SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023 – Page 25

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 10:42

10:42a

And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones: The phrase one of these little ones refers to any disciple of Jesus. The word little is used in a figurative way to refer to a disciple of low status, not his age. He is an ordinary person and is not important.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

one of the least of these my followers (Good News Translation)
-or-
any of my humble followers (God’s Word)
-or-
one of these least important ⌊disciples of mine⌋

even a cup of cold water: Giving someone a cup of cold water to drink was a common example at that time of the smallest deed of hospitality. Even a poor person could go to the community well and get water for someone to drink.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

even a cup of cold water ⌊to drink⌋
-or-
even a drink of water (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

10:42b

because he is My disciple: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because he is My disciple is literally “in the name of a disciple” (as in the NET Bible). The meaning is the same as the similar phrase in 10:41a. This phrase indicates that the person knew the other person was a disciple and therefore gave him a cup of cold water.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

because that person is my disciple (God’s Word)
-or-
because he knows/recognizes that he is my disciple

10:42c

truly I tell you: Jesus often used these words to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize.

Here are some other ways to show this emphasis:

• As a phrase before Jesus’ statement. For example:

I tell you the truth (New International Version)
-or-
Listen to this:
-or-
Let me tell you this:

• As an emphatic word within Jesus’ statement. For example:

he will certainly never lose his reward

If you have another way in your language to emphasize a statement or to alert people to listen with special attention, consider using it here. See how you translated this clause in 10:23b.

he will never lose his reward: The phrase never lose is a figure of speech. It means that he “will definitely receive” a reward. Here lose does not mean that the person had a reward and then lost it.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

he will not fail to receive a reward
-or-
will certainly receive a reward (Good News Translation)

-or-

⌊God⌋ will certainly give him a reward

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:2

12:2a

This verse introduces a conflict that the Pharisees had with the disciples who plucked and ate grain on the Sabbath. If you have a word or phrase that introduces a conflict of this type in your language, you should use it here. One way to do this in English is to use the word “But.”

Here is another way to introduce this conflict:

However

In some languages it is not necessary to add a special word or phrase to introduce a conflict in a historical event such as this.

When the Pharisees saw this: Some, but not all, of the Pharisees were there and saw what the disciples did. In some languages, it will be necessary to make some of this information explicit. For example:

Some Pharisees noticed this (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

⌊Some⌋ men of the Pharisee group ⌊were there and⌋ saw what the disciples were doing

Pharisees: For help in translating this word, see the note in 9:11a.

12:2b

Look: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Look is the same word that is sometimes translated as “Behold.” This word focuses attention on what follows and indicates that it is important, unexpected, or amazing. In this context, the Pharisees are amazed and surprised that the disciples picked grain on the Sabbath.

Here, this word is also used in a somewhat literal sense, because the Pharisees want Jesus to notice what the disciples are doing.

Here are some examples:

See!
-or-
Look here!

In some languages, it is natural to begin this sentence with a term of respect. For example:

⌊Teacher/Sir,⌋ Do you see what they are doing?

Your disciples are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath: The Pharisees criticized the disciples for breaking the law which says that people must not work on the Sabbath. The Pharisees believed that even picking a small handful of grain for a snack was harvesting and therefore work. They also believed that rubbing that small amount of grain and blowing away the husk was threshing and therefore work as well.

According to Deuteronomy 23:25, people were allowed to pick and eat a little grain for a snack. It was not stealing. The Pharisees said that what the disciples did was wrong because they were doing it on the Sabbath.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

• Explain what was unlawful in the text. For example:

Look, your disciples are breaking the law by harvesting grain on the Sabbath. (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Why are your disciples picking grain on the Sabbath? They are not supposed to do that! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Look! Your disciples are breaking the law ⌊about working⌋ on the Sabbath

• Explain what was unlawful in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

God allowed people to pick and eat a handful of grain from other people’s fields (Deuteronomy 23:25). But the Pharisees said that such picking was work and therefore not allowed on the Sabbath.

General Comment on 12:2b

In some languages, it may be natural to translate 12:2b as indirect speech. For example:

that his disciples were doing what was not allowed in the Sabbath

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:34

12:34a

You brood of vipers: The word vipers refers to poisonous snakes. The phrase brood of vipers means “children/offspring of poisonous snakes.” It refers to having the same characteristics as vipers.

a viper

This phrase is a metaphor. (It also occurs in 3:7b.) In this metaphor, Jesus compared the Pharisees to a brood of vipers. Jesus used this metaphor to criticize the Pharisees.

The way that these men and snakes are similar is that both are evil and dangerous.

Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:

• Make the point of comparison clear. For example:

You are a bunch of evil snakes (Contemporary English Version)

• Use a simile and make the point of comparison clear. For example:

You (plur.) are ⌊as evil/dangerous as⌋ a group of vipers!

• Translate the metaphor but leave the word brood untranslated. Jesus was not saying that the people were young or childlike. So some English translations do not explicitly translate the word brood. For example:

You snakes (Good News Translation)

• Translate the meaning without a simile or metaphor. For example:

You (plur.) wicked people!

