1:10

As soon as Jesus came up out of the water, He saw…: In Greek, this verse literally says: “And immediately coming up out of the water he saw….” The phrase “and immediately” here introduces an important new event in the story. It also indicates that this event will be surprising or unexpected and that it occurred as soon as Jesus had been baptized. (Levinsohn 2003, Ellingsworth and France (page 76) agree that the phrase kai euthus (“and immediately”) indicates a new, significant or dramatic development within a story. Ellingsworth also comments that the new event may be surprising. In this context the event is clearly surprising and unexpected. France (page 76) further comments that the phrase “and immediately” connects the new event closely to Jesus’ baptism, and translations such as “as soon as…” communicate this in English.)

Some English versions do not explicitly translate this expression. Others use an expression like “just as.” If your language has a way to indicate that an event is surprising and important in the story, you should use it here. For example:

As Jesus was leaving the water, this is what happened: he saw…

1:10a

As soon as Jesus came up out of the water: Jesus had stepped down into the river in order to be baptized. The phrase came up out of the water indicates that he returned to the edge of the river and stepped onto dry land. Use a natural expression in your language to describe the action of stepping up out of a river onto the land.

1:10b

He saw the heavens breaking open: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as breaking open means “split apart, divided.” Most scholars interpret this as a passive verb. (The Greek verb is ambiguous. It can also be understood as a middle participle (“tear open”), which is what the Berean Standard Bible does. Renderings such as “open” (New Century Version, Contemporary English Version), “split open” (God’s Word, New Living Translation), and “opening” (Good News Bible) may reflect this understanding.) The context implies that the actor is God, but the focus here is on the action, not the actor. Jesus saw the sky being torn open, but the text does not say that he saw God tearing the sky.

In some languages it may be natural to use a passive verb in this context, as the Greek does. For example:

he saw heaven being torn open (New International Version)

The text does not mean that Jesus saw heaven being destroyed, or that God was destroying heaven. If a literal translation would give that wrong meaning, use a different expression. For example:

he saw the sky opening up

If you do this, consider using a footnote to help readers understand the connection between this verse and 15:38. Here is a suggested footnote:

The Greek says literally: “being torn open.” These are the same words that are used in 15:38 when the curtain of the Temple was torn open.

He: Most scholars agree that He refers to Jesus, not John. Although John also saw this event (see John 1:32–33), the focus here is entirely on Jesus.

the heavens: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as heavens is also used in 1:11a. It can have two different meanings, depending on the context:

(a) the heavens, the place where God lives,

(b) the sky.

In the New Testament, God often showed supernatural signs from the sky, such as a voice, fire, or bright light. In this verse either “heavens” or “sky” would fit the context. The Holy Spirit came down like a dove and God’s voice came from heaven or from the sky. Here are some points to consider:

• If your language has a term that can mean either “heaven” or “sky,” use it in both 1:10b and 1:11a.

• If it is difficult to speak about heaven (God’s home) being torn open, you may use “the sky” in 1:10b and “heaven” in 1:11a.

• In languages that do not have a single word for heavens, you may need to use a descriptive phrase:

the place of God
-or-
the place where God lives

1:10c

and: The word and introduces the other thing that Jesus saw. He saw the sky being torn open, and he also saw the Spirit descending.

the Spirit: The phrase the Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. To avoid confusion, you should probably use the same term as you used for “Holy Spirit” in 1:8b. See the note there. Several English versions also have “Holy Spirit.”

descending on Him like a dove: The Holy Spirit came down on Jesus like a dove. There are two ways to interpret the phrase like a dove in this context:

(1) It refers to the appearance of the Holy Spirit. He looked like a dove. For example:

and the Holy Spirit coming down on him with the form/appearance of a dove

(2) It refers to the way that the Spirit descended. He flew gently down like a dove. For example:

and the Spirit descending on him like a dove gently descends

In this context the Greek text and almost all English versions are ambiguous on the issue. For this reason, it is good to use an expression that can imply either interpretation. However, if you must choose between these interpretations, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The parallel verse in Luke 3:22 specifies that the Holy Spirit had the bodily form of a dove.

on Him: Many scholars and almost all English versions understand this phrase to mean that the Holy Spirit came down and landed on Jesus. (The preposition used here is eis, which usually means “into” or “to.” The preposition epi “upon” is used in the parallels in Matthew 3:16 and Luke 3:22. Some scholars understand this verse to mean that the Holy Spirit descended and entered “into” Jesus to empower him for his ministry. However, other scholars and almost all versions understand that the Holy Spirit came down and landed “on” Jesus. The God’s Word and Contemporary English Version have “to him,” which seems closer to “on” than “into.” Since all the major versions have “on,” these differences of interpretation have not been discussed in the Notes.) Consider how people would describe a bird flying down and landing on someone in your language. The text does not specify exactly whether the dove landed on Jesus’ head or on another part of his body. If possible, you should avoid being specific about where the dove landed.

dove: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as dove refers to several different species of birds. In English, these birds are sometimes called “doves” and sometimes called “pigeons.” The dove described in this passage is probably similar to a common pigeon today. (1.10 In Animals in the Bible (UBS Handbook), “Dove, Pigeon”, it is suggested that the most common bird in the dove-pigeon family in the Middle East today is the Asiatic Rock Dove (also called the Rock Pigeon or Common Pigeon), Columba livia, and would be the most likely identification for yonah in Hebrew and peristera in Greek.) Doves/pigeons are medium-sized birds (30–36 centimeters long). They are usually gray or blue-gray with more color on their necks. They are found all around the world.

For Jews, doves were a symbol of something that is gentle and peaceful. Doves/pigeons that we know today are often not gentle. They can be aggressive and attack other birds. It is important to consider this here where the Holy Spirit is described like a dove.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

• If your readers know doves/pigeons, and they are considered good birds, you should use your word for a dove/pigeon.

• If doves/pigeons are unknown, or if they are considered bad, you may want to use the general word for “bird.”

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