He came to the disciples can be expressed as “he went back to the disciples.”

“The three disciples” of Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Bible en français courant is literally the disciples; however, Good News Bible‘s restructuring reminds the reader that only the three disciples (Peter and the two sons of Zebedee) are the ones meant.

And he said to Peter may need to be structured as a new sentence: “So he said to Peter…” (Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, Bible en français courant).

You is translated “you three” by Good News Translation to show that the Greek text uses the second person plural pronoun, a form which is not distinguished in English from the second person singular pronoun “you.” In languages such as French and German, where the distinction does exist, this translational adaptation is unnecessary; however, to translate with only “you” in English definitely suggests that Jesus’ words are addressed only to Peter and not to the other two disciples.

With me repeats the phrase used in verse 38; see comment there.

The use of So with the rhetorical question could you not watch with me one hour? has the force of a somewhat bitter accusation or denunciation. In most languages such a question will be properly understood, but in some it will be more effective to have a statement: “So! You can’t even keep watch with me for an hour!”

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 .