Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth (Good News Translation “… to the world”) is the interpretation of the text that is accepted by most all translators. The one exception appears to be Anchor Bible, which renders “Do not think that I have come to impose peace on earth by force.” However, this rendering requires a significant amount of linguistic gymnastics and is not supported by other commentators and translators. One pillar upon which this interpretation rests is the assumption that the Greek text represents a misunderstanding of the original Aramaic words of Jesus. But even if this were true, it still remains the duty of the translator to render the text according to the meaning that Matthew has given it. Moreover, this interpretation does not satisfy the needs of the context, which emphasizes the inevitable divisions the Christian message causes among people.
Do not think may be expressed as “You should not think that” or “You would be wrong if you thought that.”
Many languages will require a destination for have come and will say “to the world,” as Good News Translation has done. This is based on the phrase on earth at the end of the sentence.
To bring peace may need some amplification, as in “to cause there to be peace among men” or “to cause people to live in peace.”
I have not come to bring peace, but a sword is a negative parallel to the first half of the verse. But a sword may need to be produced in its full form: “but I came to bring a sword.” Among the Jews the word sword was often used figuratively of war, murder, or strife. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “No, I did not come to bring peace, but strife.” New American Bible is also legitimate in rendering sword as “division,” since both the Lukan parallel (12.51) and verses 35-36 speak of a division between family members. Some scholars believe that the symbolism here intended is that of persecution and martyrdom, but no translation seems to reflect this interpretation.
Most translators find that sword itself is not readily understood, so they instead say something like “I came to bring fighting” or “I came to cause men to fight each other (or, disagree with each other).” But see notes on verse 35, where a possible translation is offered that depends on using sword literally here.
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 .