One of these little ones is described by the phrase because he is a disciple (literally “in the name of a disciple”). Good News Translation combines these two phrases and renders “one of the least of these my followers.” Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition is similar to Good News Translation; New American Bible has “one of these lowly ones because he is a disciple”; New English Bible “one of these little ones, because he is a disciple of mine.” It is important in translation that little ones be understood of status rather than of age. Therefore it may be translated as “least important ones.” The phrase can then be “one of these least important of my followers because he is my follower.”

A cup of cold water reflects the show of hospitality in first-century Palestine. It may be necessary to add “to drink” or to say “a drink of cold water,” as in Good News Translation.

For comments on truly, I say to you, see 5.18.

The translation of this verse may be complicated, because Jesus is addressing his disciples (see verse 40), yet he is referring to them in the third person as one of these little ones … because he is a disciple. This results from the double orientation of Matthew’s Gospel, by which Matthew relates Jesus’ words to the actual church situation of his own day. So then Matthew will freely shift from the second person to the third person, if this better suits the needs of his congregation.

Good News Translation has rendered the negative shall not lose his reward as a positive sentence, “will certainly receive….” It may be necessary to make this passive an active, as in “God will certainly reward him” or “God will not fail to reward him.”

See verse 41 for comments on reward.

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 .

Then: “Next” and “After that” are possible translations.

Throughout verses 5-10 Matthew uses a number of the so called “historical presents,” which is a vivid way of narrating past events. See comment on “appeared” at 2.13.

Took could give the impression that the Devil used physical force to take Jesus to the holy city. Translators should make sure they do not give this impression. They can use instead words such as “led,” “went with,” or “made him go.”

Whether translations have him or “Jesus” depends on what would be most natural in those languages.

The Greek text of this verse reads the holy city, which Good News Translation identifies as “Jerusalem, the Holy City,” assuming that some readers of Good News Bible may not know what city is intended. Most translations render merely “the Holy City,” while Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition simply has “Jerusalem.” In the Lukan parallel (4.9) only “Jerusalem” is used. For Jerusalem as the Holy City see Matthew 27.53; Revelation 11.2; 21.2, 10; 22.19. If translators render the holy city literally as in the text, it is a real possibility that many of their readers will not realize that Jerusalem is the city being referred to. For this reason they should consider either “Jerusalem” or “Jerusalem, the Holy City” (as in Good News Translation).

Set him could give the impression the Devil carried Jesus to the pinnacle and set him down there. A better translation is “had him stand there” or “caused him to stand there.”

The precise meaning of the word translated pinnacle (Good News Translation “highest point”) is in dispute. It literally means “little wing,” and the only other time it is used in the New Testament is in the Lukan parallel (4.9). The word may possibly mean “little tower” or “parapet,” and at least one scholar tentatively identifies it with “an eminence on the royal cloister on the south side of the temple enclosure, which consisted of four rows of Corinthian columns.” Most translations have pinnacle, and a few others have “parapet” (New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible, New American Bible); Barclay has “the highest spire.” In the following verse Psalm 91.11-12 is quoted, and one commentator notes that in the Septuagint of Psalm 91.4 there appears the word “wings,” which sounds very similar to the word used in this account. It is therefore quite possible that the word in Psalm 91.4 has influenced the usage here, especially since this psalm was used in the Temple worship and occasionally linked with Israel’s wilderness wandering. Whatever exact part of the Temple is being referred to by pinnacle or “parapet,” it is clear that it is a very high place. Translators can say “the highest place,” “a very high place,” or “the very top.”

When translators look for a way to translate temple, they need to consider “synagogue” and “church” in its modern usage, to be sure the three terms do not overlap too much. Of course, in the New Testament, “church” was not a building at all, but referred to the community of believers. “Synagogue” is often translated as “a meeting house” or “a prayer house,” and “Temple” as “house of God.” If this term coincides with the term people use for a modern church, then in order to keep “Temple” distinct, translators sometimes say “House of God of the Jews” or “Jewish House of God.” Another way is to emphasize the Temple’s function as the place where sacrifices were offered. This is done with a phrase such as “House of sacrifice,” “House of sacrifice of the Jews,” or “House of sacrifice to God.”

The Temple was actually a complex of buildings and courtyards, so “place” is sometimes better than “house” or “building.”

Good News Translation regularly uses uppercase for the first letter of “Temple” when it refers to the Temple in Jerusalem, to keep the reference distinct from other temples. Translators should do whatever is appropriate in their own language.

