Paragraph 13:12–13

In this paragraph Jesus gave another example of something that would happen at the future time he was talking about. In 13:9 and 13:11, Jesus said that his disciples/followers would be betrayed by people outside their own families. Here in 13:12, he warned that the situation would become even worse: his followers would be betrayed by family members too.

In Greek 13:12 is introduced by the common conjunction that is often translated as “and.” In some languages it may be necessary to indicate more specifically how this paragraph is related to the context. For example:

Be watchful also because
-or-
At that time

13:12a

Brother will betray brother: In this context the word brother is used in a literal way. It does not refer here to a fellow Christian. The clause Brother will betray brother indicates that the brother who does not believe in Jesus will betray his brother who does believe in Jesus.

This is a general statement, which includes both brothers and sisters. Your language may have a word like “sibling” which includes male and female. There may also be different words for older and younger siblings. In some languages it may be necessary to express this phrase in the plural. For example:

People will betray their brothers and sisters because they follow me
-or-
Older siblings will betray their younger siblings who believe in me, and younger siblings will betray their older siblings who believe in me

It may not be necessary to add the clause “and younger brothers will betray their older siblings.” That meaning can be understood from the first part of the sentence.

betray: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as betray means “to hand over to the authorities.” The same Greek word occurs in 13:9b (here the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “will be delivered over”) and in 13:11a (here the Berean Standard Bible translates it as “hand you over”). This means that people would cause the authorities to arrest their brothers and sisters who were disciples of Jesus. These same people would also speak against their brothers and sisters in court. As a result, the believing brothers and sisters would be put to death.

to death: The context implies that the killing would be a legal act, an execution.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

and they will cause the authorities to kill them
-or-
so that the authorities will kill them

If your language uses passive verbs, you could say:

and they will have them killed/executed

13:12b

The Greek sentence continues from 13:12a, but in some languages, it may be good to begin a new sentence here.

and a father his child: The words and a father his child imply words from the previous clause:

and a father will betray his child to death.

This statement indicates that the unbelieving father will betray the believing child. Again, it is a general statement that includes fathers and mothers (see 13:12c, where the word “parents” occurs). In some languages it may be more natural to express this phrase in the plural. For example:

and fathers and mothers will betray their children and cause others to kill them
-or-
and parents will hand over their children, so that others will kill them

In some languages, it may be possible simply to say:

and fathers/parents will do the same to their children

13:12c

Children will rise against their parents: The phrase rise against indicates that the children act in a hostile way toward their parents. It can also be translated as “rebel,” “oppose,” “combat,” or “turn against.”

parents: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as parents is literally “begetters.” It refers to a person’s mother and father, specifically to the woman who bore the child and the man who fathered the child.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

their father and mother
-or-
their mothers and fathers

Use the expression that is most natural in your language.

13:12d

and have them put to death: The phrase and have them put to death means “and cause them to be killed/executed.”

Here is another way to translate this:

and cause other people to kill/execute them

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