Matthew introduces his account of John the Baptist with echoes of Old Testament language. Note the following examples: (1) In those days (Good News Translation “At that time”) reflects the Septuagint text of Judges 18.1 and Daniel 10.2. Similar also is “in those many days” of Exodus 2.11. In the New Testament this phrase is found in at least the following passages: Matthew 24.19, 38; Mark 1.9; 8.1; 13.17, 24; Luke 2.1; 4.2; 5.35; 9.36; 23.7; 24.18; and Acts 1.15. (2) The Greek verb translated came (New English Bible “appeared”; New American Bible “made his appearance”; Phillips “arrived”; Barclay “appeared on the scene”) is found frequently in the Septuagint and in the Gospel of Luke. In Matthew it appears elsewhere only in 2.1 and 3.13. (3) Finally, the term wilderness falls also into this category of biblical language. The full expression (the wilderness of Judea) appears only twice in the Old Testament (Judges 1.16 and in the superscription of Psa 63). For Matthew the significance would be as much theological as geographical.
In those days does not refer to the time Joseph returned from Egypt, described at the end of chapter 2. Rather it is an expression of an indefinite time, referring to the beginning of the ministry of Jesus, perhaps thirty years after the return. Translators may say “Some years later,” “Some time later,” or even “The time came when John the Baptist came….”
In many languages, came can only be used if John the Baptist went to where the listeners or readers of the text actually were, so that “went” will be more appropriate. However, many translators will do something similar to the examples given above from New English Bible, New American Bible, or Barclay, and say “appeared in the desert” or “arrived in the desert.” (Of course, if translators do use “appeared,” it must not seem as if John suddenly appeared like a vision, but rather that he began to make public appearances.)
The verb came is before the subject in Revised Standard Version, but Good News Translation has reversed this to a more normal English expression, “John the Baptist came….”
The title the Baptist is also used of John in 11.11-12; 14.2, 8; 16.14; 17.13; Mark 6.25; 8.28; Luke 7.20, 33; 9.19. In the parallel to the present passage, Mark 1.4, and in 6.14, Mark refers to him by the descriptive participle “the baptizing one.”
John the Baptist is introduced as though he were someone already known to the readers. This was true of Matthew’s original readers. But many modern readers of the Gospel will not know of him, and he has not been previously mentioned in the book. Therefore, very often it is helpful to say “the man named John the Baptist appeared….”
Some translators have treated Baptist as a proper name, and simply written it as it would be pronounced in their language. Others have tried to translate it as “the one who baptizes” or “the one they called ‘the Baptizer.’ ” Such translations depend on how “baptize” itself is translated, and this can be a major problem. In many cultures baptism is completely unknown. Where it has been introduced by the churches, different denominations have often disagreed on method and theological implications, and have even introduced these differences into the terms they have used to translate; for example, “sprinkling,” or “immersing.” To avoid these problems, translators have either borrowed the Greek word “baptize” or used expressions like “putting on of water,” “putting on God’s water,” “washing,” or “God’s washing.” Translators should always consider this problem carefully, keeping in mind the terms used by the churches in their area and the practice of the ritual itself.
Preaching (a participle in Greek) is translated “announced” by Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and “started preaching” by Good News Translation. Other languages say “announced (or, proclaimed) God’s word,” “proclaimed his message,” or “told the people this message.”
Wilderness or “desert” (Good News Translation) has been difficult for translators who live in places where dry regions of sparse vegetation are simply not known. Some have said “sandy region,” but that may make readers think of a seashore or a sandy river bank. It is better in these situations to emphasize the fact that the “wilderness” is a remote area where no one lives, as in “that area (of Judea) where no one lives” or “the area (in Judea) far away from where people stayed.”
Some translations will put the phrase “in the wilderness” after “appeared” or “came,” and others after “preaching.” This does not matter as long as the sentence is structured in the most natural way in the language.
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 .