The crowds that went before him and that followed him refers to the people who were joining him as he made his way into the city. It does not necessarily mean the disciples or the believers. Translators can say “The people walking in front of and behind Jesus.”

As a comparison of Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version will indicate, “Jesus” of Good News Translation translates the pronoun him of the Greek text. Both Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch and Bible en français courant also use the proper name.

For English readers the verb shouted may imply a loud cry, without specific content. In translation one should take care that the reader (and especially the hearer) understands that the content of the shout is given immediately following the verb.

Hosanna (Good News Translation “Praise”) represents a transliteration of the Hebrew expression meaning “Save us now!” or “Please save us!” But as the NIV footnote indicates, it had become “an exclamation of praise” used by the Israelites as a liturgical formula. A number of translations use an expression that will be suitable to shout to royalty as they pass by in procession. See, for example, “God save the Son of David!” (Phillips; similarly Barclay).

Son of David is a Messianic title that we discussed at 9.27.

Blessed is he who (so also New American Bible, New International Version) may be translated “God bless him who” (Good News Translation, Barclay), since Blessed is here used as a prayer invoking God’s blessings upon the person whose name is used immediately after it. In the name of the Lord is translated literally by all English translations; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “as the Lord’s representative,” and Malay common language version has “with the Lord’s authority.” The entire exclamation, Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! is taken from Psalm 118.26, which was used in the liturgy for the Festivals of Shelters, Dedication, and Passover.

Translators who follow the interpretation that in the name of the Lord means “with the Lord’s authority” may say “Blessings on (or, May God bless) the one who comes with the Lord’s authority (or, with the Lord’s power).” Those who understand this expression to refer to a representative from the Lord may say “Blessings on (or, May God bless) the one who comes as his messenger (or, the one he sends to serve us).”

Hosanna in the highest!: the phrase in the highest represents a way of speaking of God without mentioning the sacred name; Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has the literal equivalent of “Praise be to God in the height,” and Good News Translation has “Praise be to God.”

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 .