complete verse (Matthew 3:10)

Following are a number of back-translations of Matthew 3:10:

  • Uma: “The punishment of God is about to arrive. His punishment is like an ax that is ready ahead of time at the foot of the tree. Every tree whose fruit is not good, will certainly be chopped down and thrown into the fire.'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “You are figuratively like a tree that will soon be cut at it’s roots. All trees that do not bear good fruit will be cut off and thrown into the fire and burned.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The one who is cutting down trees has raised (the ax) because he will cut down every tree whose fruit is not good so that it may be burned. This is to say, the person whose way of doing is not good, God will punish him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “God’s punishing of you can be compared to an axe that is poised to cut-down the tree, and every trees that doesn’t bear- good -fruit will be cut-down at its base so that it will then be burned-as-firewood.'” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “For now/today, the axe is poised-to-fall on the root of the tree growing from (that root), for every tree that doesn’t fruit well will be axed and thrown on the fire. Well, punishment like that is now coming close to you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “You are like trees which have not produced fruit. But now the ax is ready for cutting down the trees. All the trees which do not want to produce will be cut down and burned.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

John the Baptist Preaching in the Desert

Following is a 1973 painting of the JESUS MAFA project, a response to New Testament readings from the Lectionary by a Christian community in Cameroon, Africa. Each of the readings was selected and adapted to dramatic interpretation by the community members. Photographs of their interpretations were made, and these were then transcribed to paintings:

John the Baptist dramatically preaches by the water’s edge to his audience that consists of common people as well as religious leaders. He appears to be in the middle of his harsh pronouncement on the Pharisees and Sadducees, calling them a “brood of vipers.” They stand at the right-hand side of the painting, arms folded, seemingly indignant at John’s words. The rest of the crowd watches and listens intently to John, curious and enthralled by the scene before them. In the distance there are some figures approaching the group. Could it be Jesus on the way to his baptism?

From Art in the Christian Tradition , a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Image retrieved March 23, 2026. Original source: librairie-emmanuel.fr.

Translation commentary on Matthew 3:10

The theme of judgment binds together verses 10-12, and in each of these three verses the word “fire” is explicitly mentioned. Although Jeremiah 46.22 speaks of men who go into the forest to chop down trees, the figure of the axe that is laid to the root of the trees is best understood as drawn from the experience of either a gardener or a person who takes care of grapevines. The trees referred to here are useful trees or grapevines from which one could expect to gather good fruit. The background for the words of John the Baptist may be found in Ezekiel 15.1-8, where the prophet compares the people of Jerusalem to the wood of the grapevine. Once the vine has ceased bearing fruit it is useless, and there is nothing that can be done with its wood, except to burn it. John the Baptist does not speak of someone who comes to prune the vine with a knife, but of one who comes to “cut down the trees at the roots” (Good News Translation), after which they will be thrown into the fire.

Even now can be “Already,” or the meaning can be included in a phrase such as “God is ready” or “The ax is ready.”

For the ax to be laid to the root of the trees does not make sense in many languages, and the idea that everything is prepared to cut down the trees needs to be made explicit. Further, in many languages one cannot say that the ax is ready. The person who is going to use the ax must be mentioned. Thus one can say “God has the ax ready to cut down the trees at the roots.” If “ax” is difficult to translate, one can even say “God is ready to cut down….”

Cut down and thrown is a passive construction, but it is God who does this. Translations can have “God will cut it down and throw it into the fire.”

Every tree may be “any tree that does not…” or “If a tree does not….”

Bear good fruit may be translated “bear fruit that is edible (or, sweet)” or “bear fruit like it should.” In some cases it will be enough to say “produce fruit.”

The fire is a symbol of hell, the place of punishment. It is not normally advisable to say “hell” in the translation, but many translations make “fire” definite (that is, “the fire”) and not indefinite (“a fire”).

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 3:10

3:10

Verse 3:10 is a metaphor. Its literal meaning is that someone has aimed his axe at trees that do not produce good fruit. He is ready to cut down these trees and burn them.

John the Baptist was comparing the Pharisees and Sadducees to these trees. He compared their behavior to the fruit of the trees. He compared God to the man who is ready to chop down the trees that had not produced good fruit. John was warning them that just as trees that do not produce good fruit will be chopped down and burned, so they will be severely punished by God if they do not show good works.

Here are some other ways to translate this metaphor:

• Translate it literally. For example:

There is an axe already at the base of the trees, and every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
-or-
The axe is already at the base of the trees. If a tree does not produce good fruit, it will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

If you translate the metaphor literally, you may wish to explain the meaning in a footnote. A sample footnote is:

John was saying that just as a man is ready to chop down any tree that does not produce good fruit, so God was ready to punish people who do not do good deeds that show that they have repented.

• Translate the metaphor as a simile. For example:

⌊God is like⌋ a man holding his axe at a tree trunk. ⌊If you do not show good works, you will be punished. This is like⌋ a tree that does not bear good fruit. He will cut it down and throw it into the fire.
-or-

⌊Just as⌋ ⌊a man⌋ is holding his axe ready to chop down a tree that does not bear fruit and throw it into the fire, ⌊in the same way God is ready to punish you if you do not do good things/deeds⌋.

• Translate the meaning without the metaphor. For example:

You will soon be punished eternally ⌊by God⌋ if you do not do good deeds
-or-
God is ready to judge/punish you who fail to do good deeds that show that you have repented

3:10a

The axe lies ready at the root of the trees: This clause indicates that an axe is ready to cut down trees. It is implied that someone is holding the axe. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

⌊someone has his⌋ axe pointed/aimed at the trunk of trees ⌊ready to cut them down⌋
-or-

⌊a man is⌋ holding an axe at the base/trunk of trees. ⌊He is ready to cut them down⌋
-or-
the trees will soon be cut by a man with an axe

These words are a metaphor. For advice on translating this metaphor, see the examples above.

The axe lies ready: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as ready emphasizes that the danger is immediate. The axe is right there, ready to strike. The tree is about to fall.

Here is another way to translate this word:

The ax is already (New International Version)
-or-
Even now the axe is laid (English Standard Version)

at the root of the trees: The phrase at the root of the trees refers to the part of the tree that is just above the ground, where an axe could cut it. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

the base/trunk of the trees
-or-
at the bottom/foot of the trees

In some languages, it is not necessary to specify where the tree is cut down. For example:

to cut down the trees (New Century Version)

the trees: John did not name a specific type of trees, but it is clear from the context that he was referring to fruit trees such as fig trees.

3:10b

The metaphor continues here in 3:10b. People who do not do good works are compared to trees that do not produce good fruit. God will punish these people. They are compared to trees that are cut down.

For translation advice, see the examples above in 3:10.

and every tree: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as and introduces what happens as a result of the situation in 3:10a.

Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:

so then
-or-
as a result
-or-
the result will be that

that does not produce good fruit: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as produce…fruit also occurred in 3:8. You should translate these words here as you did there.

will be cut down: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as will be cut down is passive.

Here are some other ways to translate this verb:

• As a passive verb. For example:

is cut down (Revised Standard Version)

• As an active verb. For example:

⌊he⌋ will cut it down

3:10c

The metaphor continues by describing how the tree is burned and so destroyed. This refers to being punished by God.

thrown into the fire: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as thrown is passive.

Here are some other ways to translate this verb:

• As a passive verb. For example:

thrown into the fire (Revised Standard Version)

• As an active verb. For example:

and will throw it into a fire

-or-

then ⌊he⌋ will throw it on a fire ⌊and burn it⌋.

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