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OET (OET-LV) Him still speaking to_the crowds, see, the mother and the brothers of_him had_stood outside, seeking to_speak to_him.
OET (OET-RV) While Yeshua was still talking to the crowd, his mother and siblings stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
In this section, Jesus showed that all who obey God are members of his/Jesus’ spiritual family.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The True Family of Jesus (NLT)
The people whom Jesus considered to be his true family
People who do the will of God are like the true family of Jesus
There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 3:31–35 and Luke 8:19–21.
While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds,
¶ While Jesus was still speaking to the crowd,
¶ As Jesus continued talking to the people,
While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds: Verse 12:46a connects this paragraph with the preceding paragraphs. Even though Jesus had been speaking primarily to the scribes and Pharisees in 12:38–45, other people were also listening since 12:23.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
While Jesus was still talking to the crowds (GW)
Jesus continued talking with the people.
His mother and brothers stood outside,
his mother and younger brothers arrived and stood outside the house.
his mother and his younger brothers arrived at the house. They stood outside
The Greek word that begins this clause is left untranslated in the BSB, but some English versions translate it as “behold.” This word focuses attention on what follows and indicates that it is important, unexpected, or amazing. In this context, this word introduces the main topic of this paragraph: Jesus’ mother and brothers. Many English versions translate this word as “look” or “behold” in this context.
His…brothers: Church groups differ in what they believe about Jesus’ brothers. Here are the three main views:
They were the sons of Joseph and Mary, born after Jesus.
They were Jesus’ cousins.Scholars who follow this view most commonly think that they were the children of Clopas (Joseph’s brother or brother-in-law) and Mary (the sister of Jesus’ mother). For a good presentation and analysis of the various views, see Arndt’s commentary on 8:19.
They were children of Joseph from a previous marriage. That is, they were Jesus’ step-brothers.
The Hebrew and Aramaic words for “brother” do not distinguish between biological brothers and cousins. It is good to use a general word for “brother” that could apply to any of the views above. For example, you may have a word that could refer to:
brothers with the same father and mother,
brothers with the same father but different mothers, and
cousins who are children of one of the parents’ brothers or sisters.
If you must use a more specific word, it is recommended that you consult with all major church groups in your language area. You will want to choose a word that is acceptable to the churches.
If your language must distinguish between “older” and “younger” brothers, it is recommended that you use a term for “younger brothers” here. If your language does not use terms that distinguish male and female, such as brother or sister, it may be more natural to use general terms. For example:
siblings
younger-siblings
stood outside: There is some implied information in this part of the verse:
Jesus was at this time speaking from inside a house.
Jesus mother and brothers had not been present in the crowd in the previous paragraph, but now they arrived.
In some languages, it may be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:
came and stood outside (CEV)
stood outside the house
when his mother and brothers arrived. They stood outside (GNT)
wanting to speak to Him.
They wanted to talk to him.
and said that they wanted to speak to him.
wanting to speak to Him: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as wanting can mean “seeking/trying,” “wanting,” or “asking.” So this clause can simply mean that “they wanted to speak to Jesus.” Or it can mean that “they told people that they wanted to speak with him.” Either one is possible and acceptable.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
They wanted to talk to him. (GW)
trying to find a way to talk to him. (NCV)
They said that they wanted to speak with Jesus.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ἰδοὺ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔτι Αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος τοῖς ὄχλοις ἰδού ἡ μήτηρ καί οἱ ἀδελφοί αὐτοῦ εἱστήκεισαν ἔξω ζητοῦντες αὐτῷ λαλῆσαι)
The word behold draws the attention of the audience and asks them to listen carefully. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express behold with a word or phrase that asks the audience to listen, or you could draw the audience’s attention in another way. Alternate translation: [take note] or [look]
Note 2 topic: translate-kinship
οἱ ἀδελφοὶ
the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔτι Αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος τοῖς ὄχλοις ἰδού ἡ μήτηρ καί οἱ ἀδελφοί αὐτοῦ εἱστήκεισαν ἔξω ζητοῦντες αὐτῷ λαλῆσαι)
These were Jesus' younger brothers. They were sons of Mary and Joseph. Since the Father of Jesus was God, and their father was Joseph, they were actually his half-brothers. That detail is not normally translated, but if your language has a specific word for “younger brother,” you could use it here.
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἵστήκεισαν ἔξω
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔτι Αὐτοῦ λαλοῦντος τοῖς ὄχλοις ἰδού ἡ μήτηρ καί οἱ ἀδελφοί αὐτοῦ εἱστήκεισαν ἔξω ζητοῦντες αὐτῷ λαλῆσαι)
Matthew implies that Jesus’ mother and brothers arrived and then stood outside wherever Jesus was. Since [13:1](../13/01.md) describes Jesus leaving a house, he may have been in a house while he was teaching. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make some or all of this information more explicit. Alternate translation: [had come and stood outside the house] or [had arrived outside the place where he was teaching]
OET (OET-LV) Him still speaking to_the crowds, see, the mother and the brothers of_him had_stood outside, seeking to_speak to_him.
OET (OET-RV) While Yeshua was still talking to the crowd, his mother and siblings stood outside, wanting to speak to him.
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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