SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023 – Page 44

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 8:7

8:7

I will go and heal him: Because Jesus offered to travel to the house of the centurion, it may be more natural to translate the verb go as “come.” Also, in some languages, it will be more natural to translate the verb heal as “make well.” For example:

I will go/come and make him well.

Jesus replied: This Greek phrase is literally “he said.” In some languages, it may be necessary to say to whom Jesus spoke. For example:

And he said to him. (English Standard Version)

However, the context makes it clear that Jesus spoke to the centurion. Since the centurion is the only other person recently mentioned, it may be more natural in some languages to leave the phrase “to him” untranslated.

Since Jesus responded to the words of the centurion, it may be more natural in some languages to use replied or “answered” instead of “said,” as the Berean Standard Bible does. For example:

Jesus answered

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SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 9:5

9:5a–c

Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk?’: Before translating 9:5a–c, there are at least three issues to consider:

Issue 1: Comparing two statements

The clause Which is easier introduces a question that compares two statements: sins are forgiven and Get up and walk. It is easier to say that sins are forgiven, because people cannot see whether sins are actually forgiven. The harder thing to say is Get up and walk. It is harder because everyone can immediately see whether a miracle happens.

Consider how people in your language would ask such a question.

Here are some other possible ways to translate this:

Is this easy to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or is this easy to say, ‘Rise and walk’?
-or-
Saying to the man, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Rise and walk,’ between these two things, which one is easy?
-or-
I can say to the man, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ I can also say, ‘Rise and walk.’ Which one is easy and which one is difficult?

Issue 2: Rhetorical question

This is a rhetorical question. Jesus asked this question to emphasize that it is easier to say Your sins are forgiven. It is implied that the harder thing to say is Get up and walk. It is harder because everyone can immediately see whether a miracle happens.

Here are some other ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• As a question. For example:

Is it easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? (God’s Word)

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

It is easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’ than to say ‘Get up and walk.’ Isn’t that right?

• As a statement. For example:

Consider whether it is easier to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say ‘Rise and walk.’
-or-
It is easier to say ‘Your sins are forgiven’ than to say ‘Rise and walk.’
-or-
It is easy to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ It is hard to say, ‘Rise and walk.’

Issue 3: Quotes with a quote

The two statements Your sins are forgiven and Get up and walk are quotes within a quote. In some languages, it may be more natural to make these two statements indirect speech. For example:

Is it easier for me to tell this crippled man that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk? (Contemporary English Version)

9:5a

In Greek, this verse begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “for” (English Standard Version). This conjunction probably introduces a basis for Jesus’ statement in 9:4b. The basis is given in 9:5a–6b. The relationship is something like the following:

4aJesus told the scribes, 4b“You should not think that I blasphemed God ⌊when I told this paralyzed man that his sins are forgiven⌋, 5abecause…6aI have authority on earth to forgive sins.”

The Berean Standard Bible and many English versions do not translate this conjunction. In many languages, it will not be necessary to translate this conjunction either.

9:5b

Your sins are forgiven: This is a passive clause.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

Your sins are forgiven/canceled

• Use an active verb. For example:

⌊I⌋ forgive/pardon your sins

9:5c

Get up: The phrase Get up is a command to stand up from the mat.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

Rise (English Standard Version)

-or-

Stand up (NET Bible)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 9:37

9:37a–b

The harvest is plentiful: This is the first part of an extended metaphor. In this part, people who are ready to believe are like fruit/grain that is ready to be picked/cut and put in a safe place. There are many of these people just like the ripe fruit/grain is plentiful.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

The harvest is large (Good News Translation)
-or-
The grain/fruit is ripe, and it is plentiful.
-or-
The time to pick the grain has arrived, and the grain is abundant.

• Keep the metaphor and put the meaning in a footnote. A sample footnote is below under General Comment on 9:37–38.

• Make the topic explicit. For example:

There are many people to harvest (New Century Version)

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make the parts explicit. For example:

⌊Many people are ready to believe in me like⌋ lots of crops that are ready to be harvested.

