Matius 5:1--25:46
Konteks5:1 When 1 he saw the crowds, he went up the mountain. 2 After he sat down his disciples came to him. 5:2 Then 3 he began to teach 4 them by saying:
5:3 “Blessed 5 are the poor in spirit, 6 for the kingdom of heaven belongs 7 to them.
5:4 “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 8
5:5 “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
5:6 “Blessed are those who hunger 9 and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
5:9 “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called the children 10 of God.
5:10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
5:11 “Blessed are you when people 11 insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely 12 on account of me. 5:12 Rejoice and be glad because your reward is great in heaven, for they persecuted the prophets before you in the same way.
5:13 “You are the salt 13 of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, 14 how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people. 5:14 You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill cannot be hidden. 5:15 People 15 do not light a lamp and put it under a basket 16 but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 5:16 In the same way, let your light shine before people, so that they can see your good deeds and give honor to your Father in heaven.
5:17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish these things but to fulfill them. 17 5:18 I 18 tell you the truth, 19 until heaven and earth pass away not the smallest letter or stroke of a letter 20 will pass from the law until everything takes place. 5:19 So anyone who breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others 21 to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever obeys them and teaches others to do so will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 5:20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law 22 and the Pharisees, 23 you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.
5:21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation, 24 ‘Do not murder,’ 25 and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ 5:22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother 26 will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults 27 a brother will be brought before 28 the council, 29 and whoever says ‘Fool’ 30 will be sent 31 to fiery hell. 32 5:23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 5:24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift. 5:25 Reach agreement 33 quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, 34 or he 35 may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison. 5:26 I tell you the truth, 36 you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny! 37
5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 38 5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body thrown into hell. 39 5:30 If your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away! It is better to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into hell.
5:31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’ 40 5:32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, 41 ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 42 5:34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God, 5:35 not by earth, because it is his footstool, and not by Jerusalem, 43 because it is the city of the great King. 5:36 Do not take an oath by your head, because you are not able to make one hair white or black. 5:37 Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one. 44
5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ 45 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. 46 But whoever strikes you on the 47 right cheek, turn the other to him as well. 5:40 And if someone wants to sue you and to take your tunic, 48 give him your coat also. 5:41 And if anyone forces you to go one mile, 49 go with him two. 5:42 Give to the one who asks you, 50 and do not reject 51 the one who wants to borrow from you.
5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ 52 and ‘hate your enemy.’ 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and 53 pray for those who persecute you, 5:45 so that you may be like 54 your Father in heaven, since he causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. 5:46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Even the tax collectors 55 do the same, don’t they? 5:47 And if you only greet your brothers, what more do you do? Even the Gentiles do the same, don’t they? 5:48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. 56
6:1 “Be 57 careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. 58 Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, 59 do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues 60 and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, 61 they have their reward. 6:3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 62
6:5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues 63 and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, 64 close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. 65 6:7 When 66 you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard. 6:8 Do 67 not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 6:9 So pray this way: 68
Our Father 69 in heaven, may your name be honored, 70
6:10 may your kingdom come, 71
may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
6:11 Give us today our daily bread, 72
6:12 and forgive us our debts, as we ourselves 73 have forgiven our debtors.
6:13 And do not lead us into temptation, 74 but deliver us from the evil one. 75
6:14 “For if you forgive others 76 their sins, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 6:15 But if you do not forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins.
6:16 “When 77 you fast, do not look sullen like the hypocrites, for they make their faces unattractive 78 so that people will see them fasting. I tell you the truth, 79 they have their reward. 6:17 When 80 you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 6:18 so that it will not be obvious to others when you are fasting, but only to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
6:19 “Do not accumulate for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth 81 and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. 6:20 But accumulate for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. 6:21 For where your 82 treasure 83 is, there your heart will be also.
6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If then your eye is healthy, 84 your whole body will be full of light. 6:23 But if your eye is diseased, 85 your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!
6:24 “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate 86 the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise 87 the other. You cannot serve God and money. 88
6:25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry 89 about your life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Isn’t there more to life than food and more to the body than clothing? 6:26 Look at the birds in the sky: 90 They do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds 91 them. Aren’t you more valuable 92 than they are? 6:27 And which of you by worrying can add even one hour to his life? 93 6:28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers 94 of the field grow; they do not work 95 or spin. 6:29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his glory was clothed like one of these! 6:30 And if this is how God clothes the wild grass, 96 which is here today and tomorrow is tossed into the fire to heat the oven, 97 won’t he clothe you even more, 98 you people of little faith? 6:31 So then, don’t worry saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 6:32 For the unconverted 99 pursue these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 6:33 But above all pursue his kingdom 100 and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 6:34 So then, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of its own. 101
7:1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. 102 7:2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. 103 7:3 Why 104 do you see the speck 105 in your brother’s eye, but fail to see 106 the beam of wood 107 in your own? 7:4 Or how can you say 108 to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces. 109
7:7 “Ask 110 and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door 111 will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks 112 receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 7:9 Is 113 there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 114 7:11 If you then, although you are evil, 115 know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts 116 to those who ask him! 7:12 In 117 everything, treat others as you would want them 118 to treat you, 119 for this fulfills 120 the law and the prophets.
