22:71a

“Why do we need any more testimony?” they declared: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they declared are literally “but/and they said.” The Berean Standard Bible places these words in the middle of what the council of the elders said. This is good English style. However, in some languages, it may be necessary to put these words where they are in the Greek, at the beginning of 22:71a. For example:

Then they said, “Why do we need any more testimony?” (New International Version)

Place them where it is natural in your language.

Why do we need any more testimony?: This is a rhetorical question. It implies that Jesus’ answer was enough to condemn him. So they did not need any other witnesses to give testimony against him. The council members said this to emphasize that they did not need anyone else to testify against Jesus.

Some ways to translate this emphasis are:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Why do we need other witnesses? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
What further evidence do we need? (Revised English Bible)

• As a statement. For example:

We do not need any more evidence ⌊against him⌋.
-or-
That statement of his is all we need ⌊to execute him⌋!

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

22:71b

We have heard it for ourselves from His own lips: The Jewish leaders indicated here that what they just heard Jesus say proved that he was guilty. When he said that he was the Son of God, they thought that was all they needed to show that he deserved to be executed. Other ways to say this are:

We’ve heard him say it ourselves. (God’s Word)
-or-
We have heard him condemn himself by his own words.

We: In this verse We is emphatic. They did not need any other witnesses to confirm what they themselves had heard. In some languages the statement itself expresses this emphasis. In other languages there may be another natural way to express it. Here is another way to translate this:

We ourselves have heard what he said! (Good News Translation)

from His own lips: This is an idiom. It refers emphatically to something that Jesus himself said. Some ways to translate this idiom are:

• Use a similar idiom in your language. For example, another English idiom is:

from his own mouth

• Translate the meaning directly. For example:

He said it himself! (Contemporary English Version)

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