And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

He said, “Why were you looking for me? Didn’t you know that I had to be here, dealing with the things of my Father?” But they had no idea what he was talking about.

But they did not understand the statement which He had made to them.

But they didn’t understand what he meant.

But they did not understand the meaning of what he said.

And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them.

But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

But they did not understand what He had said to them.

Mary and Joseph didn’t fully understand what Jesus meant.

And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them.