definition of sorprendido

Question

I need some help understanding the use of "sorprendido" in the following line from John 8:4 of the NVI translation of the Bible.

Maestro, a esta mujer se le ha sorprendido en el acto mismo de adulterio.

In using the spanishdict dictionary it defines it as "surprised" while the google translation defines it as "caught" Any clarification would be appreciated.

Answer 1

I understand your quandary, in that "surprised" in typical casual English does not mean "caught".

In this case, however, it does.

Answer 2

This is not a problem with the Spanish translation, but with understanding English itself.

surprise

1. to make someone feel surprise

2. to find, catch or attack someone when they are not expecting it

Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary

To surprise someone is to catch that person unprepared... both in English and Spanish.

Answer 3

surprise