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OET (OET-LV) And from the days of_Yōannaʸs the immerser until now, the kingdom of_the heavens is_forcing, and forceful_men they_are_snatching it.
OET (OET-RV) From the time of Yohan-the-immerser through to the present time, the heavenly kingdom has been opposed, and the opposition is grabbing at it.
Long before Jesus was born, God spoke of a messenger who would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 3:1). John the Baptist was that messenger. When John’s ministry was ending, he began to doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. So John sent some of his disciples to verify that Jesus was the Messiah (11:3). Jesus indicated that his miracles and preaching were proof that he was the expected Messiah whom God spoke of (11:4–5).
Jesus then showed that John was very important in God’s eyes (11:7–14).
Jesus and John did God’s work in very different ways, but most people refused to listen to either person (11:16–19).
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The question of John the Baptist
Jesus talked about John the Baptizer
Messengers from John the Baptist (NRSV)
Jesus and John the Baptizer’s actions prove who they are
There is a parallel passage for this section in Luke 7:18–35.
From the days of John the Baptist until now,
From the day John the Baptist began preaching until now,
From the time that John the Baptist began his work/preaching until today,
From the days of John the Baptist: This phrase refers to the period of time that began with John the Baptist’s preaching.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
And from the time John the Baptist began preaching (NLT)
From the time John preached his message (GNT)
From the beginning of the work of John
until now: The phrase until now refers to the period of time up till the time when Jesus said these words.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
until this very day (GNT)
up to today
until this present time
up to this time
the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence,
the kingdom of heaven/God has been violently attacked,
violent people are attacking God’s rule/chieftaincy,
the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence: There are two ways to interpret the Greek verb that the BSB translates as has been subject to violence:
The verb is passive and means that the kingdom is being violently attacked. According to this interpretation, this clause refers to persecution from evil spiritual beings or evil humans who are attacking God’s kingdom. One example of the kingdom being “violently attacked” was that Herod put John in prison and later killed him. Later, Jesus and many of the disciples were also killed. For example:
the Kingdom of heaven has suffered violent attacks (GNT) (BSB, NIV2011, RSV, GNT, NJB, NET, NASB, REB, KJV, CEV, ESV)
The verb has an active sense and means that the kingdom has been forcefully advancing. According to this interpretation, this clause indicates that God is defeating evil, and he is gathering people into his kingdom. Some examples of the kingdom “forcefully advancing” were that John forcefully preached, and Jesus cast out demons and did other miracles. For example:
the kingdom of heaven has been going forward in strength (NCV) (NIV, NLT, GW, NCV)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This interpretation best fits with the next clause “the violent take it by force.” Also, the majority of English versions and commentaries follow this interpretation.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Use a passive verb. For example:
the kingdom of heaven has been attacked with force
Use an active verb. In this case, the subject should be “the violent” referred to in 11:12c. For example:
violent people have been attacking the kingdom of heaven
and the violent lay claim to it.
and fierce/evil people are trying to seize it.
and they are trying to grab/capture it by force.
the violent: The Greek word that the BSB translates as the violentThere are two ways to interpret the Greek word that the BSB translates as the violent:(1) It has a negative meaning and refers to violent people. Violent people are those who are attacking the kingdom of heaven. For example, the GNT says: violent men (BSB, NIV2011, RSV, GNT, NJB, NASB, REB, KJV, CEV, ESV)(2) It has a neutral meaning and refers to forceful people. Forceful men such as John the Baptist have seen the value of the kingdom of heaven and strongly desire to enter it. For example, the NET says: forceful people (NIV, GW, NET, JBP)It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The majority of English versions and commentaries follow this interpretation. Also, if you followed interpretation (1) for the clause “the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,” you should follow interpretation (1) here.Generally, when an English version follows interpretation (1) for the clause “the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence,” it also follows interpretation (1) for the phrase “violent men.” There are two exceptions:(a) the NLT which follows the interpretation that “the kingdom is forcefully advancing” (interpretation 2), but then follows interpretation (1) for “violent men.” For example: the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. (NLT)(b) and the JBP which seems to do the opposite of the NLT: it follows interpretation (1) then interpretation (2). For example: the kingdom of Heaven has been taken by storm and eager men are forcing their way into it (JBP) refers to violent/fierce people who are attacking the kingdom.
Here is another way to translate this word:
fierce/evil people
lay claim to it: This clause means that violent men are trying to “seize” the kingdom of God. This again refers to evil people persecuting believers. It also refers to the battle between good and evil.
Here are some other ways to translate this verb:
grab it using force/strength
capture/plunder it
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases
δὲ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀπό Δέ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καί βιασταί ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν)
Based on how this verse is interpreted (see the following notes and the chapter introduction), the word But could introduce: (1) a contrast with what Jesus said in the previous verse about how great the kingdom of the heavens is. In contrast with that, the kingdom of the heavens is attacked violently. Alternate translation: [However,] (2) a development of what Jesus said in the previous verse about how great the kingdom of the heavens is. The kingdom advances and grows forcefully. Alternate translation: [Now,]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
τῶν ἡμερῶν
the days
The word days refers to a specific period of time. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the time period]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ
˱of˲_John the Baptist
Jesus is using the possessive form to describe days in which John the Baptist preached. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [when John the Baptist ministered]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism
ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν
the Kingdom ˱of˲_the Heavens ˓is˒_forcing (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀπό Δέ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καί βιασταί ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν)
If you understand these two clauses to say similar things (see the following notes and the chapter introduction), then the second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word other than and in order to show that the second phrase is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternate translation: [the kingdom of the heavens suffers violence; yes, violent men take it by force]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν βιάζεται
the Kingdom ˱of˲_the Heavens ˓is˒_forcing
Christians disagree about what exactly this clause means. See the chapter introduction for more information and options. Most likely, the clause could mean: (1) that people attack God’s kingdom. Alternate translation: [the kingdom of the heavens is attacked violently] (2) that God’s kingdom triumphs forcefully in the world. Alternate translation: [the kingdom of the heavens triumphs forcefully]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
βιάζεται
˓is˒_forcing
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of violence, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [is violently treated] or [is attacked violently]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀπό Δέ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καί βιασταί ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν)
Christians disagree about what exactly this clause means. See the chapter introduction for more information and options. Most likely, the clause could mean: (1) that the men are evil and violent, and they attack the kingdom. Alternate translation: [violent men attack it forcefully] (2) that the men are forceful and want to be part of the kingdom. Alternate translation: [forceful men take hold of it]
Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
βιασταὶ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἀπό Δέ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ Βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ Βασιλεία τῶν Οὐρανῶν βιάζεται καί βιασταί ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν)
Although the term men is masculine, Jesus is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that makes this clear. Alternate translation: [violent men and women]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν
˱they˲_˓are˒_snatching it
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of force, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [take it forcefully]
OET (OET-LV) And from the days of_Yōannaʸs the immerser until now, the kingdom of_the heavens is_forcing, and forceful_men they_are_snatching it.
OET (OET-RV) From the time of Yohan-the-immerser through to the present time, the heavenly kingdom has been opposed, and the opposition is grabbing at it.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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