SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023 – Page 60

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 18:26

Paragraph 18:26–27

18:26a

Then: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Then indicates that 18:26 is the result of what the master said in 18:25.

Here are some other ways to begin this verse:

When this happened
-or-
As a result

Some English versions do not translate this word. They allow the context to suggest the connection. In some languages, a conjunction will not be necessary here either.

the servant fell on his knees before him: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as fell on his knees is more literally “fell and prostrated himself before him.” This indicates that the servant wanted to show the king great respect and honor. A person usually did that by bending over with his face toward the ground, or actually lying face down on the ground. This does not mean that he tripped and fell.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

got down on his knees (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
knelt/bowed down before him
-or-
threw himself to the ground before him (New International Version)

18:26b

Have patience with me: There is a textual issue here. Some Greek manuscripts include the word “Lord” at the beginning of the servant’s plea. Other Greek manuscripts do not include this word.

(1) Most English versions follow the Greek manuscripts that do not include this word. For example:

Have patience with me (New Revised Standard Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New International Version, NET Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation, Contemporary English Version, New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, God’s Word)

(2) Many Greek manuscripts do include the word “Lord,” but only a few English translations follow them. For example:

Lord, have patience with me (Revised Standard Version)

(Revised Standard Version, King James Version, New Living Translation (1996))

The word “Lord” was probably not in the original Greek text. However, remember that the servant spoke very politely to his master as he pleaded for patience. In some languages, this way of speaking includes the use of a title. In other languages, there are other ways to show respect with words. For example:

Please, be patient with me (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
My master, be patient with me

Have patience: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Have patience is a command. But because of whom the servant said this to, it is really a plea or a request for patience.

The servant pleaded with the master not to act quickly on his decision to sell him. Rather, he should wait a bit, even though the master had the right to do what he threatened.

Here are some other ways to translate this plea:

Sir, please, allow me to have some more time.
-or-
My king, have pity and wait a while.

he begged: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as begged is the common Greek verb that means “saying.” In this context, the servant’s speech implies that he pleaded with the master. So, many English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, translate it as begged.

You can translate this word as begged or “said” or another word that is natural for this context.

18:26c

and I will pay back everything: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pay is the same word that the master used in 18:25a. It means to “give back” or “return” something.

The word everything refers to everything that the servant owed.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

I will pay you everything I owe. (New Century Version)
-or-
I will reimburse you for everything.

-or-

I will return all your money.

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Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 19:23

Paragraph 19:23–26

19:23a

Then Jesus said to His disciples: Verse 19:23 begins a new paragraph. In this paragraph, Jesus stopped talking with the young man. He started talking with his disciples. To show this change, many English versions, including the Berean Standard Bible, begin this paragraph with the word Then.

Truly I tell you: Jesus often used these words to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. When he began a statement with these words, he was asking people to listen with extra attention.

Here are some other ways to translate these words:

I assure you that
-or-
Listen to this:
-or-
Let me tell you this:

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 18:13a.

19:23b

it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as it is hard can also be translated as “with difficulty.” For example:

only with difficulty will a rich person enter the kingdom of heaven (New International Version)

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

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

rich person (English Standard Version)
-or-
someone who is rich (New International Version)

In Greek, the term rich man is singular. And the verb to enter is future. However, this clause is a general principle. So, in some languages, it will be more natural make the term rich man plural and/or to use a present tense verb. For example:

it will be very hard for rich people to enter the Kingdom of heaven (Good News Translation)
-or-
It’s terribly hard for rich people to get into the kingdom of heaven! (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
To enter into the kingdom of heaven is very hard for rich people

to enter the kingdom of heaven: In this context, the phrase to enter refers to “become a citizen of.” When people believe in Jesus, they become citizens/members of the kingdom of heaven.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

become a citizen of the kingdom of heaven
-or-
become one of those who are in the kingdom of ⌊the one who lives in⌋ heaven

-or-

be added to the people over whom God rules

This same expression occurs in 5:20b and 18:3c. You should translate it the same way in all these places.

