Section 9:33–37

Jesus told his disciples that they must be humble

A person’s status in society was important in Jewish society. While they traveled to Capernaum, the disciples argued among themselves about which one of them was the highest in status in Jesus’ ministry (9:34).

Some of them probably thought that Peter was highest in status. They based this on his confession and the statements that Jesus made about him (8:28–30; Matthew 16:17–19). James and John may have thought that they themselves should be highest (10:35–40). But a high status often causes a person to become proud. So Jesus showed that being truly humble was the way to become high in status in the society of God’s kingdom.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Greatness in the Kingdom (God’s Word)
-or-
Who Is the Greatest? (New International Version)
-or-
The followers of Jesus must be humble

There are parallel passages for this section in Matthew 18:1–5 and Luke 9:46–48.

Paragraph 9:33–37

9:33a

The story in 9:33–37 began sometime after the story in 9:30–32 ended. The Greek text does not indicate how much time passed between these two stories. In some languages, it is natural to begin a story with a time word or phrase. If your language is like that, use an expression here that is not too specific. For example:

Then (Berean Standard Bible)
-or-
After/When

In other languages, a time word or phrase is not necessary. Introduce this story in a natural way in your language.

Then they came to Capernaum:

There is a textual issue here. (1) Some Greek manuscripts have “They.” For example, the Good News Bible says: “They came to Capernaum” (Berean Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version, Good News Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, NET Bible, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, Revised English Bible, New Century Version). (2) Other Greek manuscripts have “He.” For example, the King James Version says: “And he came to Capernaum” (King James Version). It is recommended that you follow option (1).
The pronoun they refers to Jesus and his disciples. Since this is a new story, you may want to refer to them here with a specific phrase. For example:

Jesus and his disciples

Capernaum: Capernaum was the name of a small town with probably fewer than two thousand people. If this place name will not be clear to your readers, you may need to say:

to the town of Capernaum

See how you translated Capernaum in 1:21a or 2:1a.

9:33b

While Jesus was in the house, He asked them: There is some implicit information in this verse. It is implied that the disciples went into the house with Jesus. You may need to make this fact explicit, since this is the beginning of a new story. For example:

When they went into a house there, he asked them (New Century Version)
-or-
And when they were indoors he asked them (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
They entered the house there. When inside, he asked them…

in the house: The words the house probably refer to the house that Jesus usually stayed in when he lived in Capernaum (1:35, 7:17). It may have been Simon and Andrew’s house (1:29) or a rented house.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

the house where they usually stayed
-or-
a house
-or-
indoors (Good News Bible)

9:33c

What were you discussing: Some Greek manuscripts include the words “among yourselves” in this part of the verse, as in the King James Version. Other Greek manuscripts do not include these words. But the context implies “among yourselves.” In some languages it may be more natural to include “among yourselves” in the translation.

discussing: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as discussing also means “arguing” or “debating.” For example, the New International Version, 2011 edition says:

What were you arguing about on the road?

on the way: The phrase on the way refers to the fact that Jesus and his disciples were walking along the road before they arrived in Capernaum.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

on the road (New International Version, 2011 edition)
-or-
while traveling/walking here

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