But Peter said to him is more literally “But answering, Peter said to him”; New English Bible has “Then Peter said,” and New Jerusalem Bible “At this, Peter said to him.”

Explain (so Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, Moffatt) is translated “Tell … what … means” by New English Bible and Barclay. The Greek verb is used only here in the New Testament, though it is found in the Septuagint of Job 6.24, where it has the same meaning.

Parable: the reference is to the content of verse 11 rather than to that of verses 12-14. Good News Translation prefers “this saying,” and Barclay “this difficult saying,” because for English readers parable does not include the wide range of meanings that the Greek word does. Most translations do not make it clear that the parable refers to the saying in verse 11; in fact, in most cases readers get the impression it is what Jesus just said in verse 14 that is being referred to. For this reason some translators have said “Tell us the meaning of that saying you quoted to the Pharisees” or “Explain for us the meaning of what you said to the Pharisees.” Of course, if there is in a language some word or other form that clearly relates the parable to the saying in verse 11, that should be used.

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 .