## The Lord answered him ##

"the Lord responded to the synagogue ruler"

## Does not each of you untie your donkey ##

This starts a rhetorical question. Jesus used this to get them to think about something they already knew. It can be translated as statement: "You untie your donkey"  (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

## donkey or cow ##

These are animals that people care for by giving them water.

## daughter of Abraham ##

"descendant of Abraham"

## whom Satan bound ##

This is a metaphor. It means "whom Satan kept crippled." The metaphor can be kept and the meaning can be made explicit: "whom Satan bound with this disease." (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

## eighteen long years ##

The word "long" here emphasizes that eighteen years was a very long time for the woman to suffer. Other languages may have other ways of emphasizing this.

## is it not necessary ##

This starts a rhetorical question. Jesus used it to lead the people to admit that it was right to heal the woman on the Sabbath. It can be translated as a statement "Certainly you would agree that it is right" (UDB).

## to untie her bonds ##

This is a metaphor. It can be translated as "to untie her from Satan" or "to untie the bonds of this illness"