It is worth noting that many translators find that an excellent way to show the relationship between “priest” and “Temple” is to translate the one as “sacrificer” and the other as “place of sacrifice.”

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 .

Whereas in Mark 9.50 the disciples are told to have salt in themselves (Good News Translation “Have the salt of friendship among yourselves”), here they themselves are identified as the salt of the earth. Good News Translation transforms the metaphor You are the salt into a simile, “You are like salt.” In English, as in many other languages, the use of a simile (“X is like Y”) is clearer and more straightforward than a metaphor (“X is Y”).

As it stands, the genitive expression of the earth is difficult to understand because it leaves ambiguous the relation between salt and earth. New English Bible is an improvement (“You are salt to the world”), and Good News Translation has “… for all mankind.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch entirely restructures (“What salt is for food, this is what you must be for the world”), and INCL has “You are like salt that is needed by this world.”

In many languages it will be necessary to specify in what way you are like salt. Some translations have felt the basis of the comparison is that in the same way salt gives flavor or savor to food, you must give flavor to the earth. But this is probably not what is meant here. It is more likely that you are to preserve or save the earth as salt preserves food. However, because of the variety of ways the expression can be interpreted, a large number of translations have preferred to say in the text “You are like salt for men,” and to discuss what it means in a footnote.

Of the earth, as we pointed out, means “for all people” or “for people everywhere.”

Has lost its taste is difficult to interpret. Salt that is used for food does not lose its taste or its saltness even if unused for a long period of time. This expression must therefore refer to the salt being diluted or somehow mixed with other substances so that it becomes ineffective. The root meaning of the verb is “make foolish” or “show to be foolish” (1 Cor 1.20), and in the passive, “become foolish” (Rom 1.22). Only in this verse and in Luke 14.34 do the lexicons give the meaning for the passive as “become tasteless.”

Scholars have suggested many possible explanations. One is that Jesus is referring to salt being mixed with other substances so that it is no longer effective. Another is that the salt retrieved from the Dead Sea contains other substances, and that if the salt is washed out and lost, only those worthless substances are left. Anchor Bible has “If the salt is of low grade,” and the authors in this way reflect their interpretation of the verb “become foolish” as referring to the salt becoming “insipid” by being mixed and thus weakened. Others suggest that a play on words was involved, in which the Hebrew word for “be foolish” resembles the Aramaic word for “seasoned, salty.” Another suggestion is that salt has been a symbol of wisdom, and that Jesus is warning his disciples not to become “foolish,” as indicated by the use of the Greek verb. Another possibility, of course, is that Jesus knew perfectly well that salt does not change, but that he simply used this unreal and surprising figure of speech in order to teach a lesson more effectively.

We must not assume that Jesus and his disciples knew nothing of the properties of salt. Instead, it is important to recognize the function of this saying of Jesus. First, it is better to regard the figure of salt as referring to preservation of food rather than to improving the taste, although both may be involved. Although Jerusalem Bible follows Revised Standard Version with “become tasteless,” most of the modern translations settle for the meaning “loses its strength” (Good News Translation, Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, An American Translation, Luther 1984). Second, he is saying that the disciples are the people who have the spiritual knowledge, wisdom, and way of life by which to preserve this world in a proper condition, and it is not the religious leaders or government officials who can do it. Third, he is warning his followers against a useless discipleship, one that is weak or diluted so as to become ineffective.

Because salt is known wherever Bible translations are prepared, there is no difficulty preparing a translation that preserves salt as a figure of speech. However, the translator should take care that the structure of the sentence will not cause undue difficulty for the practical application of the figure in the life of a Christian. Few translations choose the interpretation “be foolish” for lost its taste. More common are those who say “no longer tastes like salt,” “no longer does what salt should do,” or “if the salt becomes so impure that it is no longer really salt.” But “loses its strength” will be the most common.

The sentence continues by asking how shall its saltness be restored? The translation will depend on how “lost its taste” was translated, since it should be similar. Following the above examples, the clause can be “how can it be made to taste like salt again?” “how can it once more do what salt should do (or, once more act like salt)?” “how can it become salt again?” or “how can it regain its strength?”

It is no longer good for anything (Good News Translation “It has become worthless”) is more literally “It no longer has strength for anything.” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “One can no longer use it for anything.” Other options are “People have no further use for it,” “It is no longer good for anything,” or “You can do nothing with it,” as in Barclay.

Thrown out may have to be “thrown outside” or “thrown out of doors.”

