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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)