Newman / Stine (UBS Helps for Translators) 1988

privately

The Greek that is translated with some rendering of “in private” in English versions is translated in most German versions with the idiom unter vier Augen (“under four eyes”) which means “privately” or “confidentially.” (See also the Hebrew equivalent in 2Sam 3:27.)

magi, wise men

The Greek magoi originally referred to Persian Zoroastrian “priests who were experts in astrology and in the interpretation of dreams. But the word may also be used in a derogatory sense of ‘magician’ or ‘charlatan,’ a meaning which it has in its only other New Testament occurrences outside Matthew’s nativity narrative (Acts 13:6,8). Matthew most likely has Babylonian astrologers in mind.” (Source: Newman / Stine; see also this interview .)

While most English translations either transliterate this as “magi” or translate it as “wise men,” most German versions (with the exceptions of Luther and Menge [publ. 1909]) use Sterndeuter, an old-fashioned term for astrologer.

In Kwakum it is translated as “guardians of religious rites who look up at the starts to see the things to come” or “guardians of religions rites.” (Source: Stacey Hare in this post )

sound a trumpet before you

The Greek that is often translated in English as “sound a trumpet before you” is translated in Kayaw as “blow flutes beat drums.” “Flutes and drums are always played at Kayaw festivals and special occasions; flute and drum bands normally accompany visiting dignitaries in a procession as they arrive at a festival.” (Source: Anonymous)

In the English Good News Version (publ. 1966) it is translated non-figuratively as do not make a big show of it and the German equivalent, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (publ. 1968) uses an existing German figure of speech with nicht an die große Glocke hängen (literally: “don’t hang it on the great bell”), meaning “don’t make a big fuss about it” or “don’t broadcast it all around.” (Source: Newman / Stine) See also expose to public disgrace.

The newly-created expression that Luther used in 1522 in the German New Testament translation, ausposaunen, has become a widely used idiom with the meaning of “broadcast (new information)” (literally “to trumpet out”). (Source: Jost Zetzsche)

Translation commentary on Matthew 10:24

The function of verses 24-25 is to indicate that the followers of Jesus need not expect to be treated better than Jesus himself was treated.

Disciple (Good News Translation “pupil”): see comments on 5.1.

Above (Good News Translation “greater than”) may be expressed in a number of ways: “better than” (An American Translation), “superior to” (Phillips, New Jerusalem Bible), and “rank above” (New English Bible; New American Bible “outranks”). Barclay renders so as to make explicit the persecution setting: “A scholar cannot hope to escape what his teacher has to suffer….”

It may be necessary to reverse the order, as in “A teacher is always superior to his students.” Note that, as the examples show, above means “more important than.”

Servant (so also New English Bible) may also mean “slave” (so most translations), as the RSV footnote indicates. Master, on the other hand, probably should carry the meaning “owner” (Barclay).

The second part of the verse should be treated more or less as the first part; for example, “and no slave is more important than his owner” or “and a slave owner is always more important than his slave.”

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 .

Translation commentary on Matthew 11:15

Most translations of this verse are fairly literal, as are Revised Standard Version and Good News Translation. The same saying is used twice again by Matthew (13.9, 43); similar exhortations are found in Mark 4.9, 23; Luke 8.8; 14.35; and Revelation 2.7, 11, 17, 29; 3.6, 13, 22; 13.9. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “Whoever can hear, should listen well!” and New American Bible “Heed carefully what you hear!”

This sentence is not questioning whether or not the people have ears. No translation should give that impression. Rather its purpose is to make people pay attention to what was said. The New American Bible model cited above does that well. Other examples are “You have ears, don’t you? Then pay attention to what I am saying” or “You can hear, can’t you? Then listen to these things.”

Translation commentary on Matthew 12:17

The quotation in verses 18-21 is taken from Isaiah 42.1-4. In verses 18-20 Matthew uses a text that agrees with neither the Hebrew Old Testament nor the Septuagint. In verse 21, however, he follows precisely the text of the Septuagint. This is the most lengthy selection that Matthew quotes from the Old Testament, and it is quite likely that the form of the text which he uses reflects a translation already familiar to his readers. The text is significant, not only because of its length but because of what it says about Jesus. He is addressed in terms similar to the words used at his baptism, but here is also included much more about the nature of his ministry.

