SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023 – Page 4

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 1:24

Paragraph 1:24–25

In this paragraph, the story of Mary and Joseph resumes. It explains what Joseph did after the dream he had in 1:20–21.

1:24b

he did as the angel of the Lord had commanded him: The clause as the angel of the Lord had commanded him means that Joseph did what the angel told him to do in 1:20c–21. He married Mary. Matthew states this clearly in 1:24c.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

he did what the angel of the Lord told/ordered him to do
-or-
he did that which the angel of the Lord said he must do

1:24c

and embraced Mary as his wife: This clause refers to Joseph marrying Mary and beginning married life together.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

Joseph took Mary as his wife (New Century Version)

-or-

he married Mary (Good News Translation)

A similar expression is in 1:20. You should translate these two passages in a similar way.

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 3:8

3:8

In this verse John told the Pharisees and Sadducees what they should do in response to his rebuke in 3:7c. They should repent and show their repentance by thinking and acting the way God wanted them to.

then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then connects this verse to 3:7. Many English versions do not translate this conjunction here.

Here are some other ways to translate this connection:

Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance (NET Bible)
-or-

⌊In order to escape judgment,⌋ you should…
-or-

⌊If you want to avoid God’s punishment,⌋ you must…

Connect these two verses in a way that is natural in your language.

Produce fruit…in keeping with repentance: The phrase Produce fruit is a metaphor. A person’s good moral conduct is compared to fruit. They are similar in that both are the result and evidence of something. Fruit is the result and evidence of the type of tree it came from. A holy life is the result and evidence of someone who has truly repented.

Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:

• Translate it literally. For example:

Produce fruit that shows that you have repented.
-or-
Repent and produce the fruit that shows it.

• Translate it as a simile and make the point of comparison explicit. For example:

⌊Just as trees⌋ bear/produce fruit ⌊and show what kind of trees they are⌋, ⌊so you must do the things/acts⌋ that show that you have really repented.

• Translate the meaning without using a figure of speech. For example:

Behave in a way that shows that you have repented.
-or-
Prove by the way you live that you have really turned from your sins and turned to God. (New Living Translation (1996))

in keeping with: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as in keeping with is literally “worthy of.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

that will show (Good News Translation)
-or-
that proves (NET Bible)
-or-
that accompanies
-or-
that corresponds to
-or-
that goes together with

repentance: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as repentance means “a change of a person’s mind, heart, or will.” In the Bible it refers specifically to a change of mind and heart about sin and about God. The person who repents is sorry for his past sins. John was saying that these people should quit sinning and instead obey God.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

you have left/abandoned your sins
-or-
you have really turned from your sins and turned to God (New Living Translation (1996))

-or-

you really have changed your hearts and lives (New Century Version)

The verb form of this word occurs in 3:2a.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 4:23

Section 4:23–25

Jesus taught, preached, and healed many people

Before this time, not many people knew about Jesus. But soon the news of his teaching and healing spread throughout Galilee and then into neighboring regions and beyond as well. Some of these regions were Jewish and some were non-Jewish.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The ministry of Jesus in Galilee
-or-
Jesus did God’s work and the news of him spread ⌊beyond Galilee⌋

There is a parallel passage for this section in Luke 6:17–19.

Paragraph 4:23–25

This paragraph tells where Jesus began his ministry of preaching, teaching, and healing, and how the people responded it.

The events in this paragraph probably happened soon after Jesus called his first disciples. In some languages, it may be natural to begin this paragraph with a time word. For example:

Then

4:23a

Jesus went throughout Galilee: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Jesus went throughout Galilee means that Jesus went from village to village and from town to town in the district of Galilee. The Greek tense of the verb indicates continuous or repeated activity. Jesus did this over a long period of time, perhaps a few months.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Jesus went everywhere in Galilee (New Century Version)
-or-
Jesus was going throughout all Galilee (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Jesus traveled throughout the region of Galilee (New Living Translation (2004))

4:23b

teaching: In this context, the verb teaching probably indicates that Jesus taught from the Scriptures. He made the meaning clear.

in their synagogues: The word synagogues refers to buildings where Jews gathered to pray, read Scripture, teach their beliefs, and worship God. The Jews also gathered in synagogues for cultural activities. There was only one temple, but each Jewish community had a synagogue.

The word their refers to Jews in those locations.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

prayer-houses of the Jews
-or-
meeting-places of the Jews
-or-
buildings for worship
-or-
houses for gathering together

The term you use for synagogue should be different from the term you use for “temple.” The temple was the main Jewish house of worship, which was located in the city of Jerusalem.

If the word synagogue is already known in your area, you may write it according to the sounds of your language. You may want to include a word or phrase to explain the meaning. For example:

sinagog house/building

See synagogue in the Glossary for more information.

4:23c

preaching: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as preaching also occurs in 4:17. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

announcing (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
proclaiming (English Standard Version)
-or-
telling people

the gospel of the kingdom: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gospel is sometimes translated as “good news” (New International Version). In the New Testament, this Greek word specifically means “the good news that God has made a way to save sinful people through Jesus.”

