And he said to him: for stylistic reasons Good News Translation identifies he as Jesus and transfers “Jesus said” to the end of the verse, though it comes first in the Greek sentence. However, in many languages (for example, most languages in Africa) it will be more natural to keep “Jesus said to him” at the beginning of the sentence.

The pronoun I is emphatic in Greek. The original Greek manuscripts did not have any punctuation, and it is possible to take I will come and heal him as a question: “Am I to come and cure him?” (New English Bible alternative rendering). Although a question is possible, most translations prefer a statement and do not even include a question as a possible alternative. Whether one translates as a statement or as a question, the main point of Jesus’ response is that he is willing to associate with a Gentile.

Whether to use come or “go” will depend on the language. There may also be need for a destination, as in “I will come to your house” or “I will go there.” Also possible is “I will go with you.”

Heal can also be “cure” or “make well.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .