SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023 – Page 22

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 10:25

10:25a

It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as It is enough refers to something being sufficient or adequate. If a student becomes like his teacher, that is good enough for the student. He must be satisfied with that. He needs nothing else.

Jesus used this saying to tell his disciples that they should expect difficulties. They will not be honored more than he was honored while on earth. They will not be treated better than he was treated.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

A student becoming equal to his teacher, that is sufficient/adequate
-or-
a pupil should be satisfied to become like his teacher (Good News Translation)
-or-
If a student is treated like his teacher, he should be satisfied.

10:25b

and a servant like his master: Some words from the previous clause are implied but not repeated here. In some languages, it may be more natural to include some of those words. For example:

and a servant ⌊becoming equal⌋ to his master, ⌊that is sufficient/adequate⌋
-or-
a servant should be satisfied to become like his master (New Century Version)
-or-
And ⌊if⌋ a servant ⌊is treated⌋ like his master, ⌊he must be satisfied⌋.

10:25c–d

If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul, how much more the members of his household!: The first part of this sentence is an If clause. But there is no doubt that people have already called Jesus Beelzebul. In order to make this clear, it may be necessary in some languages to make some adjustments. For example:

And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons, the members of my household will be called by even worse names! (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
They have called the master of the house Beelzebul. So/Therefore, they will say even worse things to those of the household.

10:25c

If the head of the house has been called Beelzebul: The head of the house is the person in charge of those who lived in the house. In this context, the master of the house represents Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

If they have called the owner of the house Beelzebul (God’s Word)
-or-
If the head of the family is called Beelzebul (Good News Translation)
-or-
And since I, the master of the household, have been called the prince of demons (New Living Translation (2004))

Beelzebul: This word refers to Satan.

There is a spelling issue here. In some manuscripts, this word is spelled Beelzebul (as in the English Standard Version and Berean Standard Bible). In other manuscripts it is spelled “Beelzebub” (as in the New International Version and King James Version). You should follow the spelling in your major language version.

Here are some other ways to translate it:

• Transliterate the word Beelzebul and include a footnote to explain its meaning. Here is a sample footnote:

“Beelzebul” is a name that the Jews sometimes used to refer to Satan without honoring him by using his name.

• Use the name “Satan.” For example:

If people call the head of the family Satan (Contemporary English Version)

• Translate the name with a descriptive phrase that clearly refers to Satan. For example:

the prince of demons (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
the ‘Prince of Evil’ (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

10:25d

how much more the members of his household!: The Berean Standard Bible literally represents the Greek here. Some English versions add the word “will they malign” to make the sense more clear. (The word “malign” means to say unpleasant and untrue things about someone.) For example:

how much more will they malign those of his household. (English Standard Version)

This phrase indicates that people will do the same things to the disciples (the members of the household) as they did to Jesus (the master of the house). And they will do these things much more readily, quickly, or severely. In other words, people will treat the disciples worse than they treated Jesus. More specifically, they will call the disciples worse names than they called Jesus. The disciples should not expect to be treated any better than Jesus was treated.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

• Use a statement. For example:

they will treat ⌊you⌋ the members of the house even more harshly/severely
-or-
the members of the family will be called even worse names! (Good News Translation)
-or-
they will certainly say even worse things to the family members

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

what will they say about the rest of the family? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
will they treat ⌊you⌋ the members of the house any better?

General Comment on 10:24–25

The relationship between Jesus and the disciples is like the relationship between a teacher and his student (10:24a, 10:25a), the master to his servant (10:24b, 10:25b), and the head of the house to the members of his household (10:25c, 10:25d). So, just as the Pharisees insulted Jesus by calling him Beelzebul/Satan, the disciples will also be insulted and worse. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:

• Make the relationships explicit in the text. For example:

c
⌊I am like the master of a house, and you are like the people of the house.⌋ If people call the master of the house ⌊bad names like⌋ “devil,” dthen they will call the people of the house even worse names.

• Explain the relationships in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

In this parable, Jesus is like “the head of the house” and the disciples are like “the members of his household.” Just as Jesus was insulted, the disciples will be insulted worse.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 11:15

11:15

The saying in this verse also occurs in Mark 4:9, Mark 4:23, Luke 8:8, Luke 14:35. You should translate all these passages in the same way.

He who has ears, let him hear: These words are a saying that Jesus used to command or urge the crowd to carefully think about the words that they had just heard. This saying assumes that everyone in the crowd had ears and were able to hear. So it is addressed to all the people who were listening to Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this saying:

• Use “they” or “you” instead of he. For example:

⌊All⌋ those who have ears to hear, let them hear.
-or-

⌊All of⌋ you who have ears to hear, hear/listen.

• Use a different type of clause. In some languages it may be more natural to use an “if” clause or a reason clause. For example:

If/Since you have ears that can hear, then pay attention.

• Translate the saying without including the word ears. For example:

You people who can hear me, listen! (New Century Version)

let him hear: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as let him hear is a command in the third person. It does not express permission.

Here is one way to make this more clear:

Anyone who has ears should listen! (New Jerusalem Bible)

In some languages, it may be necessary to say what the listener should be listening to. For example:

let him listen ⌊to me⌋

-or-

let him listen ⌊to what I say⌋

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:17

12:17

This was: The word This refers to Jesus’ activities in 12:15–16. These activities were that he withdrew from the area where the Pharisees were. He also commanded people not to tell others about him.

Here are some other ways to begin this verse:

He did these things (New Century Version)
-or-
He did this (Good News Translation)

to fulfill: The word fulfill means “to make come true” or “to make happen as it was foretold/prophesied.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

to make come true (Good News Translation)
-or-
to bring about (New Century Version)

what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as through the prophet Isaiah indicates that the following words did not come from Isaiah himself. They came from God through Isaiah. God spoke the following words to Isaiah, and Isaiah then spoke them to the people. Isaiah also wrote them down.

This is a passive clause. Here are some other ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah (New International Version)

• Use an active verb. For example:

what God had said through the prophet Isaiah (Good News Translation)

-or-

what ⌊God⌋ spoke ⌊to the people⌋ through the prophet Isaiah

This same phrase occurs in 8:17a. You should translate it here as you did there.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:49

12:49a

Pointing to His disciples: This clause describes Jesus’ gesture. Jesus used this gesture to show the crowd that he was talking about his disciples.

The particular gesture Jesus used was to stretch/reach out his arm and hand. He probably moved his arm and hand in an arc with all fingers extended toward his disciples.

Here are some other ways to translate this gesture:

Then he pointed to his disciples (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
He motioned toward his disciples

In some cultures it is not appropriate to point toward someone with your hand. If that is true in your language, use a physical motion that is natural in this context which causes people to look at something. For example:

He indicated his disciples

12:49b

Here are My mother and My brothers: This clause indicates that Jesus loved his disciples and they had become his family. They were his spiritual family.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

These people are my mother and my ⌊younger⌋ brothers.

-or-

These people have become ⌊like⌋ my mother and my brothers.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:31

Section 13:31–35

Jesus told the parables of the mustard seed and the yeast

In this section, Jesus told two parables: the parable of the mustard seed and the parable of the yeast. These parables show something about the growth and size of God’s kingdom.

The parable about the mustard seed shows that God’s kingdom will grow from a very small beginning to a very large size. The size of God’s kingdom represents the number of people in the kingdom.

The parable of the yeast shows that God’s kingdom will spread throughout the world.

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 4:30–32 and Luke 13:18–21.

Paragraph 13:31–32

13:31a

He put before them another parable: This clause is exactly the same as the clause in 13:24a.

Here are some other ways to translate it:

He told them another parable (New International Version)
-or-
This is another parable he gave them (Revised English Bible)
-or-
Then Jesus told another story (New Century Version)

13:31b–c

The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed: This clause is a simile. It compares the kingdom of God to what happens when a mustard seed is planted. The Jewish people considered the mustard seed to be one of their smallest seeds. However, the mustard plant can grow to be a tree as large as three meters high.