9:37c

but: There is a contrast here. The contrast is between the large number of people needed to harvest the plentiful harvest, and the actual number of people available. The Berean Standard Bible indicates this contrast with the conjunction but.

the workers are few: This is the second part of the metaphor. In this part, the few people who are available to tell people the good news are compared to the few laborers/workers who are available to harvest the crop.

Here are some other ways to translate this part of the metaphor:

• Keep the metaphor. For example:

there are few workers to gather it in (Good News Translation)
-or-
there are not many harvesters

• Change the metaphor to a simile and make the parts explicit. For example:

But ⌊there are few people to tell them the good news about me like⌋ there are few workers to harvest the crops.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 10:31

10:31

So do not be afraid: This is Jesus’ conclusion in the form of a command. On the basis of what he has said in 10:29–30, he now concludes So do not be afraid.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Therefore do not be afraid
-or-
Fear not, therefore (English Standard Version)
-or-
For this reason do not be afraid

you are worth more than many sparrows: This clause summarizes the basis for the command not to be afraid. Do not be afraid, because God values people more than many sparrows. So he will care for you.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

⌊because⌋ you are worth more than many sparrows

-or-

⌊I say this because⌋ you are more valuable ⌊to God⌋ than many of these small birds

This clause implies that God will care for his people. If people in your area do not understand that implication, you may want to explain it in a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

This means that God will certainly care for his people.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 11:21

11:21–22

Verses 11:21–22 contain a figure of speech called apostrophe. In this figure of speech, Jesus spoke to the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida as if they were persons.

Here are some other ways to translate this verse:

• Keep the apostrophe as in the Berean Standard Bible.

21aWoe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! 21bFor if the mighty works done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, 21cthey would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.

• Translate it so that Jesus is speaking to the people of those towns. For example:

21aYou people of Chorazin are in for trouble! You people of Bethsaida are in for trouble too! 21bIf the miracles that took place in your towns had happened in Tyre and Sidon, 21cthe people there would have turned to God long ago.

11:21a

Woe to you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Woe expresses a warning. It is a warning of God’s coming judgment and a call to people to change the way that they are living. Jesus knew that God would punish the people who lived in the town of Chorazin. They had seen Jesus do miracles, but most people did not believe in him.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

How terrible it will be for you (Good News Translation)
-or-
Great trouble awaits you
-or-
It will be bad for you
-or-
God will punish you

Chorazin: The word Chorazin is the name of a town in the northern region of Galilee. (Notice that some English versions spell this word Korazin.) By naming the town, Jesus was speaking to the people of the town. These people were Jews. In some languages, it will be natural to make some of this information explicit. For example:

⌊people of⌋ Chorazin
-or-

⌊Jews who live in the town of⌋ Korazin

In some languages, it will be natural to put the town before the word “woe.” For example:

⌊People of⌋ Chorazin, woe to you!

Woe to you, Bethsaida!: The same words of woe are repeated for the Jewish town of Bethsaida. This is done to emphasize the woe to each of these two towns. If repeating the phrase Woe to you does not emphasize that phrase in your language, you may want to emphasize the phrase in another way. For example:

Chorazin and Bethsaida, you will certainly have trouble!

11:21b–c

For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes: This is a long sentence that begins with an if clause. It is further complicated because it contrasts two situations. The first situation is a real situation: Jesus did miracles in the Jewish towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida. It is implied that they did not repent. The second situation is a hypothetical situation: If Jesus had done those same miracles in the Gentile towns of Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented.

In some languages, it will be natural to divide this long sentence into several shorter sentences. For example:

I did miracles in your towns, ⌊but you did not repent⌋. If, ⌊for example,⌋ I had done these same miracles in the towns of Tyre and Sidon, they would have put on sackcloth and ashes ⌊to show that⌋ they had repented.
-or-
I did miracles in your towns, ⌊but you did not repent⌋. Suppose that I had done these same miracles in the towns of Tyre and Sidon. ⌊They are not Jews, but⌋ they would have repented long ago. ⌊They would have shown their repentance⌋ by putting on sackcloth and putting ashes ⌊on their heads⌋.