See how you translated the phrase kingdom of heaven in 19:12c and 19:14c. See also kingdom of heaven in Key Biblical Terms 1 (d) for more information.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 20:25

20:25a

But: There is a mild contrast here. The disciples were concerned about who among them would be the leader. Jesus was concerned about teaching them to be servants. The Greek indicates this contrast with the conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But.

Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. Other versions use the word “So” here. You should connect this verse to the previous verses in a way that is natural in your language.

Jesus called them aside: This clause indicates that Jesus asked the disciples to gather around him. The pronoun them probably refers to all twelve disciples. It does not just refer to the two brothers.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Jesus called them all together (Good News Translation)
-or-
Jesus asked the disciples to gather around him

20:25b–c

Verse 20:25b and 20:25c are a parallelism. This means that they are two ways of saying the same thing. Notice the parallel parts in these two statements:

25bYou know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, 25cand their great ones exercise authority over them.

Jesus repeated this idea in order to emphasize it. You should show this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language. Some languages can repeat the idea. In other languages, it may be more natural to combine the two parts and translate them together. For example:

You know that the chiefs and big men of the Gentiles rule the people under them.

20:25b

You know that: Here Jesus stated something that the disciples already knew. He did not have to explain what he was talking about.

the rulers: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as rulers refers to people who are in charge of others. In this context, it probably refers to people in charge of other countries.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the leaders
-or-
chiefs/kings

of the Gentiles: Jews used the word Gentiles to refer to all the people groups beside themselves. This word also occurs in 20:19a.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the non-Jewish people (New Century Version)
-or-
people who are not Jews

lord it over them: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as lord it over comes from the Greek noun which means “lord” or “master.” As a verb, this word refer to the action that a lord or master does. He rules over his people.

There are at least two ways to interpret this verb:

It is used in a neutral sense to simply mean rule. It is what rulers do. They rule/reign over their people. For example:

have power over (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, God’s Word, King James Version)

It is used in a negative sense to mean abuse their power. For example:

love to show their power (New Century Version)

(Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

Many English versions translate this verb using the same word as the noun “lord.” So it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This verb does not necessarily have a negative meaning associated with it.

Jesus contrasted great men in this world with great men in the kingdom of God. Great men in this world rule over people. People serve them. Great men in the kingdom of God serve others. Jesus contrasted ruling and serving, not abusing power and serving.

them: The pronoun them refers to people governed by the rulers.

20:25c

their superiors: This phrase refers to men of high status who are in authority. It is parallel to “the rulers of the Gentiles” in 20:25b.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

great men (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
those in high positions (NET Bible)
-or-
their important leaders (New Century Version)

exercise authority over them: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as exercise authority over comes from the noun which means “authority.” As a verb, this word refers to the action that a man of authority does. He has/exercises authority over his people.

This verb is parallel to the verb “lord it over” in 20:25b. You should translate it in a similar way. For example:

have authority/power
-or-
rule/reign

-or-

govern

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 22:23

Section 22:23–33 Some Sadducees asked Jesus about the resurrection

In the previous section, the Pharisees tried to trick Jesus. They were not successful. In this section, it is the turn of the Sadducees. They made up a story about an impossible situation that might happen if there were a resurrection. Then they asked Jesus to explain it. They thought that he would not be able to, but he was able to explain it anyway.

The story that the Sadducees told was based on their belief that there will be no resurrection. The Pharisees and many other Jews were confident that when the new age arrived, there would be a general resurrection of all the faithful Jews who had died. However, the Sadducees did not believe that such a thing would take place.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

Sadducees ask about the resurrection (English Standard Version)
-or-
Marriage at the resurrection (New International Version)

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 12:18–27 and Luke 20:27–40.

Paragraph 22:23–28

22:23a–c

a
The same day Sadducees came to him, bwho say that there is no resurrection, cand they asked him a question: Verse 22:23b is a type of relative clause. (A relative clause is a clause that usually starts with a relative pronoun. Here, the relative pronoun is the word who. It refers back to the Sadducees.) This type of relative clause describes all the Sadducees. It is not describing only some of them.

