Section 7:31–37
Jesus healed a man who could not hear or talk
In the previous section, Jesus helped a Gentile woman. In this section, he traveled to another Gentile area, called the Decapolis, where he had been before (5:1–20). As soon as he entered the area, some people asked him to heal a man who was unable to hear or talk.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.
Here are some other headings for this section:
The healing of a man who could not hear or talk
-or-
Jesus healed a man who was deaf and had a speech defect
-or-
Jesus heals a man who was deaf and could not speak clearly
There are no direct parallel passages for this section. Some similar terms are used in Matthew 15:29–31.
Paragraph 7:31–35
7:31
This verse describes the route that Jesus took from the region of Tyre to the Sea of Galilee and the Decapolis. This trip is also mentioned in Matthew 15:21.
The exact route is not clear. (There is a textual issue in this verse: (1) Some Greek manuscripts indicate that Jesus left Tyre and went through Sidon to the Sea of Galilee.” (UBS4 page 148, Swanson page 115. Most English versions also follow this option: Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Bible, New Century Version, New Living Translation, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, God’s Word, New American Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible.) (2) Other Greek manuscripts indicate that Jesus left both Tyre and Sidon and went to the Sea of Galilee.” This is a more general description. (The King James Version follows this option.) It is recommended that you follow option (1), since it is supported by some of the oldest and most reliable manuscripts.) See the note on 7:31c.
7:31a
Then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then introduces the next story. Use a natural way in your language to begin this new section.
Jesus: It is implied that Jesus’ disciples were traveling with him. In some languages people might assume that because the disciples are not mentioned in this verse, they were not with Jesus. If that is true in your language, you may want to make it explicit that Jesus’ disciples were with him. For example:
Jesus and his disciples
See how you translated the similar situations in 5:2a and 5:21a.
left: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as left means “went out, left.” Because Jesus had been to the Sea of Galilee in the Decapolis previously (see 5:1–20), some English versions use a phrase such as “returned from” (Revised Standard Version). However, he went to Sidon before returning to the Sea of Galilee, so it may be better to use “left” rather than “returned.”
the region of Tyre: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the region of refers here to the “territory” or “area” of Tyre. The same Greek phrase is used in 7:31c, where the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “the region of.”
Here are some other ways to translate the region of Tyre:
the area around Tyre (New Century Version)
-or-
the region around Tyre (Contemporary English Version)
See also the note on 7:31a.
Tyre: Tyre was the name of a non-Jewish city. It was north of the country of Israel on the shore of the Mediterranean Sea.
7:31b
and went through Sidon: After Jesus and his disciples left Tyre, they went north and traveled through the region of Sidon. Sidon was in the opposite direction from Galilee. Be careful not to translate this phrase in a way that implies that Jesus went straight to Galilee through Sidon.
Sidon: The word Sidon here probably refers to the region that surrounded the city of Sidon.
7:31c
to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis: The Greek phrases that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis are literally “to the Sea of Galilee in the midst of (or: through) the regions of Decapolis.” (The Greek preposition usually means “in the midst of” or “between,” but it can also mean “through.” Since Lake Galilee is at the far northwestern edge of the Decapolis region, not in the middle of it, most scholars (TRT, page 94) have taken it to mean “through” or “by way of.”) These phrases have been interpreted in several ways:
(1) Jesus went through the region of Decapolis on his way to the Sea of Galilee. He may have circled around through the Decapolis and approached the lake on its southeastern side. (This view is supported by the UBS Handbook (page 240), Hiebert (page 187), France (pages 301–302), Lane (page 265) and Wessel (page 683). The New International Version Study Bible (page 1506) also provides a map with his route. However, a map in the New American Standard Bible indicates a route straight south from Sidon, then around through the Decapolis from the west, ending up on the eastern side of the lake. It is impossible to know with certainty what route Jesus actually took.) For example, the Good News Bible has:
to Lake Galilee, going by way of the territory of the Ten Towns
(New Jerusalem Bible, Good News Bible, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word)
(2) Jesus went to a part of the Sea of Galilee that was in the region of the Decapolis. The route he took is ambiguous. For example, the Revised English Bible has:
to the Sea of Galilee, well within the territory of the Decapolis
(Revised Standard Version, Revised English Bible, New Century Version)
(3) Jesus went to the Sea of Galilee and then continued into the region of Decapolis. He may have walked south along the shore of Lake Galilee until he reached the region of Decapolis. For example, the New Living Translation has:
to the Sea of Galilee and the region of the Ten Towns
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, New Living Translation)
It is recommended that you follow either interpretation (1) or (2). The Display follows interpretation (1).
to the Sea of Galilee: The phrase the Sea of Galilee refers to a large lake with fresh water. The Good News Bible and the Contemporary English Version have:
Lake Galilee
See how you translated this expression in 1:16a.
the region of: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the region of is the same expression that it translated as “the region of” in 7:31a. Translate it in a natural way in your language.
the Decapolis: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible transliterates as Decapolis literally means “ten cities.” This word refers to a group of ten non-Jewish cities. See how you translated this word in 5:20b.
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