Came may more naturally be “went.” As in the previous verse, translators will either retain he or use “Jesus” according to the style of the receptor language.
Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? is taken as a question by most translations (New English Bible, Good News Translation, Moffatt, An American Translation, New International Version, Luther 1984, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch), though some believe it to be a command (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible, Zürcher Bibel, Traduction œcuménique de la Bible). Since the Greek text originally had no punctuation, either alternative is possible. If the words are understood as a command, then the implication is that the disciples may as well continue to sleep, because they have missed their opportunity to stay awake and keep watch for Jesus. The translation will then be “Go ahead and sleep and continue taking your rest.” But most translators see this sentence as a question that Jesus uses to rebuke the disciples. Examples are “How can you still be sleeping and taking your rest?” and “You are still sleeping and resting. Is that what you should be doing?”
Behold (Good News Translation “Look”) translates the same particle first used in 1.20; see comment there.
In verse 40 the hour is used as a measurement of length of time, but here the phrase is used with the sense of a definite moment in time, as in 24.36, 44, 50; 25.13.
At hand (Good News Translation “has come”) translates the same form of the Greek verb used in 3.2.
And the Son of man is betrayed may be problematic in that most languages expect the employment of a future tense in place of the present is betrayed. But Greek will occasionally substitute a present tense on occasions when the certainty of the event is to be emphasized. For English speakers the construction may also present a second difficulty: the coordinate conjunction and is not generally used to denote purpose. Therefore Good News Translation translates the clause as “for the Son of Man to be handed over,” and New Jerusalem Bible opts for “when the Son of Man is to be betrayed.” See 17.22 where the same expression occurs.
As in 17.22, hands represents a Semitic idiomatic expression indicating power; Good News Translation translates into the hands of as “to the power of.”
In place of sinners (Good News Translation “sinful men”), Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “God’s enemies,” thus structuring the wording to suit the specific context.
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 .