The enemy: see comments on verses 25, 28.
Devil is first used in 4.1; then in 4.5, 8, 11; and once again in 25.41. It is the term used in the Septuagint to translate Satan, which is a Hebrew word.
Harvest must be understood as the gathering in of the crops rather than of the gathered crop itself. One may translate “the gathering of the crop stands for…” or “the time of the harvest stands for….”
The close of the age represents a Jewish and early Christian thought that time is divided into two ages: the present evil age and the future glorious age. Therefore “the end of the age” (Good News Translation) is equivalent to “the end of the world” (New Jerusalem Bible, Barclay, New American Bible) or “the end of time.” Closely allied to this thought is the belief that the world is proceeding in a direction determined by God, and the real understanding of the present may be known only as one understands the future. Matthew is the only New Testament writer to use this expression (13.39-40, 49; 24.3; 28.20).
Reapers (Good News Translation “harvest workers”): many languages, especially where life is based upon an agricultural economy, will have specialized terms that will be immediately understood. New American Bible renders “harvesters,” which itself is not widely used in American English. Most translators of modern English Bibles have subconsciously limited themselves to a single-word translation. “The workers who do the harvesting” or “… who gather in the crops when they’re ready” may in fact be the simplest renderings.
It may be advisable to translate angels as “God’s angels” (Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition); this should not cause confusion when in verse 41 the Son of Man sends out “his angels.” Angels itself was discussed at 1.20. “God’s messengers,” “God’s heavenly messengers,” or “God’s servants from heaven” may be appropriate 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 .