Paragraph 4:16–19
4:16a
Then: This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Some English versions, such as the English Standard Version and New American Standard Bible, translate it that way. Other versions, such as the New International Version and God’s Word, do not translate this conjunction here.
However, since the events in this paragraph occurred after the events in 4:14–15, in some languages, it may be natural to begin this paragraph with a time word or phrase. That is why the Berean Standard Bible says Then, as do several other English versions (NET Bible, Good News Translation). Connect 4:16a to 4:15b in a way that is natural in your language.
Jesus: The Greek literally says “he came,” but if you are beginning a new paragraph here, it may be helpful to translate “he” as Jesus.
Nazareth: Nazareth was the name of the town in Galilee where Jesus had lived when he was a child.
where He had been brought up: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates with the English idiom brought up means “reared” or “raised.” It means to take care of a child until he reaches adulthood.
This verb is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to translate without using a passive verb here. For example:
where ⌊his parents⌋ had raised him
-or-
where he had grown up (New Century Version)
-or-
his boyhood home (New Living Translation (2004))
4:16b
As was His custom: The phrase As was His custom means “as he generally did.” Jesus regularly went to a synagogue to worship God on the Sabbath day. This was his habit. Some other ways to translate this are:
as usual (Good News Translation)
-or-
as he regularly did (Revised English Bible)
the synagogue: The synagogue refers to the building in Nazareth where Jews gathered to pray, read Scripture, teach their beliefs, and worship God. For more information, see the note on “synagogues” at 4:15a and synagogue in the Glossary.
the Sabbath: The word Sabbath is the name of the seventh and last day of the week for the Jews. The Sabbath was the special day of the week when the Jews rested and worshiped God. The Law of Moses said that the Jews must not do any work on that day (Deuteronomy 5:12–15).
Some ways to translate Sabbath are:
the ⌊Jewish⌋ rest day
-or-
the day for resting
-or-
the day to rest and worship God
If the word Sabbath is already known in your area, you may write it according to the sounds of your language. You may also want to include a phrase to explain the meaning. For example:
the Sabat, the ⌊Jews’⌋ day for resting
The term you choose should not make people think the Sabbath is on Sunday, the day when Christians worship. The Sabbath for the Jews began at sundown on Friday and ended at sundown on Saturday. You may want to include a footnote to give more information. For example:
“Sabbath” is the name for the seventh day of the Jews’ week. God told them to rest from work and worship him every week on that day.
4:16c
He stood up to read: The clause He stood up to read implies that Jesus had been sitting. Then he stood up and came forward. This indicated that he was ready to read. In synagogue worship services, the man who read the Scriptures to the people stood at the front of the congregation.
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