Some languages generally render the word aware with a phrase that means to make someone conscious of something. But there is no indication here that anyone told Jesus what the plan was. “Knew” would be a better translation, as for example in “But Jesus knew what their evil intention was.”

Malice (so also New Jerusalem Bible, An American Translation, Moffatt) may be more accurately phrased as “evil plan” (Good News Translation), “evil intent” (New International Version), or “evil intention” (Phillips). Barclay is rather high level: “Jesus was well aware of their malicious motives.” The noun was first used in 5.11, where Revised Standard Version translates it as “evil.”

Put … to the test (Good News Translation “trap”) is not the same verb used in verse 15. Except for the problematic verse 35 (see below), in Matthew’s Gospel the word is used only of Satan (4.1, 3) or of the Pharisees (16.1; 19.3; 22.18). Once again Barclay uses a rather sophisticated level of English, but he does dynamic restructuring of the noun of address (you hypocrites) plus the question: “You are not out for information … you are out to make trouble in your two-faced maliciousness.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch shifts to an exclamatory statement: “You hypocrites, you are only laying a trap for me!” “You are just trying to test me!” is also good.

Hypocrites was first used in 6.2 (see comment there). As with most terms of address, it will in many languages have to appear first in the sentence. But another solution is to retain it at the end of the verse, but as a separate sentence: “What hypocrites you are!”

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 .