred means “a lesser degree of love.” When Jesus said that a person must hate his father and mother, he did not mean that a person must literally hate his parents. He meant that a person must love his father and mother less than he loved Jesus. He must love Jesus more than he loved his father and mother. See the parallel verse in Matthew 10:37.

In some languages a strong word such as “hate” will express the right meaning very dramatically. In other languages, a literal translation will express the wrong meaning. Jesus did not literally mean that anyone should “hate” his family. Some translation options to avoid that wrong meaning are:

• Keep the literal word “hate” but make explicit that it is a comparison. For example:

you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother… (New Living Translation (2004))

• Use a strong expression such as “reject” or “turn his back on” that avoids the unacceptable connotations of hatred. For example:

and are not ready to abandon their fathers, mothers… (God’s Word)

• Translate the figurative meaning directly. For example:

but loves his father, mother…more than me (New Century Version)

his father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters: Languages express these terms in different ways. In some languages it may be more natural to say “his parents, his spouse and children, his siblings.” Use terms that are natural in your language.

14:26c

yes, even his own life: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as yes, even are literally “and also in-addition.” These words emphasize the phrase his own life. It was startling enough for Jesus to say that a person had to hate his own relatives. It was even more startling that a person needed to hate his own life. He needed to love Jesus more than he loved himself and be willing to die for Jesus if necessary.

The Berean Standard Bible uses long dashes at the beginning and end of this phrase to indicate this emphasis. You do not need to use dashes unless it is natural in your language. Another way to emphasize this last item in the series is to start a new sentence. For example:

In fact, he must hate even his own life. Otherwise, he cannot be…

14:26d

he cannot be My disciple: If you stated 14:26b as a requirement “he must hate,” you will need to connect 14:26d in a different way. For example:

⌊Otherwise,⌋ you cannot be my disciple
-or-

⌊If you do not do this,⌋ you cannot be my follower

disciple: For help in translating the word disciple, see the note at 9:14b.

General Comment on 14:26a–d

In some languages it may be helpful to reorder the clauses in this verse. For example:

26aNo one who comes to me 26dcan be my disciple 26bif he does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters—26cyes, even his own life.

It is also possible to follow this order but translate the figurative meaning of “hate”:

26aThose who come to me 26dcannot be my disciples 26bunless they love me more than they love father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, 26cand themselves as well. (Good News Translation)

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.