19:43–44

These verses describe a siege, where an army surrounds a city that has walls around it. When the army surrounds the city, the people cannot go out of it, and no one can go in to help them. Jesus predicted that this would happen to Jerusalem in the future, and it did happen. In A.D. 70 the Roman army surrounded Jerusalem and killed many people there.

19:43a

For: In Greek, this verse begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For. It connects 19:43–44 to 19:42a. Verse 43 describes the things that would happen to Jerusalem, and those things are the reason why Jesus wept in 19:41b. Many English versions do not have a conjunction here.

In many languages, a simple conjunction such as “for” or “because” may not make the connection clear. If this is true in your language, you may need to make the connection more explicit. You may be able to repeat words or phrases that you used in 19:42a. For example:

⌊It is tragic that you did not know,⌋ because the days will come
-or-

⌊I wish that you had known,⌋ because the days will come

the days will come upon you: Here Jesus introduced what would happen to Jerusalem in the future. Other ways to translate it are:

In the future
-or-
Before long (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
At a future time this is what will happen to you(sing):

The phrase upon you implies that the future events will be bad or difficult. In some languages it may be natural to make this explicit here. For example:

You will soon endure a time when…

19:43b

when your enemies will barricade you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as barricade refers here to some type of wall or barrier. Such a wall was usually built on a large ridge or mound of dirt and stones. Sometimes it had stakes with sharp points on top of it.

In this context Jesus indicated that enemies would build a large wall/barrier around the city of Jerusalem so that no one could leave or enter the city without their permission. Then they would attack the city from behind the wall.

In your translation it may be helpful to describe the wall according to its purpose. For example:

build a wall/barricade around you to put you under siege
-or-
build a wall/barrier to trap you ⌊in your city⌋ and from which to attack you
-or-
build a wall to surround you and close you in on every side (God’s Word)

19:43c

surround you: The idea of encircling or surrounding the city implies that the city would be put under siege. The surrounding army would not let anyone leave or enter the city. This would prevent the city from getting supplies of food and weapons. If you have not already made the idea of a siege explicit, you could do it here:

will encircle/surround you to put you under siege
-or-
will surround you so that you cannot go out

Because the idea of encircling is implicit in the idea of a siege, it is also possible to simply say:

to blockade/trap you
-or-
to put you under siege

19:43d

hem you in on every side: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as hem you in on every side indicates that the army that surrounded the city will keep moving toward it from every direction. They will press the attack against the city from all sides. Some ways to translate this could be:

press in on you from all sides
-or-
press the attack in upon you from every side
-or-
attack you from every direction

General Comment on 19:43b–d

Jesus stated three actions in 19:43b–d that together describe a siege:

(a) build a wall around you;

(b) encircle you;

(c) hem you in on every side.

As you translate, consider all three of these actions together, since the meanings are similar. For example, the idea of encircling or surrounding the city (b) is implied in (a) and (c). It is recommended that you make the idea of a siege explicit somewhere in your translation of these three phrases. You may also change the order of the phrases if that would be more natural in your language. Some ways to translate it are:

Your enemies will build a wall around/against you. They will surround you so no one can go in or out of your city. Then they will press in on you from all sides.
-or-
Your enemies will encircle/surround you and build a wall around you to put you under siege. They will attack you from every side.

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