8:53a

And: This verse in Greek begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “and” in English, as in the Berean Standard Bible. It introduces the way that the mourners responded to what Jesus said in 8:52c. When Jesus said that the child was not dead, they did not believe him. Instead, they laughed at him. Since there is a contrast between what Jesus said and how the mourners responded, you could also use a conjunction that indicates a contrast. For example:

But (New Living Translation (2004))

Connect this verse to 8:52 in a way that is natural in your language.

they: The word they refers to the mourners to whom Jesus had just spoken.

laughed at Him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as laughed at means “to mock” or “to laugh at with scorn.” The mourners treated Jesus as if he were a fool because they were sure that the girl was dead.

The form of this Greek verb indicates that the people repeatedly mocked Jesus. They probably said several different things as they laughed at him. Some languages have verb forms that distinguish between actions that happen once and actions that are repeated. If that is true in your language, use a form here that indicates that the action was repeated. The form here may indicate that the people started and then continued. For example:

began laughing at him (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
began making fun of him (NET Bible)

8:53b

knowing that she was dead: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as knowing that she was dead gives the reason why the mourners mocked Jesus. Other ways to translate this are:

for they knew that she was dead
-or-
because they were certain that she had died

General Comment on 8:53a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to give the reason before the result. If that is true in your language, you may want to reverse the order of the parts of this verse. For example:

53bThey knew that she was dead, 53aso they laughed at him.
-or-

53bSince they were sure that she had died, 53athey began laughing at him.

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