respectful form of "do" (nasaru)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way to do this is through the usage of lexical honorific forms, i.e., completely different words, as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. In these verses, nasaru (なさる), the respectful form of suru (する) or “do,” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on Matthew 21:15

Chief priests and scribes were discussed at 2.4.

The wonderful things (so also Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, New English Bible) is the rendering of most English translations; An American Translation and Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch have “the wonders.” The reference is to the miracles of healing, and the word used to describe these healings focuses upon the aspect of wonder. It is used only here in the New Testament, though it occurs quite frequently in the Old Testament, where it is used of the wonders that God performed in Egypt (Exo 3.20). Barclay has “astonishing things,” and some have said “miracles.”

The children crying out in the temple also introduces information not included in the Marcan parallel. Matthew has previously shown Jesus’ concern for children (19.13-15), and he has recorded Jesus’ teaching that a person must become like a child before he can enter the Kingdom of God (18.1-5; see also 18.25). So it is not surprising that he mentions this event which is not included in any of the other Gospels. It may sound odd to say that the chief priests and teachers of the law saw children crying out or shouting, so some translators have said “and when they heard the children shouting out.”

Hosanna to the Son of David translates the same expression used in Matthew 21.9.

Were indignant translates the same verb used in 20.24; it will appear again in 26.8.

In the translation of this verse, it will probably be necessary to reorder some of the events: “The chief priests and the teachers of the Law saw the wonderful miracles that Jesus was doing. They also heard the children shouting in the Temple, ‘Praise to David’s Son!’ So they became angry at Jesus, 16 and said 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 .