11:21b

For: Verses 11:21b–22 explain the reason why Jesus warned the towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida (in 11:21a). The Greek introduces this explanation with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For.

Here is another way to introduce this explanation:

⌊I say this⌋ because

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

if the miracles that were performed in you: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as miracles can also be translated as “mighty works” (as in the English Standard Version). Here Jesus referred to the miracles that he has done in the Jewish towns of Chorazin and Bethsaida. It is implied that even though he did miracles there, the Jewish people in those towns did not repent.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

if the miracles I did in you (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
If the miracles that took place in your towns (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
I did amazing deeds/acts in your towns, ⌊but you Jews did not repent⌋

had been performed in Tyre and Sidon: This part of the “if” clause is hypothetical. This means that it refers to something that did not happen. Jesus did not do miracles in the towns of Tyre and Sidon. But if he had done miracles there, the people there would have repented.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

had been done in Tyre and Sidon ⌊but they were not done⌋
-or-

⌊I did not do miracles⌋ in Tyre and Sidon. But if I had done miracles there
-or-
If, ⌊for example,⌋ I had done these same miracles in the towns of Tyre and Sidon

in Tyre and Sidon: Tyre and Sidon were two towns where Gentile (non-Jewish) people lived. God had punished them for their sins. This happened about 700 years before Jesus was born. The Jews knew about this situation from Isaiah 23. So the Jews considered them bad people. But Jesus showed the Jews that they were even worse sinners than the people of Tyre and Sidon.

If it is not clear to your readers that the comparison is between Jews and Gentiles, you may want to:

• Include some implied information in the text. For example:

in ⌊the non-Jewish towns of⌋ Tyre and Sidon
-or-
in ⌊the Gentile/foreign towns of⌋ Tyre and Sidon

• Include a footnote. For example:

Chorazin and Bethsaida were Jewish towns. Tyre and Sidon were Gentile towns. Jesus was showing that the Gentiles were more likely to repent and believe in him than the Jews were.

11:21c

they would have repented long ago: This clause is another part of the hypothetical statement. The Gentile people in the towns of Tyre and Sidon would have repented long ago if they had seen Jesus’ miracles. They would not have waited to repent. But Jesus did not do miracles there, and the people did not repent.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

they would have quickly repented
-or-
they would not have waited to turn from their sins

in sackcloth and ashes: This phrase indicates two ways that people at that time showed that they had repented. They wore an itchy cloth called sackcloth, and they put ashes on their heads.

The word sackcloth refers to a rough cloth made of animal hair and then made into clothing. Wearing such clothing was not comfortable because the cloth was scratchy. To add to their misery, people also either sat in ashes or they poured ashes on their heads.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

• Explain in the text that sackcloth and ashes were ways of showing they had sincerely repented. For example:

They would have worn rough cloth and put ashes on themselves to show they had changed. (New Century Version)
-or-
put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes on themselves, to show that they had turned from their sins! (Good News Translation)

• Explain this custom in a footnote. A sample footnote is:

The custom of those people at that time was to put on rough cloth and to sprinkle ashes on themselves. This showed that they had turned from their sins.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:23

12:23a

The crowds were astounded: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as astounded is an idiom. Its literal meaning is “stood outside ⌊themselves⌋.” The people were often surprised at Jesus’ miracles (as in 9:33b). This idiom indicates that they were even more surprised than normal.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

were astonished (New International Version)
-or-
were very surprised

In some languages, it may be natural to say what amazed the people. For example:

were very amazed ⌊by what Jesus did⌋
-or-

⌊This miracle⌋ really surprised the people

asked: The people probably spoke the following words to each other and not directly to Jesus. But they probably spoke them publicly because the Pharisees heard them (12:24a).

