A Reason and Result Relationship is a logical relationship in which one event is the **reason** or cause for another event. The second event, then, is the **result** of the first event.
A Reason and Result Relationship can look forward - "I did Y because I wanted X to happen." But usually it is looking backward - "X happened, and so I did Y." Also, it is possible to state the Reason either before or after the Result. Many languages have a preferred order for these, and it is confusing for the reader if they are in the other order. Common words used to indicate a Reason and Result Relationship in English are “because,” “so,” “therefore,” and “for.” Some of these words can also be used to indicate a Goal relationship, so translators need to be aware of the difference between a Goal relationship and a Reason-Result relationship. It is necessary for translators to understand how the two events are connected and then communicate them clearly in their language.
The **Reason** is the change in Saul - that he had tried to kill people who believed in Jesus, and now he himself believed in Jesus. The **Result** is that the Jews were amazed. “Because” connects the two ideas and indicates that what follows it is a Reason.
The **Reason** is the great storm, and the **Result** is that the boat was covered with the waves. The two events are connected by “so that.” Notice that “so that” often indicates a Goal relationship, but here the relationship is Reason-Result, because the sea cannot think and therefore does not have a Goal.
> It was their children that Yahweh raised up in their place that Joshua circumcised, <u>because</u> they had not been circumcised on the way (Joshua 5:7 ULT)
The **Result** is that Joshua circumcised the boys and men who had been born in the wilderness. The **Reason** was that they had not been circumcised while they were journeying.
#### Translation Strategies
If your language uses Reason-Result relationships in the same way as in the text, then use them as they are.
1. If the order of the clauses is confusing for the reader, then change the order.
(1) God rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done in his creation. <u>That is why</u> he blessed the seventh day and sanctified it.