In Matthew, the word kingdom is usually referred to by the fuller expression “kingdom of heaven.” It refers to God’s rule in a person’s life.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the good message about ⌊God’s⌋ kingdom
-or-
the good news concerning ⌊God’s⌋ kingship/ruling
-or-
the good news about submitting to ⌊God’s⌋ rule/authority

You may want to look at kingdom of heaven in the Glossary for more information.

4:23d

healing every disease and sickness: The words disease and sickness are a doublet. This means that these words have almost the same meaning. Together, these words refer to every type of illness and physical problem that people can have.

Different cultures categorize diseases and physical problems in different ways. As you translate this clause, remember that Jesus healed people of leprosy, fever, blindness, demon-possession, and various handicaps. You should find terms that cover all (or most) of these.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

• Use two terms. For example:

healing all the people’s diseases and sicknesses (New Century Version)
-or-
healing every disease and handicap
-or-
curing every illness and injury

• Use more than two terms. For example:

he cured people who were sick, handicapped, and injured
-or-
he healed people who had every type of disease, illness, disability, and other sickness

• Use one term. For example:

healing every kind of sickness

-or-

curing everyone who was not feeling well

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 5:30

5:30a–c

This verse is almost exactly the same as 5:29, but here the part of the body in focus is the hand. You will want to translate 5:30 in a way similar to how you translated 5:29.

5:30d

to depart into hell: Here, the Greek says to depart into hell rather than “to be thrown into hell” as in 5:29d.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

to enter into hell
-or-
to be sent to hell

-or-

for ⌊God⌋ to send your whole body into hell

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 6:14

Paragraph 6:14–15

And lastly, Jesus taught that when his disciples pray for God to forgive them, they must also forgive others (6:14–15). The understanding is that if they do not forgive others, then God will not forgive them.

6:14a

For: Verses 6:14–15 are the reason why we can ask God to forgive us (in 6:12). The Greek indicates that these verses are the reason with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.

Jesus taught us to pray 12a“Forgive us our debts…for/because 14byour heavenly Father will forgive you 14aif you forgive others their trespasses.”

Since 6:13 comes between the two parts about forgiveness, it may be necessary to make the connection more clear. For example:

⌊You should pray for God to forgive you⌋ for/because
-or-

⌊Pray this way⌋ because

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

if you forgive: The word forgive is the same word as in 6:12a. For help in translating this word, see the notes there.

men: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as men refers to people in general.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

other people
-or-
people

their trespasses: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as trespasses is another word for “sins.”

Here are some other ways to translate their trespasses:

when they sin against you (New International Version)
-or-
the wrongs they have done to you (Good News Translation)
-or-
the bad things that they have done ⌊against you⌋

6:14b

your heavenly Father: The phrase your heavenly Father refers to God. It is very similar to the phrase “Our Father in heaven” in 6:9b.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

⌊God⌋ your heavenly Father

-or-

⌊God⌋ your Father ⌊who is/lives⌋ in heaven

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 7:12

Paragraph 7:12

7:12a

In everything, then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as then indicates that 7:12 is a conclusion. In this case, it is a general conclusion or summary of all that Jesus has taught in the Sermon on the Mount up to this point (5–7:11). The word then is not a time word.

Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:

Therefore
-or-
In conclusion
-or-
To summarize ⌊all that I have said⌋

In everything…do to others as you would have them do to you: This statement means “Behave toward other people in the same way that you want them to behave toward you.”

In some languages it may be more natural to reverse the order of the verse. For example:

Treat others as you want them to treat you (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
do for other people everything you want them to do for you (God’s Word)

7:12b

For: The conjunction For indicates that 7:12b is the basis for the command in 7:12a.

Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:

because
-or-
The reason is that

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

this is the essence of: The phrase this is the essence of means “the command in 7:12a is the general principle taught by…”

Here are some other ways to translate this is:

this is the meaning of (Good News Translation)
-or-
This is a summary of all that is taught in (New Living Translation (1996))

the Law and the Prophets: In this context, the phrase the Law and the Prophets refers to the whole Old Testament.

In some languages, a literal translation would not clearly refer to the whole Old Testament. If that is true in your language, you may want to include some implied information. For example:

⌊the books of⌋ the laws ⌊that God gave to Moses⌋ and ⌊the books of⌋ the Prophets
-or-

⌊the books of⌋ the laws ⌊of Moses⌋ and the Prophets

-or-

the Old Testament

See how you translated this phrase in 5:17, but note that the conjunction and is used here instead of the conjunction “or.”

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 8:15

8:15a

So He touched her hand, and the fever left her: This sentence indicates that when Jesus touched the hand of Peter’s mother-in-law, she was miraculously healed. The clause the fever left her means that the sickness was gone and the woman’s body cooled and became normal again.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

Jesus touched her hand, and the fever went away (God’s Word)
-or-
He touched her hand, and the fever ended/finished.
-or-
He touched her hand and immediately she became well.

8:15b

she got up and began to serve them: The phrase began to serve them means that the woman started to take care of Jesus’ and the others’ needs. This probably means that she began to serve food.

