2:18 Now 1 John’s 2 disciples and the Pharisees 3 were fasting. 4 So 5 they came to Jesus 6 and said, “Why do the disciples of John and the disciples of the Pharisees fast, but your disciples don’t fast?” 2:19 Jesus 7 said to them, “The wedding guests 8 cannot fast while the bridegroom 9 is with them, can they? 10 As long as they have the bridegroom with them they do not fast.
1 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
2 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
3 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
4 sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.
5 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “So” to indicate that in the narrative this question happened as a result of the fasting of John’s disciples and the Pharisees.
6 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
7 tn Grk “And Jesus.”
8 tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically, friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).
9 sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38).
10 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here the tag is “can they?”).