Trodden (Good News Translation “trample”) is also used in Matthew 7.6 and Luke 8.5 with the same meaning. Elsewhere in the New Testament it is found only in Luke 12.1 and Hebrews 10.29. Trodden under foot does not mean people will deliberately walk on it or somehow try to stamp it into the ground. The idea is it will be out on the ground where people walk, perhaps even on a road.

Taking these things into account, the sentence can be translated “It is no longer good for anything, so it will just be thrown outdoors where it will be walked on” or “You can do nothing with it except throw it out, and there it will get walked on (or, people will walk on it).”

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 .

To be sons (or, children) of God in the biblical sense is to reflect the character and likeness of God, for which the second half of the verse provides specific illustrations. For example, the Father in heaven provides sun and rain for all people, without discriminating between the bad and the good. In the same way, if Jesus’ followers are to prove that they are sons of God, they must show love to their enemies and pray for those who persecute them. Sons is meant to include both men and women.

So that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven is a fairly literal rendering of the Greek text. Anchor Bible is barely one step away from a literal rendering by beginning a new sentence with this verse: “In this way you will become sons of your heavenly Father….” The more precise meaning of the verb be in the context is “will show that you are.” This is the basis of New American Bible (“This will prove that you are sons of your heavenly Father”), An American Translation (“so that you may show yourselves true sons of your Father in heaven”), and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch (“So you will prove yourselves to be children of your Father in heaven”). Another way is to say “so that people will know (or, see) that you are children of God, your Father in heaven.”

Your Father who is in heaven is the same expression used in verse 16.

For further notes on the phrase “son of God” or “child of God,” see Matthew 5.9. Here translators may also say “that you are like children to God” or “that God considers you his children.” However, it may be best to show the real meaning of the phrase with a translation such as “so that you may show that you are like God, your Father in heaven.”

Evil … unjust are synonyms, as are good … just, as the illustration below will demonstrate. Such an arrangement is called a chiastic arrangement, after the name of the Greek letter chi, which is in the shape of an “X.” A similar structure is also used in 6.24 and 7.6. (See structure|fig:Table_MAT5-45.jpg.)

In translation it may be advisable to rearrange the order so that the parallelisms will show up more clearly; for example, “evil and unjust” in one line, with “good and just” in the other. Or, the entire structure may be translated “For he provides sunshine and rain for good people and bad people alike.”

The adjective just is first used in 1.19 (see comments there); unjust is its opposite, as evil is the opposite of good. Elsewhere in Matthew good is used in 7.11 (twice), 17, 18; 12.34, 35 (twice); 19.16, 17 (twice). The adjective evil was used in verses 11, 37, 39; elsewhere in the Sermon on the Mount it is used in 6.13, 23; 7.11, 17, 18.

The expression his sun may have to be expressed as “the sun he created.” The phrase makes his sun rise can be translated literally, or as “he provides the sun” or “he gives sunshine.”

The evil and the good are “evil (or, bad) people” and “good people,” and similarly, the just and the unjust are “people who do right” and “people who do evil,” or “people who obey God’s Law” and “people who disobey God’s Law.”

We suggested above that translators often restructure the passage so that their readers can follow the thoughts more easily. For example, it may be rendered “for he makes his sun rise and the rain fall on the evil people who do not obey God’s Law just as he does on the good people who are faithful to obey.” Another way is “As far as providing the blessings of sunshine and rain to people, he treats all alike, both the good people and the bad, both those who obey his laws and those who do not.”

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 .

Do not be anxious translates an aorist subjunctive in Greek which normally carries an ingressive force, focusing upon the beginning of the action. That is why Good News Translation includes the helping verb “start” (“do not start worrying”). Both New American Bible (“Stop worrying, then, over questions like…”) and Barclay (“So then, make up your mind to stop worrying, and to stop saying…”) take the aorist subjunctive to have force other than its usual one of initiating an action. This probably is best in this context.

The word anxious itself will be translated as it has been elsewhere (see verse 25). Here it can be “Don’t start being overly concerned” or “Don’t now let yourself be distracted by the concerns of.”

Following the command do not be anxious is a participle which Revised Standard Version translates saying. New Jerusalem Bible renders the entire construction “So do not worry; do not say,” and New English Bible “No, do not ask anxiously.”

For a literal rendering of the three questions (What shall … eat … drink … wear?) see Revised Standard Version. Although the Greek has a first person plural in each instance, Good News Translation follows with a first person singular, since this is a more natural form in English.

Another way to handle this verse is to say “Don’t keep on worrying about where your food, drink, or clothes will come from” or “Don’t let yourself be distracted with worries about how you will get something to eat and drink and clothing to wear.”

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 .