However, you should not say that she cooked a meal for Jesus. According to the parallel passages in Mark and Luke, Jesus healed this woman on the Sabbath. On that day, it was forbidden for women to cook. She gave him food that had already been prepared.

Here are some other ways to translate this sentence:

Then she got up and began to take care of Jesus.

-or-

Then she got up and served Jesus a meal. (Contemporary English Version)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 9:13

9:13a

But go and learn: The clause go and learn is an expression that rabbis used when teaching their students. It means that the person should look more closely at the passage and learn what its real meaning is.

The Greek word translated here as go does not mean to literally “go.” It is a way of challenging the people to study the passage more carefully. If people will think that this word literally means to go somewhere, then it may be good to leave it out.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Study/Read more carefully and learn
-or-
Go and learn ⌊to follow⌋
-or-
Learn (God’s Word)

what this means: The word this refers to the quote from the book of Hosea that follows. In some languages, it may be good to indicate that what follows is a quote from the Bible.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

what it means ⌊when God said⌋
-or-
the correct meaning ⌊of the words which are written in God’s book⌋

9:13b

I desire mercy, not sacrifice: This quote from Hosea is a comparison of two things: mercy and sacrifice. It means that mercy is more important than sacrifice. It does not mean that God wanted his people to stop offering sacrifices.

In some languages, it may be more natural to express this comparison in another way. For example:

I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices. (New Century Version)

I: The pronoun I refers to God. Jesus quoted words that God spoke. If people will think that the pronoun I is Jesus speaking about himself, you should indicate that God spoke here. For example:

⌊when God said,⌋ ‘I…”

desire mercy: The word mercy means “compassion, concern, or pity toward someone in serious need.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

It is kindness that I want (Good News Translation)
-or-
want ⌊you⌋ to pity

In some languages it may be necessary to indicate who should have mercy and to whom. For example:

I want you to be merciful to others. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I want people to pity/love others.

sacrifice: The word sacrifice refers to the killing of animals at the temple and offering them to God. God required the Jews to offer animal sacrifices to him regularly.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

animal sacrifices (Good News Translation)
-or-
offering sacrifices to me (Contemporary English Version)

9:13c

Jesus’ quote from Hosea finished at the end of 9:13b. Here Jesus resumed speaking in his own words. If this is not clear in your translation, you may want to add some type of introduction. For example:

⌊Jesus continued⌋

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the final part of Jesus’ answer to the Pharisees’ question (in 9:11b). It introduces the reason clause (4:6b) of a reason-result statement. The result is implied. The implied information is: “I eat with tax collectors and sinners.”

result (implied)

⌊I eat with tax collectors and sinners
⌋,

reason

for/because I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.

Without the implied information, the word For does not make much sense. Many English versions leave it untranslated.

I have not come: Jesus used the clause I have not come to introduce a general statement about the purpose of his ministry. He used the verb come here in the sense that he came “to the earth” or came “from God.” He was not referring to coming to Matthew’s house.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

I did not come ⌊to earth⌋
-or-

⌊The reason⌋ I came ⌊from God⌋ was not to call the righteous

to call: The verb call means “invite.” It does not mean to shout or use a loud voice.

Matthew did not specify exactly what Jesus was calling sinners to do. In this context, the word call may refer to:

(a) A call to repent (which is based on Jesus dealing with sinners and the theme of forgiveness in 9:6a).

(b) A call to follow him and become his disciple (which is based on Jesus calling Matthew in 9:9c).

The parallel passage in Luke 5:32 says “call…to repentance.” So if you use a verb that requires you to indicate the purpose of the call, you should indicate that it is a call to repent.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

to call ⌊to repent⌋
-or-
to invite ⌊to turn to God⌋

the righteous: The word righteous refers to people who live according to God’s standards. In other words, they consistently do what is right.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

those who obey God’s law
-or-
people who do what is right

In some languages there may be an idiom to describe this. For example:

people who follow a straight path
-or-
upright/straight people

In this context Jesus was using irony. There are no truly righteous people because everyone has sinned. He may have referred to people who think that they are doing what is right and do not recognize their sins.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

those who think they are righteous (New Living Translation (2004))

9:13d

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between what was not Jesus’ purpose in coming to earth (in 9:13c), and what was his purpose in coming (in 9:13d). Some English versions indicate this contrast with the conjunction but.

In some languages, no conjunction is necessary. The clauses themselves will indicate the contrast. For example:

cI didn’t come to invite good people to be my followers. dI came to invite sinners. (Contemporary English Version)

sinners: Some words from the previous clause are implied but not repeated here. In some languages, it may be more natural to repeat those words. For example:

I came to invite sinners. (Contemporary English Version)

-or-

⌊I have come to call/urge⌋ sinners ⌊to repent⌋.

General Comment on 9:13c–d

In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in 9:13c–d. For example:

I have come to call sinners, not those who think they are already good enough. (New Living Translation (1996))

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 1:24

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 3:8

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 4:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 5:30

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 6:14

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 7:12

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 8:15

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 9:13

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