The point of similarity in this comparison is the growth from something small to something large. Like the mustard plant, the kingdom of God is very small at its beginning, but it becomes very large.

The comparison is about the whole growth process, not just what the seed is like. One way to make this clear is:

The kingdom of heaven is like what happens when a farmer plants a mustard seed in a field. (Contemporary English Version)

13:31b

The kingdom of heaven: This phrase last occurred in 13:24b. You should translate it here as you did there.

is like: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as is like is very similar to the word translated as “is like” in 13:24b. This phrase introduces a comparison. Here Jesus compared the kingdom of heaven to a mustard seed.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

can be compared to
-or-
resembles

a mustard seed: The Berean Standard Bible translates the Greek phrase literally as a mustard seed. To Jewish people, the mustard seed was a symbol of smallness.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

• Use your word for seed and transliterate the word mustard according to the sounds of your language. For example:

a musutarade seed
-or-
a seed of ⌊the plant/tree called⌋ mutar

• Use a generic phrase. For example:

a tiny seed

• Use the name of a local seed that is known to be very small, but grows into a tree. If you use this option, you may want to indicate the literal name in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

The Greek text is literally “a mustard seed.”

Regardless of the way you translate mustard seed, you may want to add a footnote that explains the significance of mustard seed in the Jewish culture. For example:

For the Jews, the mustard seed was a symbol of something that was very small. But the mustard seed that was planted in the country of the Jews grew into a tree that grew up to three meters high.

13:31c

that a man: Here, the Greek includes a verb that means “picked up in his hand.” In some languages it may be natural to leave this action implicit, as the Berean Standard Bible has done. In other languages, it may be natural to include this action. For example:

that a man took and sowed in his field (English Standard Version)

planted in his field: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as planted is the same word as the word “sowed” throughout the parable of the sower. This word first occurs in 13:3b. Here the man does not sow many seeds. He only sows one. The method of planting is not in focus here. So you may use whatever term is natural in your language for planting this kind of seed in a vegetable garden or field.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 14:5

14:5a–b

Although Herod wanted to kill John, he was afraid of the people: There is some implicit information here.

Here is the implicit information:

aEven though Herod wanted to kill John, b⌊he did not give orders to kill him at that time, because⌋ he feared the people.
-or-

aHerod wanted to kill John, b⌊but he did not do it at that time, because⌋ he feared the people.

14:5a

Although Herod wanted to kill John: In Greek, this clause is literally “wanting to kill him.” This means that Herod wanted to kill John.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Herod wanted ⌊to order his men⌋ to kill John

14:5b

he was afraid of the people: Herod was afraid that if he killed John, the people would become angry. They might riot or try to remove him from the government. So Herod did not kill John at that time. In some languages, it may be natural to make some of this information explicit. For example:

he was afraid that the people ⌊might rebel⌋
-or-

⌊but he did not kill him at that time, because⌋ he was afraid that the people ⌊might riot⌋

the people: The word people refers to the people that Herod ruled. They were mostly Jewish people, but there were also other kinds of people living in the land he ruled.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the people ⌊he ruled⌋
-or-
his subjects

14:5c

they regarded John as a prophet: This clause means that the people “believed that” or “considered” John to be a prophet. For example:

they considered John to be a prophet (Good News Translation)
-or-
they thought John was a prophet (God’s Word)

-or-

they believed John was a prophet (New Century Version)

prophet: For help in translating the word prophet, see the note in 1:22.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 15:1

Section 15:1–20

The deeds that make someone unclean in God’s eyes

Over the years, Jewish religious leaders added many oral rules to God’s written laws. The Pharisees and teachers of the law considered these oral rules (also called traditions) to be as important as God’s written laws. One of their rules was that a person must wash his hands a certain way before he ate food. If a Jew did not follow this rule before he ate, they considered him ceremonially “unclean.” This meant that they did not allow him to worship God in public for a certain amount of time. Jesus made it clear that there was something far more important than how a person washed his hands. The important thing was the condition of his heart.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Jesus Challenges the Pharisees’ Traditions (God’s Word)
-or-
Jesus Teaches about Inner Purity/Cleanliness

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 7:1–23 and Luke 11:37–39.