Some languages do not have this type of relative clause. For those languages, it will be necessary to translate this part of the verse without using a relative clause. For example:

That same day some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead. (New Century Version)
-or-
The Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death. So that same day some of the Sadducees came to Jesus… (Contemporary English Version)

22:23a

The same day: This time phrase indicates that the events in this section happened some time during the same day as the previous story. It does not indicate whether these events happened immediately after the previous story or not.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

That same day (New Century Version)

Sadducees: The last time that Matthew used the word Sadducees was in 16:12c.

The word Sadducees refers to men who were members of a Jewish religious group. They believed that people must follow the laws in the Old Testament and not add other rules. They did not believe that God would bring people back to life again after they died. They also did not believe that angels or spirits existed (Acts 23:8). They also accepted some ideas held by the Greeks. Many Sadducees were priests.

Here are some ways to translate Sadducees:

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

Sadusi members
-or-
Saduce adherents

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

people belonging to the Sadusi religious group
-or-
members of the Jewish group called the Saduce

came to him: The Greek verb that the English Standard Version translates as came to indicates that they approached him from a relatively short distance away. It does not mean that they came a long distance to see Jesus.

The pronoun him refers to Jesus. Since this sentence starts a new section, you may want to make that explicit. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

approached him (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
came to Jesus (New Century Version)

22:23b

who say that there is no resurrection: This clause means that all the Sadducees believed that God would not resurrect dead people. The Sadducees believed that only the five books of Moses were inspired. In those five books, they did not see evidence of a resurrection. So they did accept the idea that there would be a general resurrection of the dead. (See the discussion of this clause in 22:23a–c above.)

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Sadducees did not believe that people would rise to life after death (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
claimed that people will not rise from death (Good News Translation)
-or-
Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead. (New Century Version)

resurrection: This term refers to a “resurrection from the dead.” It refers to dead people being brought back to life.

At that time, many Jews believed that there would be a general resurrection of true Jews at the end of the age. The Pharisees strongly held this idea, but the Sadducees denied it. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

people would rise to life after death (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
dead people will come back to life
-or-
people who die will live again in the future
-or-
God will cause dead people to live again

22:23c

and they asked him a question: In Greek, this phrase is more literally “they asked him” or “they questioned him.”

Here is another way to translate this clause:

They asked him (God’s Word)

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 1:8-9

1:8a–b

Joram: Some English versions spell this name Joram, as the Berean Standard Bible does. Other English versions spell it Jehoram. You should follow the spelling of the national language version, but spell it according to the rules of your language.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2:19

Section 2:19–23

Jesus’ family moved from Egypt to Nazareth

In this section, Matthew showed another way that scripture was fulfilled. When Joseph moved Mary and Jesus back to Israel, he intended to live in the district of Judea. But God warned him in a dream not to live there. So he went to the district of Galilee and lived in the town of Nazareth. In that way, the scripture was fulfilled that said that Jesus would be a Nazarene.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The Return from Egypt (Good News Translation)
-or-
The Return to Nazareth (NET Bible)
-or-
Jesus fulfills scripture by living in Nazareth

Paragraph 2:19–21

2:19a

The Greek of 2:19a begins with a conjunction that is often translated as “but.” Here, it functions to introduce the next part of the story. It does not show contrast. The Berean Standard Bible and most English versions do not translate this conjunction here. You should begin this paragraph in a way that is natural in your language.

After Herod died: In some languages, it may be more natural to make the clause Herod died a complete sentence. For example:

One day, Herod died.
-or-
Later, ⌊King⌋ Herod died.

In other languages, it may be more natural to begin 2:19a with some of the information from 2:19b. For example:

While Joseph ⌊and his family⌋ ⌊were still⌋ in Egypt, Herod died.

