Many translators will begin a new sentence here, as we suggest in the above paragraph.

Said translates a Greek imperfect tense which draws attention to the continuation of the event in past time. Thus Good News Translation renders “For some time … had told” and Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition “had repeatedly reproached (him).” To translate said may wrongly imply that this was a one-time event, done only on this occasion. “John had been saying” or “… had been telling Herod” will also indicate this action was repeated.

It is not lawful appeals to the teaching of Jewish religious law, which would not have permitted a man to marry his brother’s wife while the brother was still alive (see Lev 18.16; 20.21). Herod Antipas claimed to be a loyal Jew, and so it could be expected that the prophet John would speak out against what he had done. Since John’s argument is based upon the commands of the Jewish Law, one may translate “Our (Jewish) Law does not permit…” or “Our Jewish religion does not allow us to….”

For you to have her means “for you to marry her” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch) or “for you to be married to Herodias” (Good News Translation). Some languages will prefer that a shift be made to indirect discourse: “because John had told him that he had no right to marry her” (Barclay). Translators should be careful not to use an expression which may mean simply to commit adultery or sleep with her.

Note our discussion in the previous verse of possible ways to restructure this passage.

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 .