Paragraph 15:1–9

15:1a

Then: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then indicates that the events of 15:1–20 came after the events of 14:22–36. The Greek text does not indicate how much time passed between these two events. These events could have happened the same day, or there could have been several days between them.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

After that
-or-
Later

some: The word some is not in the Greek text but the Berean Standard Bible and some other English versions (such as the New International Version and Good News Translation) add the word “some” to indicate that some, but not all, Pharisees came to Jesus.

Pharisees: The word Pharisees refers to men who were members of a particular Jewish religious group. The Pharisees believed that it was necessary to strictly obey all the laws of the Old Testament. It was also very important to them to carefully obey many other religious laws that they added. They also said that other people must obey these laws.

Here are some ways to translate Pharisees:

• Transliterate the word Pharisees according to the sounds of your language and indicate that it refers to a group of people. For example:

Farisi members
-or-
Parise group

• Transliterate the word Pharisees and indicate that it refers to a group of people with certain beliefs. For example:

people belonging to the Farise religious sect/group
-or-
members of the Jewish group called the Farasi

The word Pharisees first occurs in 3:7a.

scribes: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as scribes refers to men who studied, interpreted, and taught the law of Moses. These men were called scribes because their original work was to copy the laws of Moses by hand. In New Testament times, this was no longer their main task.

Here are some ways to translate this term:

teachers of the Law of Moses (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
teachers of religious law (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
teachers of the law (New International Version)
-or-
experts in the law

The word scribe first occurs in 2:4a.

15:1b

came to Jesus from Jerusalem: In some languages, it may be more natural to add another verb here. For example:

came from Jerusalem and went to Jesus
-or-

left/exited Jerusalem and came to Jesus

and asked: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as asked introduces a rhetorical question. For that reason, several English versions (such as the Berean Standard Bible) translate this word as asked.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 15:33

15:33a

The disciples replied: The word replied introduces the disciples’ response to what Jesus had just said. Their response is a question.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The disciples asked him (Good News Translation)
-or-
the disciples said to him (English Standard Version)

15:33b

Where in this desolate place could we find enough bread to feed such a large crowd?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses an objection. The disciples did not agree with Jesus’ idea. They wanted him to send the people home. They implied that it would be impossible to find enough food in that remote place to feed that large crowd.

Here are some other ways to translate this objection:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Where will we find enough food in this desert to feed this crowd? (Good News Translation)

• As a statement. For example:

There is certainly no place here in the wilderness where we could find enough food to feed so many people!

• As a statement and a rhetorical question. For example:

This place is like a desert. Where can we find enough food to feed such a crowd? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
How can we get enough bread to feed all these people? We are far away from any town. (New Century Version)

Translate this objection in a way that is natural in your language.

in this desolate place: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as desolate place is literally “the desert.” In this context, it refers to an area where no one lived. It was a place that was far from any town or village.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

here in the wilderness (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
in this place where no one lives (God’s Word)

bread: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as bread is literally “loaves.” It refers to loaves of bread. These loaves were pieces or units of bread, probably cooked in a round shape like buns or rolls. Bread was the main food of the Jewish people.

Here it is possible to use the more general word “food.” For example:

food (Contemporary English Version)

However, you may need to use a more specific term for “bread” in 15:34a and 15:36.

In Matthew, this word first occurs in 4:3c. It also occurs in 14:17. See how you translated this word there.

to feed such a large crowd: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to feed can also mean “to satisfy, fill.” This same word also occurs in 15:37a where it is translated as “satisfied.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

to satisfy such a large crowd (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
to feed all these people (New Century Version)

-or-

to ⌊give⌋ such a crowd ⌊enough food⌋ to satisfy them

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 10:25

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 11:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:17

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:49

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:31

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 14:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 15:1

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 15:33

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