This verse essentially repeats the content of verse 3. The question may need to be restructured, however. Translators may say “Do you think it is right to say,” “How can you possibly say,” or “By what right can you say.” The sentence may need indirect speech instead of direct, as in “How can you offer to take a speck from your brother’s eye…” or “You shouldn’t ask your brother if you can remove a speck….”

It may be necessary to put the offer to help the brother at the end of the verse, as in “There you are with a whole plank in your eye, and you dare to say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye’ ” or “You have a log in your eye. How can you possibly offer to take the speck out of your brother’s?”

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 .