He who may be “Anyone who,” “Whoever,” “Any person who,” or whatever phrase is most natural.

Take may have to be “carry.”

The cross was an instrument of execution used by the Romans. It was looked upon as a particularly painful form of death, and the Romans reserved it for slaves and foreigners. The condemned man was required to carry his cross, or the crossbeam, to the place of execution. Crucifixion was a familiar sight in Jesus’ day, and it easily became a symbol of discipleship.

Very often translators have rendered cross as “crossed sticks” or “crossed boards.” Readers then miss the whole idea of crucifixion. Sometimes the only crosses people know are crucifixes that are worn around the neck or that might hang on a wall. Again, the element of crucifixion or death is not obvious. But readers of Matthew’s day would have thought instantly of death by crucifixion when they saw or heard the word “cross.” To convey this information to modern readers, then, translators sometimes say “cross on which he can die” or “… on which they can kill him.”

Follow me is translated “follow in my steps” by Good News Translation, “follow in my footsteps” by New Jerusalem Bible and Barclay, “walk in my footsteps” by New English Bible. Here follow surely has the extended meaning of “follow as a disciple” (see comment on 4.20). Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition has “come with me.”

For comments on is not worthy of me, see verse 37.

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 .