• Use a simile and explain the meaning. For example:

You evil people! You are like poisonous snakes.

If calling someone a poisonous snake is not an insult in your culture, you may also need to add something to make it more explicit. For example:

Jesus insulted/criticized them by saying

12:34b

how can you who are evil say anything good?: This is a rhetorical question. Jesus used this rhetorical question to rebuke the Pharisees and to emphasize that they could not say anything good.

Here are some other ways to translate this rebuke and emphasis:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

How can you evil people say anything good? (God’s Word)

• As a statement followed by a rhetorical question. For example:

You are evil people, so how can you say anything good? (New Century Version)

• As a statement. For example:

Since you are evil, you cannot say anything good!
-or-
You cannot say anything good because you are evil/bad.

Translate this rebuke and emphasis in a way that is natural in your language.

how can you who are evil say anything good: The phrase say anything good means say good words. The Pharisees did not say things that were good and positive. They said things that were harmful. This clause does not mean speak well/elegantly.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

how can you say good things (Good News Translation)
-or-
speak what is good and right (New Living Translation (2004))

12:34c

For: Verse 12:34c is the reason that the Pharisees cannot say anything good. Evil people cannot say anything good because the mouth says what is in the heart. The Greek introduces this reason with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.

Here are some other ways to introduce this reason:

⌊You cannot do it⌋ because
-or-

⌊That is true⌋ because
-or-
The reason ⌊you cannot do this is that⌋

Some English versions do not translate this word. In some languages, it will not be necessary to translate this word either.

out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as overflow means “abundance” or “fullness.” It describes a quantity of something that fills a container so completely full that it overflows. In this clause it is used in a figurative way. It pictures a person’s heart so full of certain thoughts that they come out of his mouth. This means that a person acts and speaks according to what is in his heart.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

whatever is in/filling a person’s heart, that is what comes out of his mouth/lips
-or-
The mouth speaks the things that are in the heart. (New Century Version)
-or-
Your words show what is in your hearts. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
What a person says comes from what is in his heart/thoughts

heart: In Greek culture, the heart is the center and source of inner life. This is where thinking, feeling, and decision- making happen. Some languages use a different organ such as “liver” for this concept. Or it may be a general term such as “insides.”

the mouth speaks: This clause means that the person speaks or says something. In some languages, a literal translation would not be natural. If that is the case in your language, you may want to change this phrase so as not to use the word mouth. For example:

a person speaks
-or-
what you say (New Living Translation (2004))

-or-

your words (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:16

13:16a

The quote from Isaiah finished at the end of 13:15g. In this verse, Jesus began talking to the disciples.

Here are some ways to make this clear:

As for you, (Good News Translation)
-or-

⌊Then Jesus said to his disciples,⌋

But: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between the Jewish people described in the quote in 14b–15g and the disciples in 16a–b. The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction But.

blessed are your eyes because they see: This clause means that the disciples are blessed because they can see the truth. They are not like other Jews who look at things but do not see/understand them.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

God has blessed you, because your eyes can see (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You are blessed because you can see

blessed: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as blessed refers to the good situation/condition that a person is in when a superior person does something good to him. When God does something good to a human being and is kind to him, that person is in a good situation. He is “blessed,” “fortunate,” and “favored.”

Here are some ways to translate blessed:

Favored/fortunate
-or-

⌊God⌋ favors/approves
-or-
Joyful/desirable is the situation of
-or-
How good it is for

This word does not primarily refer to a feeling. However, a person in this good situation will frequently have good feelings like happiness and joy. Do not use a word that only refers to material prosperity or physical health. Do not use a word that refers only to being lucky. This word first occurs in 5:3a. See also bless, Meaning 2, in the Glossary.

13:16b

and your ears because they hear: Some words from 13:16a are implied but not repeated here. Here is the complete clause:

and ⌊blessed are⌋ your ears, for they hear

This clause means that the disciples are blessed because they can hear and understand the truth. They are not like other Jews who hear things but do not understand them.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and your ears can hear (Contemporary English Version)

-or-

and hear

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:48

13:48a

When it was full, the men pulled it ashore: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pulled also means “pulled up.” When the net was full of fish, the fishermen pulled it up out of the water and onto the shore.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

When the net was full, they dragged it up onto the shore (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
When it was full, the fishermen pulled the net to the shore (New Century Version)

13:48b

Then they sat down and sorted the good fish: The phrase sorted the good means that the fishermen picked/gathered the good fish out from among the bad fish.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

gathered the good fish (God’s Word)
-or-
put all the good fish (New Century Version)

In some languages, it may be more natural to explain the action of sorting the fish in two steps. For example:

sit down to separate the fish. They keep the good ones (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
sit down to divide the fish: the good ones go into the buckets (Good News Translation)
-or-
sat down and separated the good fish from the bad. They put the good fish

the good fish: This phrase refers to fish that are good to eat.

into containers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as containers generally refers to a type of pot that can hold a liquid like water. It is different than a basket. Putting fish into these types of containers would keep the fish alive and fresh longer.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

buckets (Good News Translation)
-or-

⌊clay⌋ pots
-or-
barrels (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

Here the type of container is not in focus. If people in your culture usually put live fish in baskets, you can use the word baskets here (as in the New International Version).

