Let here has the sense of “allow” or “permit.”

If translators are using direct discourse, as in Revised Standard Version, then come may be the most natural word to use. However, if indirect discourse is used, then either “come” or “go” is possible, depending on the receptor language; for example, “Then Jesus told his disciples to let the children come (or, go) to him.” “Approach” is also possible.

Hinder may also mean either “forbid” or “stop” (Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible); New English Bible prefers “try to stop.”

To such belongs the kingdom of heaven, apart from a slight variation in the word order, is almost identical with “theirs is the kingdom of heaven” of 5.10. The major difference is the substitution of such for “theirs” in the Greek text. Such can be reflected in the translation by “people like these children.” See comment at 5.10.

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 .

So is translated “And Jesus concluded” by Good News Translation. All translations indicate a shift in speaker by closing the quotation at the end of verse 15, and some translations try to help further by introducing a new paragraph with verse 16. However, this solution is of no assistance to persons who must depend upon hearing the Scripture read, and its value is questionable even for those who read the Scripture for themselves. A number of CLTs follow Good News Translation in introducing Jesus as the speaker.

The last translates a masculine plural form in Greek. It may be necessary, not only to mark this as a specific reference to people, but to indicate the time periods: “So those people who are last now will someday be first….” As in 19.30, to which this verse refers, last and first do not refer to time but to rank. Translators can use the same expressions here as they did there, possibly “least important” and “most important.”

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 .

This verse begins with And in Greek, a word that indicates that the narrative is continuing, but it will probably not be right to make it seem that the blind and the lame came to Jesus immediately after he chastised the merchants and moneychangers. Most translations begin a new paragraph here.

The healing of the blind and the lame is mentioned only by Matthew, and it is of significance in his account. This is, in fact, the only mention in the first three Gospels of a healing in Jerusalem, which doubly underlines its significance. Earlier Matthew also linked the healing of the blind and the lame to each other (15.30-31), but here the combination takes on a deeper meaning in light of 2 Samuel 5.8, where it is stated “The blind and the crippled cannot enter the LORD’s house” (Good News Translation). The healing therefore reveals glimmers of the Messianic Age (see Isa 35.5-6) and affirms that the blind and the crippled, together with “the children” (verse 15), are now legitimately in God’s Temple, whereas the chief priests and the teachers of the Law (verse 15) have disqualified themselves by their rejection of Jesus.

The use of “the” in the blind and the lame can make it seem as if all blind people and all crippled people went to Jesus to be healed. Translators may have to say “the blind and crippled people from there” or “many blind and crippled people.”

Came may more naturally be “went” in many languages.

Lame was discussed at 15.30.

The text does not say explicitly the blind and lame came to Jesus to be healed, but that seems to be understood, and some translations have said “came (or, went) to Jesus so he would heal them.” However, in most languages this will not be necessary, since the context makes it so clear.

It may be argued that in the temple is redundant and should be left implicit in translation, since the Temple has already been referred to twice in this account and will be mentioned again in the following verse. However, the real focus of the verse is to indicate that the Temple is the place where the healing occurred, thus qualifying the blind and the crippled to be there. Sometimes it is helpful to say “where he was in the Temple.”

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 .

They tried to arrest him may be more accurately expressed as either “they wanted to arrest him” (New English Bible) or “they would have liked to arrest him” (New Jerusalem Bible). Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch is similar to New Jerusalem Bible. Arrest may have to be expressed as “seize” or “take away to jail.”

Multitudes (Good News Translation “crowds”) is singular in Mark (12.12); Luke has “the people” (20.19), a term which normally refers to the Jewish people.

Because they held him to be a prophet is found only in Matthew. Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch restructures the last part of the verse: “… but they did not risk it, because the crowd considered him a prophet.” Another rendering is “… but they were afraid to try it since they knew that the crowds considered Jesus to be a prophet.”

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 .

Although the Sadducees did not acknowledge all the books of the Jewish Bible, they did accept the authority of the “Books of Moses” (Genesis through Deuteronomy). Therefore Jesus appeals to Exodus 3.6 as the basis for his response to their question. The verse does not deal specifically with the matter of the resurrection, but it does address the issue of life after death and so carries the same weight. Jesus’ argument is as follows: When God spoke to Moses, he identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But since he is the God of the living and not of the dead, this signifies that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob must still have been alive at the time that God spoke to Moses.

There are languages which do not normally use the direct discourse I am. Indirect discourse may have to be used, as in “God said he was the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

The God of will be unsatisfactory in a number of languages, since it may imply ownership of God. One may then wish to translate “the God worshiped by….” The fact that this verse leaves certain basic assumptions unexpressed makes it difficult to restructure satisfactorily. But one solution is as follows: “ ‘I am the God whom Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worship.’ God is not worshiped by dead people, but by people who are alive.” In this way the reader will understand the logic of the argument: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worship God. But since only living people worship God, this means that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were still alive at the time that God spoke to Moses. Or it is possible to reverse the clause order: “Only living people worship God, and the Scriptures say, ‘I am the God whom Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob worship.’ ”

For some readers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob may need further identification such as “our ancestors (or, fathers) Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

In the text the expression the God of is repeated for each of the three ancestors. However, it is often more natural to use it only once, as in the examples above.

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 .

The exegetical and translational problems of this verse are similar to those of verse 16; see comments there. See also 5.23 for a discussion of altar. As for the gift, some translators find it necessary to indicate who is offering the gift and, in some cases, to whom it is being offered: “the offering someone has given to God.”

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 .

The appearance of false prophets (see comment at 7.15) indicates that the Christian community will face dangers of betrayal from within as well as persecution from the outside world. Note Paul’s comment in Acts 20.29-30, which attests of the same experience to be faced by the church in Ephesus.

The false prophets will arise. Some translators say “will appear” or use a sentence such as “At that time there will be many people who say they speak God’s word but in fact do not.”

Lead … astray translates the same verb used in verses 4 and 5.

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 .

In Greek the pronoun you is expressed explicitly and placed in emphatic position. This is significant because Greek does not require the explicit use of the pronoun in instances when a form of the verb indicates the subject.

The context clearly implies that be ready has the more specific meaning of “always be ready” (Good News Translation) or “be ready at any time.” New Jerusalem Bible has “stand ready,” which conveys the same impact. In some languages it is necessary to say what the disciples must be ready for. A good sentence then is “Therefore you must be ready for the Son of Man’s coming, because he will come when you do not expect him.”

At an hour you do not expect (Good News Translation “when you are not expecting him”) is the real focus of interest in the last half of the verse.

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 .