Translation commentary on Matthew 22:9

The thoroughfares (Good News Translation “the main streets”) is literally “the intersections of the roads.” The reference is probably to the points at which the roads of the town intersect (Jerusalem Bible “the crossroads in the town”); in effect this means “throughout the entire city” (Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition). The point is that the servants should go out to where they will most likely find people, so that “the main intersections” or “the city streets” will probably convey the meaning correctly.

As many as you find means simply “whomever you meet” or “all the people you find there” (as long as “find” does not imply that somehow these people had been lost).

As many as you find is less specific than Luke, who identifies the new guests as “the poor and maimed and blind and lame” (14.21). It is quite obvious that Luke here reflects his own interest in the presentation of the Good News to the poor and blind (see Luke 4.18). The persons whom the servants did invite, when described by Matthew (“both bad and good” of verse 10), point toward the conclusion which Matthew gives to the parable (verses 11-13).

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 .

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