Was afraid … went translate participles dependent upon the main verb hid. But simplified English sentence structure almost requires that all three be translated as finite verbs, as in Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, which uses a verb that may mean either “bury” or “hide in the ground,” is brief and to the point: “I was afraid, so I buried your money.” Some languages will require more detail: “I was afraid of what you might do to me if I lost the money. So I went to a certain place and dug a hole and hid the money in it” or “I was afraid that you might punish me if I lost your money….”

Here (Good News Translation “Look”) is related to the particle usually translated “behold” or “lo” by Revised Standard Version; it functions primarily as an attention-getter. See comment at 1.20.

Here you have what is yours may not be altogether clear to some readers. Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition has “Here you have your money back,” New Jerusalem Bible “Here it is; it was yours, you have it back,” and Barclay “Here you are! Your money is safe!”

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 .