The story of the healing of the man’s paralyzed hand is brought to a climax in the expression of the Pharisee’s hostility against Jesus. But introduces the actions contrasted with what one might expect after Jesus first gave a good argument and then performed a miracle that helped someone. Instead of being impressed or won over to him, they decided he had to be killed. Thus translators should try to retain But or possibly say “But at this.”

But the Pharisees went out translates a dependent participial clause in Greek, but most translations make it a coordinate clause, as Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation have done; for example, “At this the Pharisees went out” (New Jerusalem Bible) and “So the Pharisees withdrew” (Moffatt). However, New American Bible (“When the Pharisees were outside”) and New English Bible (“But the Pharisees, on leaving the synagogue…”) retain a form similar to that of the Greek. Any of these restructurings represents a valid interpretation of the Greek text; it is the translator’s responsibility to select a form that is accurate in terms of the Greek and natural for the intended audience.

The Pharisees have not yet been mentioned in this episode, so a phrase like “the Pharisees who were there” or “some Pharisees who were there” is perhaps in order. For Pharisees, see comments on 3.7.

They went out, probably “out of the synagogue,” but it is also reasonable to say “left” or “went away.”

Took counsel against him, how to destroy him is translated “laid a plot to do away with him” by New English Bible and “concocted a scheme to kill him” by Barclay. Mark 3.6 indicates that the Herodians (supporters of Herod Antipas) joined the Pharisees in this plot against Jesus, but Matthew does not include this information. This same verb (took) plus noun (counsel) construction is also found in 22.15; 27.1, 7; 28.12, but nowhere else in the New Testament. Only in 26.4 does Matthew use the verb form which in itself means “take counsel” or “make plans.”

Took counsel gives the idea of meeting to discuss a matter. Since it is followed by against, the idea of “plot against” or “plan to do harm to” becomes clear. Destroy clearly means here “to kill” or “to have killed.”

It is probably not necessary to have him twice, being the object of both counsel against and destroy. “Planned together how they could kill him” or “made plans of a way to have him killed” may be more natural.

So that readers do not think him refers to the man who was healed, many translators say “Jesus.”

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 .