6:2a
But some of the Pharisees asked: This is the first time that the Pharisees are mentioned in this story. In some languages, it will be more natural to introduce the Pharisees in a separate sentence. The context implies that the Pharisees were close enough to see what the disciples were doing.
Some ways to translate this are:
Some Pharisees were there. They said/asked…
-or-
There were some Pharisees ⌊who saw what they did⌋. They asked…
-or-
⌊When⌋ some Pharisees ⌊saw what they did,⌋ ⌊they⌋asked…
the Pharisees: The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group or party. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws very carefully and in detail. Some ways to translate Pharisees are:
• Transliterate the word Pharisees according to the sounds of your language and indicate that it refers to a group of people. For example:
Farisi members
-or-
Parise adherents
• Transliterate the word Pharisees and indicate that it refers to a group of people with certain beliefs. For example:
people belonging to the Farise religious sect/group
-or-
members of the Jewish group called the Farasi
You should translate this word in the same way as you did in 5:30a and 5:33b.
6:2b
Why are you doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath?: This is a rhetorical question. The Pharisees accused the disciples of breaking a law and rebuked them for it. In their opinion, the disciples were breaking the Sabbath rules.
Some ways to translate this rebuke and accusation are:
• As a rhetorical question. For example:
Why are you doing what our Law says you cannot do on the Sabbath? (Good News Translation)
-or-
Why are you breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath? (New Living Translation (2004))
• As an exclamation. For example:
You shouldn’t be doing that! It’s against the law to work by harvesting grain on the Sabbath. (New Living Translation (1996))
• As a rhetorical question and an exclamation. For example:
Why are you picking grain on the Sabbath? You’re not supposed to do that! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Why are you breaking our laws? You are working on the Sabbath day!
Translate this accusation and rebuke in a way that is natural in your language.
you: The word you here is plural. The disciples were the ones eating the grain. So the Pharisees asked them this question. However, Jesus was part of the group too. So the Pharisees were also asking Jesus this question as well. If your language allows it, use a plural form that can include both the disciples and Jesus.
doing what is unlawful: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as unlawful means “not permitted ⌊by the law⌋.” The Pharisees did not want the disciples to pick the grain and rub it. They considered these actions to be harvesting and threshing grain. That was work. Therefore, they believed that the disciples were breaking the law about not working on the Sabbath day.
Some other ways to translate this are:
breaking the law (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
doing something that is not right to do (God’s Word)
-or-
doing what the Law forbids men to do (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
The Pharisees were not accusing the disciples of taking grain that belonged to someone else. (The Law of Moses permitted this. See Deuteronomy 23:25.) This should be clear from the context. But you may want to explain this in a footnote. For example:
Jewish law allowed someone to pick small amounts of grain from another person’s field (Deuteronomy 23:25). So the disciples were not stealing. The Pharisees were accusing them of doing the work of harvesting. The Law of Moses required that no one should work on the Sabbath day.
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