Matius 3:14

3:14 But John ¹  tried to prevent ²  him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”

Matius 4:10

4:10 Then Jesus said to him, “Go away, ³  Satan! For it is written: ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” ⁴ 

Matius 5:39

5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. ⁵  But whoever strikes you on the ⁶  right cheek, turn the other to him as well.

Matius 7:3

7:3 Why ⁷  do you see the speck ⁸  in your brother’s eye, but fail to see ⁹  the beam of wood ¹⁰  in your own?

Matius 9:14

The Superiority of the New

9:14 Then John’s ¹¹  disciples came to Jesus ¹²  and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees ¹³  fast often, ¹⁴  but your disciples don’t fast?”

Matius 12:2

12:2 But when the Pharisees ¹⁵  saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.”

Matius 12:13

12:13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and it was restored, ¹⁶  as healthy as the other.

Matius 15:2

15:2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their ¹⁷  hands when they eat.” ¹⁸ 

Matius 18:16

18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. ¹⁹ 

Matius 20:15

20:15 Am I not ²⁰  permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ ²¹ 

Matius 21:5

21:5 “Tell the people of Zion, ²² 

‘Look, your king is coming to you,

unassuming and seated on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” ²³ 

Matius 26:52

26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! ²⁴  For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword.

[3:14]  ¹ tc ‡ The earliest mss (א* B sa) lack the name of John here (“but he tried to prevent him,” instead of “but John tried to prevent him”). It is, however, clearly implied (and is thus supplied in translation). Although the longer reading has excellent support (Ì⁹⁶ א¹ C D^s L W 0233 0250 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat[t] sy mae bo), it looks to be a motivated and predictable reading: Scribes apparently could not resist adding this clarification.

[3:14]  ² tn The imperfect verb has been translated conatively.

[4:10]  ³ tc The majority of later witnesses (C² D L Z 33 Ï) have “behind me” (ὀπίσω μου; opisw mou) after “Go away.” But since this is the wording in Matt 16:23, where the text is certain, scribes most likely added the words here to conform to the later passage. Further, the shorter reading has superior support (א B C*^vid K P W Δ 0233 Ë^1,13 565 579* 700 al). Thus, both externally and internally, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.

[4:10]  ⁴ sn A quotation from Deut 6:13. The word “only” is an interpretive expansion not found in either the Hebrew or Greek (LXX) text of the OT.

[5:39]  ⁵ tn The articular πονηρός (ponhro", “the evildoer”) cannot be translated simply as “evil” for then the command would be “do not resist evil.” Every instance of this construction in Matthew is most likely personified, referring either to an evildoer (13:49) or, more often, “the evil one” (as in 5:37; 6:13; 13:19, 38).

[5:39]  ⁶ tc ‡ Many mss (B D K L Δ Θ Ë¹³ 565 579 700 1424 pm) have σου (sou) here (“your right cheek”), but many others lack the pronoun (א W ˹ 33 892 1241 pm). The pronoun was probably added by way of clarification. NA²⁷ has σου in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[7:3]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:3]  ⁸ sn The term translated speck refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or straw; see L&N 3.66.

[7:3]  ⁹ tn Or “do not notice.”

[7:3]  ¹⁰ sn The term beam of wood refers to a very big piece of wood, the main beam of a building, in contrast to the speck in the other’s eye (L&N 7.78).

[9:14]  ¹¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[9:14]  ¹² tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:14]  ¹³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:14]  ¹⁴ sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

[12:2]  ¹⁵ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[12:13]  ¹⁶ sn The passive was restored points to healing by God. Now the question became: Would God exercise his power through Jesus, if what Jesus was doing were wrong? Note also Jesus’ “labor.” He simply spoke and it was so.

[15:2]  ¹⁷ tc ‡ Although most witnesses read the genitive plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”), it may have been motivated by clarification (as it is in the translation above). Several other authorities do not have the pronoun, however (א B Δ 073 ˹ 579 700 892 1424 pc f g¹); the lack of an unintentional oversight as the reason for omission strengthens their combined testimony in this shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[15:2]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “when they eat bread.”

[18:16]  ¹⁹ sn A quotation from Deut 19:15.

[20:15]  ²⁰ tc ‡ Before οὐκ (ouk, “[am I] not”) a number of significant witnesses read ἤ (h, “or”; e.g., א C W 085 Ë^1,13 33 and most others). Although in later Greek the οι in σοι (oi in soi) – the last word of v. 14 – would have been pronounced like ἤ, since ἤ is lacking in early mss (B D; among later witnesses, note L Z Θ 700) and since mss were probably copied predominantly by sight rather than by sound, even into the later centuries, the omission of ἤ cannot be accounted for as easily. Thus the shorter reading is most likely original. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[20:15]  ²¹ tn Grk “Is your eye evil because I am good?”

[21:5]  ²² tn Grk “Tell the daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.

[21:5]  ²³ tn Grk “the foal of an animal under the yoke,” i.e., a hard-working animal. This is a quotation from Zech 9:9.

[26:52]  ²⁴ tn The translation “put your sword back in its place” for this phrase is given in L&N 85.52.