Translation commentary on Matthew 23:23

According to Deuteronomy 14.23, grain, wine, and olive oil were required to be tithed, though there is no mention of the requirement to tithe seasoning herbs such as mint and dill and cummin. It is possible though that this regulation was imposed by the Pharisaic interpretation of the Law.

To tithe means to give a tenth of one’s earnings to God, and so you tithe is rendered “You give to God one tenth” by Good News Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch. Other languages may require similar restructuring, especially where “church talk” is unfamiliar to the majority of readers.

Mint is a plant whose leaves and stem contain a pleasant smelling oil (the Greek word means “sweet smelling”). Among the Jews the plant was used to season food, and on occasion it was put in medicine. It was found in ditches, on river banks and even in the mountains, and so it was plentiful and inexpensive.

Dill is a plant which contains aromatic seeds which the Jews used for seasoning. The plant was cultivated by the Jews, but it also grew wild, and like mint it was plentiful. At least one rabbinic source indicates that not only the seeds, but also the stem and leaves of the dill plant were to be tithed.

Cummin is a plant of the carrot family. It was cultivated by the Jews for its spicy seeds, which were used in bread as well as in other foods. For a description of the way in which cumin was harvested, see Isaiah 28.25, 27.

Most translators treat mint, dill, and cumin together with a generic word such as “seasoning” and the transliterated form of the major known metropolitan language such as English, French, or Spanish; for example, “the herbs (or, plants) for seasoning food called ‘mint, dill, and cumin.’ ” The idea of “seasoning” may be expressed with some idiomatic expression, such as “plants that make the food sweet.”

It may not be clear that tithing these seasonings meant giving one tenth of what one grew of them. In such a case a sentence such as “You even give to God one tenth of the seasonings called ‘mint, dill, and cumin’ that you have grown” will be helpful.

Neglected translates a Greek verb which covers a wide range of meaning. For its usage here, compare Mark 7.8 (Revised Standard Version “leave”), Romans 1.27 (Revised Standard Version “gave up”), and Revelation 2.4 (Revised Standard Version “abandoned”). Other possibilities include “fail to obey” and “you do not obey.”

The weightier matters of the law reflects the distinction made by the Jewish teachers between “weighty” commands (the more important commands) and “light” commands (the lesser important commands). Jesus declares that their evaluation is in error; what they consider to be the weightier matters of the law (compliance with its small details) are insignificant when compared with what are the truly “weighty” commands (justice, mercy, and faith).

According to the teaching of the Old Testament, justice and mercy are closely related concepts. Whereas Roman law favored the rich and powerful, the laws of the Old Testament were designed to protect the poor and helpless. These concepts were not abstract but required action, and often translations make this explicit by saying “you have failed to follow the more important commandments of the Law, those which require you to treat other people fairly and with mercy.”

Faith is a comprehensive term which is used to define the proper relation that should exist between God and his people, and among God’s people. It is best represented by “faithfulness” (New International Version) or “good faith” (Phillips, New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible). It can also be “to be faithful to God” or “to be faithful in doing all that is required of you.” A verb construction is possible for the three terms: “to treat others with fairness and mercy and to be faithful to God.”

In the expression these you ought to have done, the pronoun these refers back to justice, mercy, and faith: “It is these commands that you should follow” or “Those are the commands that you should have been obeying.”

Without neglecting the others signifies the importance that the Jewish Law (the Old Testament laws) held for the author of the Gospel. Good possibilities include “but you must not forget to do the others as well,” “but at the same time you cannot fail to do those lesser important laws,” and “but this does not mean you don’t have to do those smaller laws.”

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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