# General Information:

During the Festival of Dedication, some Jews begin to question Jesus. Verses 22 and 23 give background information about the setting of the story. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/writing-background]])

# Festival of the Dedication

This is an eight-day, winter holiday Jews use to remember a miracle where God made a small amount of oil remain lit in a lampstand for eight days. They lit the lampstand to dedicate the Jewish temple to God. To dedicate something is to promise to use it for a special purpose.

# Jesus was walking in the temple

The area where Jesus was walking was actually a courtyard that was outside the temple building. AT: "Jesus was walking in the temple courtyard" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# porch

This is a structure attached to the entrance of a building; it has a roof and it may or may not have walls.

# Then the Jews surrounded him

Here "Jews" is a synecdoche for the Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus. AT: "Then the Jewish leaders surrounded him" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-synecdoche]])

# hold us doubting

This is an idiom. AT: "keep us wondering" or "keep us from knowing for sure?" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/festival]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/jerusalem]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/temple]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/solomon]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/christ]]