In some Greek manuscripts they is either “the disciples” or “his disciples.” However, regardless of one’s evaluation of the manuscript evidence, many languages will require either “the disciples,” “his disciples,” or even “Jesus’ disciples.”

In Greek went is a participle, dependent upon the main verb woke. However, a number of translations render both verbs as finite forms in a parallel structure as both Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done. Here again the choice of restructuring is dependent purely upon the requirements of the receptor language. Those translations that do not follow Revised Standard Version in this will probably say “His disciples woke him up.” Note that some languages will use “came” instead of went.

They did not wake him by saying “Save us, Lord,” which is the impression some translators have received from the participle saying. A better rendering is “They woke him and said, ‘Save us, Lord.’ ”

In the better Greek manuscripts Save does not have an expressed object (Good News Translation “us”). Since Revised Standard Version slavishly omits the object, even though one is required by English structure, one wonders why the translators did not follow the order of the Greek (“Lord, save”).

Lord here should be taken in the Christian sense (see comments on Matthew 8.2).

For Save, translators should use a term that is most natural in this context, such as “rescue,” “deliver,” or something similar. Most will use the object “us” as Good News Translation has done.

The choice of an inclusive or exclusive we is not easy. This is a question which in all probability would not have arisen in the mind of Matthew, since neither Greek nor Aramaic requires the choice between these two forms. If a choice must be made, it seems best to use the inclusive form. This is not to deny the deity of Jesus, but it is to assume that at this point in Jesus’ ministry the disciples did not fully recognize who Jesus was and so would have assumed that he also could have drowned.

We are perishing (Barclay “we’re drowning”) translates a Greek verb tense which suggests action in progress. It may also be expressed “We are about to die” (Good News Translation) or “we are going down” (Jerusalem Bible). Perishing may refer to the destruction of either living beings or inanimate objects. When used of people it means “die,” with the kind of death determined by the context. Here, of course, the form of death is drowning. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch translates the plea of the disciples, “Rescue us, Lord, we are going under!” Some more examples are “we are drowning,” “we are about to die,” and “we are going to drown.”

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 .