Translation commentary on Matthew 12:47

Verse 47 is omitted by Revised Standard Version, Moffatt, and New Jerusalem Bible, with a footnote indicating that it was a later addition; An American Translation drops the verse without a note. TC-GNT accounts for its absence from some Greek manuscripts on the assumption that it was accidentally omitted because both it and verse 46 end in Greek with the same verb. The scribe’s eyes may have unintentionally caught the ending of verse 47 in place of verse 46 and then went on to verse 48. But the UBS Greek New Testament does rate its decision in the “C” category because of “considerable degree of doubt” regarding what may have been in the original text. Good News Translation includes the verse with a footnote that it is not found in some Greek manuscripts, thus following the decision of the UBS Greek text.

Some one (literally “A certain one”) translates a Semitic Greek idiom; Good News Translation has “one of the people there,” and Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition “one of the people.”

Him is a reference to Jesus.

“Look” (Good News Translation): see comments on “Behold” in 1.20; this attention-getter was most recently used in verse 46. Note: there is no “behold” in this verse in Revised Standard Version.

The last part of the verse can follow verse 46 quite closely: “Your mother and your brothers have arrived and are outside. They want to speak with you.” The whole thing can be indirect speech: “One of the people there told Jesus that his mother and brothers had come and were waiting outside because they wanted to talk to him.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

SIL Translator’s Notes on Matthew 12:47

12:47a–b

Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”: There is a textual issue here.

(1) Some Greek manuscripts include 12:47. Most English versions follow these manuscripts.

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

(2) Some Greek manuscripts do not include 12:47. A few English versions follow these manuscripts.

(English Standard Version, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible)

It is recommended that you follow option (1). Most English versions follow this option. Also, option (1) helps connect 12:46 and 12:48.

The person who told Jesus the news certainly talked to Jesus with respect. In some languages, it may be necessary to make this respect explicit. For example:

⌊Teacher,⌋ your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to you.

-or-

⌊Excuse me,⌋ your mother and your younger brothers are standing outside the house. They want to speak with you.

In some languages, it may be natural to translate this verse as indirect speech. For example:

Someone told Jesus that his mother and ⌊younger⌋ brothers were standing outside ⌊the house⌋ and wanted to talk with him.

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