At that time (so also Good News Translation) is a temporal marker which loosely relates this passage to the context; this same formula occurs again in 12.1; 14.1. New American Bible separates this entire passage from the context by introducing it with “On one occasion Jesus spoke thus:….” Other translations have had “Then” or “It was then that Jesus….”
In place of the Greek word order (I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth), Good News Translation attempts a more natural order for the opening of prayers in English: “Father, Lord of heaven and earth! I thank you.”
In the Greek thank very frequently has the meaning “confess,” but it may also mean “admit,” “agree,” or even “thank” or “praise” (Moffatt, New American Bible). Here “thank” or “praise” are most appropriate.
In the Lord’s Prayer Jesus teaches his disciples to address God as “Our Father” (Matt 6.9), and in his own prayer in Gethsemane he addresses God as “My Father” (26.39, 42). In languages where Father used as a term of address must have a possessive, translators should say “my Father.” There will also be a few situations where “God my Father” is necessary, lest readers think Jesus is praying to Joseph, his earthly father.
Lord of heaven and earth, a literal rendering of the Greek text, means “the Lord who rules heaven and earth” or “the ruler of heaven and earth.”
Lord can be “ruler,” “owner,” or “master,” or whatever title in a language is used for the one who controls the universe and to whom the whole universe owes allegiance.
Heaven and earth can be translated literally or as “the whole universe.”
We pointed out above that Good News Translation has put this phrase in a more natural word order. Many translators will do something similar. Both Father and Lord of heaven and earth refer to the same person, but in many languages to put these two phrases together as they appear here would seem to refer to two different people. In such cases translators will say something like “My Father, you who are Lord of heaven and earth, I thank you…” or “My Father, you are the Lord of the whole universe. I thank you….”
Thou hast hidden … from the wise and understanding: hidden is the same verb used in 5.14; it is found again in 13.35, 44; 25.18, 25. Here it may be “made so they can’t be seen by wise and educated people” or “kept them where the wise and clever people can’t see them.”
The wise and understanding is rendered in a variety of ways by the major English translations:
• “the wise and the learned” (Moffatt, Good News Translation)
• “the learned and the clever” (New Jerusalem Bible, New American Bible)
• “the learned and wise” (New English Bible)
• “the learned and intelligent” (An American Translation)
• “the wise and clever” (Barclay)
• “the clever and intelligent” (Phillips)
The same two adjectives appear in the Greek text of Isaiah 29.14, which is quoted by Paul in 1 Corinthians 1.19. It is doubtful that there is intended to be any real contrast between these two terms, since both are widely used to describe people of great wisdom and insight. In some languages the best solution may be to use only one term, while other languages may have an idiomatic expression sufficient to incorporate the meaning of both Greek words. It is possible also to use an adjective plus an intensifier; for example, “very wise” or “very clever.” The wise and understanding refers to people, and many languages will require that this be explicit, as in “the wise and clever people.”
Revealed is the same verb used in 10.26 and contrasts here with hidden; it is found twice again in Matthew: verse 27; 16.17. Here it may be rendered “shown,” “let them see,” “made them to know about,” or “let them understand.”
Babes: the primary meaning of this word is “infant” or “child.” It may also mean “immature,” “underage” (see Luther 1984, Zürcher Bibel), or “innocent.” When contrasted with adjectives such as “wise” and “learned,” it may mean “unspoiled by learning” or “unspoiled by human instruction.” Good News Translation: (“unlearned”) and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“ignorant”) are closer to this category, while a number of other translations retain essentially the root meaning: “mere children” (Phillips, Jerusalem Bible), “children” (An American Translation), and “merest children” (New American Bible). For American readers neither New English Bible (“the simple”) nor Moffatt (“simple-minded”) are adequate, for they each imply feeblemindedness. The context suggests a contrast between persons who claim a sophisticated knowledge of God and those who, without making this claim, are able to recognize the presence of God in Jesus Christ.
From this discussion of babes it should be clear that “young people” or “children” would really give the wrong idea. “Uneducated” or even “those who don’t yet know much” are better translations.
As we point out above, it is not at all clear what these things refer to. It would probably be wrong to make it refer back to verses 20-24, or ahead to verses 27-30. For this reason the reference should not be specified. Good News Translation presents a helpful model. These models are similar: “I thank you that you have not allowed the wise and educated people to understand what you have shown clearly to those who do not know much” and “I praise you for what you have done. You have revealed to ignorant people the very truths you have not permitted the wise and clever to see at all.”
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 .