11:11
Verse 11:11 indicates that John was the boundary between the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the kingdom. He was the last Old Testament prophet. There was no one greater than John. But in the period of the kingdom, even the least person is greater than the greatest person in the period of the law.
11:11a
In 11:10 Jesus quoted a verse from the Old Testament. But 11:11 is Jesus’ own words. If this is not clear from the grammar of your language, you may want to add something to make it clear. For example:
⌊Jesus said,⌋
-or-
⌊Jesus continued speaking:⌋
Truly I tell you: Jesus often used the words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Truly I tell you to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. When he began a statement with these words, he was asking people to listen with extra attention.
Here are some other ways to introduce this:
I assure you (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
Listen to this:
-or-
Let me tell you this:
If you have another way in your language to emphasize a statement or to alert people to listen with special attention, consider using it here.
This clause also occurs in 10:42. You should translate it here as you did there.
11:11b
among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist: The clause those born of women is a figurative way to refer to human beings (as opposed to spirit beings). The verb has risen also means “has lived.” It does not refer to rising from sleep or from the dead.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Of all the people ever born, no one is greater than John the Baptizer (God’s Word)
-or-
John the Baptist is greater than anyone who has ever lived (Good News Translation)
-or-
John the Baptist is the most important human being who has ever lived.
no one greater than John the Baptist: This phrase means that no human being had a more important role than John. John was the one whom God chose to prepare people for the Messiah’s coming.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
John…is the most important person
-or-
of all the people who have ever lived, John…has the greatest position/privilege
11:11c
Yet: Verse 11:11c seems to conflict with 11:11b, but it is also true. The two parts are a paradox.
Here are some other ways to introduce this part of the paradox:
But (Good News Translation)
-or-
However
even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he: This sentence compares a person in the time of the kingdom of God with John (who lived at the end of the time of the law). It indicates that even a person who has the lowest status in the kingdom of God is greater than John. Even insignificant people in the kingdom are more important than the most important people in the time of the Old Testament law. This implies that the new way that Jesus was establishing (the kingdom) is better than the old way (the law).
Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:
in the kingdom of heaven, even the lowest person is greater/higher than John
-or-
the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John (God’s Word)
-or-
the person of the lowest rank/status in the kingdom of God is great/important compared with John
even the least: This phrase refers to the person who has the lowest status, rank, or position in the kingdom of God.
the kingdom of heaven: In the phrase the kingdom of heaven, the word heaven is a figure of speech called metonymy. In this figure of speech, heaven refers to God, but it refers to him indirectly by naming the place where he lives and rules. The Jews considered God’s name to be so holy that they hesitated to say it. So instead of pronouncing God’s name directly, they often used the name of the place where he lives and rules. Because Matthew was writing primarily to Jews, he often used the word heaven to refer to God.
Therefore, the kingdom of heaven means the same thing as “the kingdom of God.” The phrase the kingdom of heaven only occurs in the book of Matthew. The phrase “the kingdom of God” is found in all other places in the New Testament, and it even occurs five times in Matthew.
Here are some other ways to translate heaven in this context:
• Make some information explicit. For example:
⌊the one/Lord who lives in⌋ heaven
• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:
God
This phrase also occurs in 3:2b, 5:3b and 10:7b. Also see kingdom of heaven in the Glossary.
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