In some languages, it may be natural to make some of this information explicit For example:

said ⌊to one another⌋

12:23b

Could this be the Son of David?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise and uncertainty. Jesus was not the type of Messiah that the people were expecting. However, he did things that only the Messiah could do. So the people were confused. They were not certain that Jesus of Nazareth was the Messiah, but they were beginning to think that maybe he was. It was a surprising thought.

Here are some other ways to translate this surprise and uncertainty:

• As a rhetorical question. For example:

Could it be that Jesus is the Son of David, the Messiah? (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Is it possible that this man is the Son of David?

• As a statement. For example:

Perhaps this man is the Son of David! (New Century Version)

this: The word this refers to Jesus. Some languages may need a noun to go with the word this. For example:

this man (God’s Word)

the Son of David: This phrase is a title that the Jews used to refer to the Messiah. God had promised that the Messiah would be a descendant of David (Isaiah 9:6–7, 11:1–5, Jeremiah 23:5). In some languages, it may be necessary to make this information explicit. For example:

the Descendant of ⌊King⌋ David

-or-

the ⌊promised⌋ Son/Descendant of ⌊King⌋ David

In some languages, it may be helpful to add a footnote. Here is a sample footnote:

God promised that one of King David’s descendants would be the Messiah (Isaiah 9:6–7, 11:1–5, Jeremiah 23:5). The Jews were expecting this promised person to come, and they referred to him by the title “Son of David.”

This phrase also occurs in 9:27b. You should translate it here as you did there.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:5

13:5a

Some: The word Some refers to another group of seeds.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

Other seeds (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
Some of the seeds

fell: Translate this verb as you did in 13:4b.

rocky ground, where it did not have much soil: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rocky ground refers to ground that has a layer of solid rock underneath. This kind of ground did not have much soil over the solid rock. It was shallow ground. This clause does not refer to soil and rocks mixed together.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

shallow soil with underlying rock (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-

⌊solid⌋ rock with a thin layer of soil
-or-
bedrock where there is only a little soil on top

it: The pronoun it refers to the seeds. In some translations, a pronoun here is not necessary. For example:

where there was little soil (God’s Word)

did not have much soil: The word soil refers to the kind of ground/earth where plants grow. In this situation, there was very little soil on top of the layer of rock.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

there wasn’t much dirt (New Century Version)

13:5b

It sprang up quickly: This clause refers to the seeds quickly sprouting and becoming plants.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The seeds soon sprouted (Good News Translation)
-or-
The plants came up quickly

It: As in 13:5a, the pronoun It refers to the seeds.

because: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because introduces the reason why the seeds sprang up quickly.

Here is another way to translate this word:

because

the soil was shallow: The clause the soil was shallow has a similar meaning to “it did not have much soil” in 13:5a. It means that they (the seeds) did not have much soil in which to grow.

Here is another way to translate this clause:

the soil was not deep

General Comment on 13:5b

The clause “It sprang up quickly” is the result clause, and the clause “because the soil was shallow” is the reason clause here. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of these clauses. For example:

Since the soil was shallow, the seeds sprang up quickly

-or-

The soil was shallow, so the seeds sprang up quickly

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:37

13:37

The One who sows: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as One is masculine. It refers to the man of 13:24c.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

The man who sowed (Good News Translation)
-or-
The one who scattered (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The man who planted (New Century Version)

the good seed: You should translate this phrase in the same way as you did in 13:24c.

is: In this context, the word is indicates that the man in the parable represents Jesus.

Here are some other ways to translate this:

represents
-or-
is ⌊like⌋
-or-
is ⌊compared to⌋

the Son of Man: Here Jesus refers to himself as the Son of Man. In some languages, it may be necessary to add the pronoun “I” to make it clear that Jesus was referring to himself. For example:

⌊I,⌋ the Son of Man

This phrase also occurs in 12:40b. You should translate it here as you did there. For help in translating this phrase, see the note under 8:20b. See also Son of Man in Key Biblical Terms for more information.

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 8:7

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 9:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 9:37

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 10:31

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 11:21

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:5

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 13:37

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