2:19b

The Greek of 2:19b begins with a word that is often translated as “behold.” It indicates that something unexpected and extraordinary will happen. In this passage, an angel again appeared to Joseph. You should translate this expression in the same way as you did in 2:13b.

an angel of the Lord: This expression also occurred in 2:13. See how you translated it there.

appeared in a dream to Joseph: This clause is the same as the clause in 2:13b.

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 4:11

4:11a

Then: The conjunction translated as Then is the same word as in 4:1a and 4:5a. It introduces a new development in the story. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

At that time
-or-
Next

the devil left Him: The phrase the devil left Him means that the devil went away from Jesus. He stopped troubling him for a while. For example:

the devil went away (New Living Translation (2004))

4:11b

and angels came: The Greek is literally “and, behold, angels came.” The word “behold” brings attention to the words that follow. The Berean Standard Bible omits this word, but it often indicates something unexpected and extraordinary.

If you have a term that gets the attention of people that is natural in this context, you may want to use it here. Here are some other examples:

and suddenly angels came (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
and unexpectedly some angels came
-or-
Look! Some angels came

and ministered to Him: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ministered to Him means “helped him” or “took care of him.” This may have included providing Jesus with food, comfort, and protection.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

helped him (Good News Translation)
-or-
took care of him (New Century Version)

-or-

gave him the things he needed

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 5:18

5:18a

For: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For introduces the basis for Jesus’ statement in 5:17. It does not introduce the reason for something. Many English versions do not translate this conjunction.

I tell you truly: Jesus often used the words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as I tell you truly to introduce a statement that he wanted to emphasize. When he began a statement with these words, he was asking people to listen with extra attention.

Here are some other ways to introduce this:

I assure you (New Living Translation (1996))
-or-
Listen to this:
-or-
Let me tell you this:

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.

until heaven and earth pass away: The phrase until heaven and earth pass away is another way of saying “until the end of the world.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

as long as heaven and earth last (Good News Translation)
-or-
as long as earth and sky are still here
-or-
until the earth and heaven cease to exist

heaven: In this context, the word heaven refers to the sky (including the place where the sun, moon, and stars are). It does not refer to the place where God lives.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the sky
-or-
the above

5:18b–c

not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law: This clause indicates that no part of God’s law will ever be removed or become invalid, not even the smallest part.

This clause uses the parts of writing words to refer figuratively to the commands and teachings in the law. It may be more natural in your language to refer to the commands and teachings directly rather than use parts of writing figuratively. For example:

not the least point nor the smallest detail of the Law will be done away with (Good News Translation)
-or-
even the smallest detail of God’s law will remain (New Living Translation (1996))

5:18b

a single jot: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as jot is literally “iota.” An “iota” is the smallest letter in the Greek alphabet. It can also refer to a very small stroke of a pen or it can represent a small letter, like the English letter “i.”

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the smallest part of a word
-or-
the shortest word
-or-
the smallest point of writing

not a stroke of a pen: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as not a stroke of a pen is more literally “not one pen stroke.” This phrase refers to the smallest part of a letter. It would be like the dot above the letter “i” or the cross mark on the letter “t.”

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a dot (English Standard Version)
-or-
even the smallest part of a letter

5:18c

will disappear from: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disappear is the same word as in 5:18a. There the Berean Standard Bible translates this word as “pass away.”

Some languages may not use the same verb in both places. Here are some other ways to translate this word:

pass (English Standard Version)
-or-
be removed
-or-
be changed

the Law: Here the words the Law refer generally to the whole Old Testament. Use a phrase that can refer to the whole Old Testament. For example:

God’s Law (New Living Translation (2004))

5:18d

until everything is accomplished: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as until everything is accomplished is more literally “until all (things) happen.” This indicates that the law is in effect until everything happens that is supposed to happen. Every prophecy must be fulfilled, and every commandment must be completed/accomplished. Then the end will come, and only at that time will the law no longer be valid.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

until everything has happened (New Century Version)

-or-

until all that must happen has happened (Revised English Bible)

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Source: SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2023

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 18:26

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 19:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 20:25

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 22:23

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 1:8-9

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 2:19

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 4:11

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 5:18

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