13:48c

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between what the fishermen did with the good fish, and what they did with the bad fish. The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction but.

Here are some other ways to connect 13:48c to the rest of the verse:

and threw away the bad fish (New Century Version)
-or-
The fish that were not good, they threw them away.

threw the bad away: This phrase means that the fishermen threw away or “discarded” the fish that were not good to eat. They either threw them back into the water, or onto the shore. The place where they threw them is not in focus.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 14:22

Section 14:22–36

Jesus walked on the water

In this section, Jesus showed that he has power over nature and sickness. When the disciples were in a boat during a storm, Jesus walked on the surface of the lake, and he calmed the storm. This caused the disciples to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, which was a title that the Jews used for the Christ. When they arrived at the shore, Jesus also healed many sick people.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Walking on Water (NET Bible)
-or-
Jesus walks on top of water
-or-
Jesus showed his power over nature/creation

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 6:45–56 and John 6:15–21.

Paragraph 14:22–27

14:22a

Immediately: This word tells us that as soon as the disciples finished picking up the food (14:20b), Jesus told them to get into the boat. In this context, the word does not imply hurry.

Here are some other ways to begin this paragraph:

Immediately after this (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
As soon as they had finished (Revised English Bible)

Jesus made the disciples get into the boat: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as made means “compel” or “force.” Jesus commanded or caused the disciples to get into the boat. The verb does not imply that the disciples were unwilling to get into the boat.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Jesus told his followers to get into the boat (New Century Version)
-or-
Jesus ordered/caused his disciples to get into the boat

the boat: This is the same boat as mentioned in 14:13.

14:22b

go on ahead of Him: This phrase means that Jesus wanted his disciples to go first. He would come after them at a later time.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

go before him (English Standard Version)

to the other side: These words refer to the other side of Lake Galilee. This was the side of Lake Galilee that they started from in 14:13.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

⌊back⌋ across ⌊the lake⌋
-or-

⌊back⌋ to the other side ⌊of the lake⌋

14:22c

while: This word indicates that two events happened at the same time: the event of the disciples starting to cross the lake and the event of Jesus dismissing the crowd.

He dismissed the crowds: The word dismissed refers to telling someone that their time together was at an end. Jesus told the people to go home.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

he sent the people home (New Living Translation (2004))

-or-

he caused the people to leave

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 15:18

15:18a

But: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between what goes into a person’s mouth and what comes out of it. The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction But.

the things that come out of the mouth: This expression refers to the words that a person says. This verse starts with words similar to words in 15:17 so that the different results are emphasized.

Here are some other ways to translate this expression:

the words that come out of your mouth (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
the ⌊evil/bad⌋ words that comes out of a person’s mouth
-or-
what people say with their mouths (New Century Version)

come from the heart: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as come also means “comes out” (as in the New International Version).

In Greek culture, the heart was the center and source of life. It is the inner part of a person that thinks, feels and makes decisions. Some languages refer to this part of a person as the throat, stomach, or liver. Use the expression that is natural in your language for this idea.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

comes from within (God’s Word)
-or-
comes from the stomach/liver
-or-
comes from the way they think (New Century Version)
-or-
comes from the mind/thoughts
-or-
comes from inside

15:18b

and these things: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as these things refers to the words that a person says. Specifically, it is the bad/evil words that a person says. In some languages, it may be more natural to make this explicit. For example:

it is these bad things
-or-
it is these evil words

defile a man: The word man is general and refers to people, both men and women.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a person (English Standard Version)
-or-
you (Contemporary English Version)

defile: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as defile means “make unclean or make something ritually unacceptable.” This same word occurs in 15:11a.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

makes unclean

-or-

make you unfit to worship God (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 16:11

16:11a

How do you not understand that I was not telling you about bread?: This is another rhetorical question. It is a rebuke. Jesus rebuked the disciples for not understanding what he was talking about in 16:6. When he referred to the “leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees,” he was not talking about bread. The disciples should have understood that.

Here are some other ways to translate this rebuke:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

How could you even think I was talking about food? (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
Why don’t you understand that I wasn’t talking to you about bread? (God’s Word)

• As a statement followed by a rhetorical question. For example:

I was not talking to you about bread. Why don’t you understand that? (New Century Version)

• As a statement. For example:

You should have understood that I was not talking about bread

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

16:11b

But beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees: This clause is almost the same clause as in 16:6. The only difference is that the phrase “Watch out” is not repeated here. Translate this clause the same way you did in 16:6 without including that word.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 10:42

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:2

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:34

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:16

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:48

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 14:22

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 15:18

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 16:11

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