“Now” of Good News Translation and New Jerusalem Bible is not a temporal marker; its function is purely transitional, and it represents a Greek particle left implicit in Revised Standard Version. Again, as with “behold” in verse 20, translators will use or not use a transitional particle or phrase like “Now,” depending on what would be most natural in the discourse of their language. But note that this particle shows a logical relation: “The reason all this happened was…” or “Now then, all this happened because….”
It is no longer the angel speaking, and translators will probably begin a new paragraph or will mark clearly in some other way that it is the narrator, Matthew, who is speaking. As above, “Now then…” or “In fact…” are possible.
All this took place refers to the events mentioned in verses 18-21. The same expression is found in 26.56, while “This took place” is used in 21.4. It is now the author of the Gospel who is speaking. Nowhere in the Bible does an angel appeal to Scripture as the basis of his proclamation.
All this may have to be plural in some languages, as in “These things happened….”
To fulfil (Good News Translation “in order to make come true”) is found as a quotation formula only in the Gospel of Matthew, and it occurs in several variant forms: 2.15, 17, 23; 4.14; 8.17; 12.17; 13.35; 21.4; 27.9. See also 26.56, which is parallel to Mark 14.49. Similar formulas are also known in Jewish writings. None of the quotations which Matthew introduces by these formulas conforms exactly to the Septuagint text. For the most part they are rather free renderings of the Old Testament and are sometimes composite in nature. Through the use of these quotations, Matthew indicates the inseparable ties that exist between Israel’s past and present, brought to fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ.
To fulfil expresses purpose, as seen in Good News Translation, and some languages use “so that.” There are languages where purpose is expressed at the beginning of the sentence; for example, “The reason all this took place was to fulfil….”
Fulfil in this context means “to make come true” (Good News Translation) or “to cause to happen.” Some languages express this “to make happen what the Lord by the prophet said should happen.”
Prophet is a word for which translators need to find a good translation early in their work. Certainly the best solution is not “seer” or “future teller.” Rather, the prophets were God’s spokesmen. Sometimes the message God gave them dealt with the future, but it was in their capacity as his spokesmen that the prophets brought these messages. Many languages say simply “spokesman” or “God’s spokesman.” In some societies there are spokesmen who serve chiefs or other authorities and who have titles in the languages. In these places, translators can use the titles but add “of God.” Still other societies have town criers who carry important messages from authorities, and in these situations, “prophets” can be translated “God’s town criers.”
By the prophet is a good example of the role of the prophets. They spoke what God gave them to speak, and their words were therefore God’s words. Some translations say “what the Lord said by means of the prophet.” Others have used “what the Lord said through (or, by) the mouth of the prophet.” Other solutions are “what the prophet said when the Lord gave him the words” or “what the prophet said when he spoke the words the Lord told him.” But in sentences like these latter ones, it is important to be sure that the readers see that the real agent or speaker is the Lord, and the prophet is the instrument.
Before the prophet some ancient manuscripts include “Isaiah,” since he is obviously the prophet indicated by the following verse. But the name “Isaiah” is not mentioned in the original text.
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 .