This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: see comments on 1.22. This has been rendered by Good News Translation as “He did this.” “He told them this” is also possible.

For the rest of the verse, see comments on 1.22 and 2.17. “He said this to make come true what God had said through the prophet Isaiah” is a possible rendering.

As with other citations, the translation must make it clear that it is God’s word that is being given. This can be done either by beginning verse 18 with “God says” or by stating in verse 17 “what God said through the prophet Isaiah,” as in the example above.

Translation commentary on Matthew 12:49 – 12:50

And marks the continuity of the discourse. “Then he…” will be necessary in some cases.

Stretching … said is a common Greek construction that is most often rendered by two independent verb clauses: “He stretched out … and said.” Stretching can be “he reached out his hand” or, as in Good News Translation, “he pointed to.” This latter shows the meaning clearly.

For a proposed restructuring of these two verses, see comments on verse 48. Another proposal is “Jesus pointed to his disciples and then asked the man, ‘Do you want to know who my true mother and brothers are? Look, my disciples are the ones, because the people who do the will of God my Father in heaven, they are my true brother, and sister, and mother.’ ” Jesus’ disciples were last mentioned in verse 2 (see 5.1 for a discussion of “disciple”).

The will of my Father in heaven is translated as a clause by Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, and Bible en français courant: “what my Father in heaven wants him to do.” To make sure readers understand my Father in heaven to be God, it may be necessary to say “God my Father in heaven.”

Translation commentary on Matthew 13:33

He told them another parable is a slightly different introduction from that of verses 24 and 31, but the meaning and function is the same. Again, many translators will render He as “Jesus.” Also, as with the others, the parable may have to be introduced by “He said.”

The kingdom of heaven is like … translates the same form found in verse 31; see comments there. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, tying this verse closely with the preceding, translates “Or it is just like what happens with yeast.” INCL renders “When God reigns, the situation will be as yeast which a woman took….” Another way to show this link with the previous parable is to start the parable by saying “God’s rule is also like this: a woman took…” or “God’s rule can also be said to be like this: a woman….” Notice that in these examples, a woman is the subject.

In Jewish thought leaven (Good News Translation “yeast”) symbolizes what is unclean or sinful; all traces of yeast had to be removed from the Jewish household before Passover. In the parable, however, no negative implications are intended. In fact, as with the symbol of the tree and the birds, the figure of yeast may have been chosen as an indirect allusion to the inclusion of the Gentiles. But it is obvious that this sort of information is not allowable in translation.

Leaven poses some difficulty in areas where it is not well known. Some translators have looked for other fermenting agents in their own cultures and modified that for this verse. For example, some African translations say “(the substance like) beer froth that makes the bread dough to expand.” A more general word such as “condiment” or “medicine” can sometimes be used. Such words can be modified by the function of yeast, as in “the medicine (or, condiment) that makes the bread dough ferment (or, expand).” As bread is becoming more and more prevalent in the world, the word leaven is often borrowed at the same time. Translations will then either have the borrowed form alone or in a phrase such as “leaven that ferments bread dough.”

Hid is translated as “mixes” by Good News Translation, which seems more appropriate in this context.

Three measures (Good News Translation “a bushel”) represents an enormous amount of flour, amounting to approximately 39.4 liters or 50 pounds. It is estimated that the bread baked from this amount of dough would be sufficient for more than one hundred persons. The use of exaggerated numbers and amounts is characteristic of parables and of proverbial sayings. Translators sometimes translate three measures as “three containers” or as three of some well-known local equivalent measure such as “three pans.” The other choice would be to use whatever the local way would be of speaking of approximately 50 pounds or 39.4 liters of flour, much as Good News Bible does with “a bushel.”

Till it was all leavened (Good News Translation “until the whole batch of dough rises”) is translated “till it was leavened all though” by New Jerusalem Bible. In New American Bible the sentence is as follows: “Eventually the whole mass of dough began to rise.”