By the use of Then to introduce this paragraph, it is impossible to determine if Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, and New English Bible are following the longer wording of the Greek text (literally “And immediately”) or the shorter wording (literally “And”). The longer wording is apparently preferred by Jerusalem Bible and Phillips (“Directly after this”) as well as by New American Bible (“Immediately afterward”) and Barclay (“Immediately”). While some scholars feel that “immediately” was later introduced into the text by some scribe who was influenced by the Marcan form (6.45), the conclusion of TC-GNT is “that its absence from a few witnesses is due to accidental omission.” The adverbial construction translated Then may be represented in a variety of ways; its primary function is to tie this narrative closely to that of the feeding of the five thousand. Expressions such as “After that,” “Soon after,” or “Later” will do this.
Note that Good News Translation has made the he of the text clearly “Jesus.” As we always advise in cases such as this, translators must do what is most natural.
Made (so also Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible) translates a verb which means “compelled” or “forced,” though in some contexts it may be softened to mean “urged strongly” or “urged.” In Matthew it occurs only here. In the remainder of the New Testament the verb is found in Mark 6.45 (parallel to this verse); Luke 14.23; Acts 26.11; 28.19; 2 Corinthians 12.11; Galatians 2.3, 14; 6.12. It would certainly give an incorrect impression if made were translated by a phrase that indicated Jesus used physical force. “Commanded,” “told,” or “had (his disciples) get into” will be better.
The definite article in the boat assumes that the boat is known information previously mentioned. A boat was mentioned in verse 13, and this is undoubtedly the boat referred to here. All the standard translations, with the exception of New English Bible, include the definite article; New English Bible renders “made the disciples embark,” without mention of a boat. Phillips, on the other hand, clarifies the force of the definite article by translating “their boat.” Evidently the definite article the was in the source that Matthew used, and he retained it. However, that information about a boat was introduced much earlier in this narrative, and some languages may employ their own forms for referring to old information that has not been mentioned for some time. In some cases it may be “that boat they had traveled in before,” although this is an awkward rendering and may give undue prominence to the. “The boat there,” or in some cases even “a boat,” may be better.
Go before him can be rendered “go ahead of him” or “go before he did.” It means before or ahead of him in time, not necessarily in space.
The other side (Good News Translation “the other side of the lake”) is the traditional way of mentioning the eastern shore of Lake Galilee (see 8.18). Mark (6.45) states that the town of Bethsaida, also on the eastern shore, was the intended destination, though Matthew is not so specific. That the movement of the boat was from west to east is further confirmed by verse 34, which has them landing near Gennesaret (a town on the western shore) on their return. This further suggests that the feeding of the five thousand took place on the western shore, perhaps near the plain of Gennesaret.
The other side should probably not be rendered as “the eastern shore,” despite the fact that it is probably the side being referred to. Such a translation would place emphasis on something that wasn’t really in focus. “Across the lake” or “the other side from where they were” will be more general.
While he dismissed the crowds is repeated in a slightly different form at the beginning of verse 23 (“And after he had dismissed the crowds”). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch restructures and shortens by joining the two verses: “Immediately after this Jesus sent his disciples to the other side in a boat. He then sent the people home and went up a mountain by himself to pray. When it became dark, he was still there.” This kind of restructuring will be natural in many languages, but in others the repetition in the text will be better. In such cases translators may have “After that, Jesus had his disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him across the lake. While they were going, he dismissed the crowds. After he had done that….”
Dismissed may be “told to go home” or “sent away.”
The crowds, as in other places, may be rendered “the people” or “all the people who were there.”
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 .