7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 7:14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
7:15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. 121 7:16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered 122 from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? 123 7:17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad 124 tree bears bad fruit. 7:18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit. 7:19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 7:20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit.
7:21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ 125 will enter into the kingdom of heaven – only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. 7:22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and do 126 many powerful deeds?’ 7:23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’ 127
7:24 “Everyone 128 who hears these words of mine and does them is like 129 a wise man 130 who built his house on rock. 7:25 The rain fell, the flood 131 came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because it had been founded on rock. 7:26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 7:27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed; it was utterly destroyed!” 132
7:28 When 133 Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 7:29 because he taught them like one who had authority, 134 not like their experts in the law. 135
8:1 After he came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 8:2 And a leper 136 approached, and bowed low before him, saying, 137 “Lord, if 138 you are willing, you can make me clean.” 8:3 He stretched out his hand and touched 139 him saying, “I am willing. Be clean!” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. 8:4 Then Jesus said to him, “See that you do not speak to anyone, 140 but go, show yourself to a priest, and bring the offering 141 that Moses commanded, 142 as a testimony to them.” 143
8:5 When he entered Capernaum, 144 a centurion 145 came to him asking for help: 146 8:6 “Lord, 147 my servant 148 is lying at home paralyzed, in terrible anguish.” 8:7 Jesus 149 said to him, “I will come and heal him.” 8:8 But the centurion replied, 150 “Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Instead, just say the word and my servant will be healed. 8:9 For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. 151 I say to this one, ‘Go’ and he goes, 152 and to another ‘Come’ and he comes, and to my slave 153 ‘Do this’ and he does it.” 154 8:10 When 155 Jesus heard this he was amazed and said to those who followed him, “I tell you the truth, 156 I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel! 8:11 I tell you, many will come from the east and west to share the banquet 157 with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob 158 in the kingdom of heaven, 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” 159 8:13 Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; just as you believed, it will be done for you.” And the servant 160 was healed at that hour.
8:14 Now 161 when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying down, 162 sick with a fever. 8:15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her. Then 163 she got up and began to serve them. 8:16 When it was evening, many demon-possessed people were brought to him. He drove out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick. 164 8:17 In this way what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet was fulfilled: 165
“He took our weaknesses and carried our diseases.” 166
8:18 Now when Jesus saw a large crowd 167 around him, he gave orders to go to the other side of the lake. 168 8:19 Then 169 an expert in the law 170 came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” 171 8:20 Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and the birds in the sky 172 have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” 173 8:21 Another 174 of the 175 disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” 8:22 But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 176
8:23 As he got into the boat, his disciples followed him. 177 8:24 And a great storm developed on the sea so that the waves began to swamp the boat. But he was asleep. 8:25 So they came 178 and woke him up saying, “Lord, save us! We are about to die!” 8:26 But 179 he said to them, “Why are you cowardly, you people of little faith?” Then he got up and rebuked 180 the winds and the sea, 181 and it was dead calm. 8:27 And the men 182 were amazed and said, 183 “What sort of person is this? Even the winds and the sea obey him!” 184
8:28 When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, 185 two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass by that way. 8:29 They 186 cried out, “Son of God, leave us alone! 187 Have you come here to torment us before the time?” 188 8:30 A 189 large herd of pigs was feeding some distance from them. 8:31 Then the demons begged him, 190 “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” 8:32 And he said, 191 “Go!” So 192 they came out and went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep slope into the lake and drowned in the water. 8:33 The 193 herdsmen ran off, went into the town, 194 and told everything that had happened to the demon-possessed men. 8:34 Then 195 the entire town 196 came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they begged him to leave their region.
9:1 After getting into a boat he crossed to the other side and came to his own town. 197 9:2 Just then 198 some people 199 brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. 200 When Jesus saw their 201 faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” 202 9:3 Then 203 some of the experts in the law 204 said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 205 9:4 When Jesus saw their reaction he said, “Why do you respond with evil in your hearts? 9:5 Which is easier, 206 to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 9:6 But so that you may know 207 that the Son of Man 208 has authority on earth to forgive sins” – then he said to the paralytic 209 – “Stand up, take your stretcher, and go home.” 210 9:7 And he stood up and went home. 211 9:8 When 212 the crowd saw this, they were afraid 213 and honored God who had given such authority to men. 214
9:9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. 215 “Follow me,” he said to him. And he got up and followed him. 9:10 As 216 Jesus 217 was having a meal 218 in Matthew’s 219 house, many tax collectors 220 and sinners came and ate with Jesus and his disciples. 9:11 When the Pharisees 221 saw this they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 222 9:12 When 223 Jesus heard this he said, “Those who are healthy don’t need a physician, but those who are sick do. 224 9:13 Go and learn what this saying means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice.’ 225 For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
9:14 Then John’s 226 disciples came to Jesus 227 and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees 228 fast often, 229 but your disciples don’t fast?” 9:15 Jesus said to them, “The wedding guests 230 cannot mourn while the bridegroom 231 is with them, can they? But the days 232 are coming when the bridegroom will be taken from them, 233 and then they will fast. 9:16 No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse. 9:17 And no one pours new wine into old wineskins; 234 otherwise the skins burst and the wine is spilled out and the skins are destroyed. Instead they put new wine into new wineskins 235 and both are preserved.”
9:18 As he was saying these things, a ruler came, bowed low before him, and said, “My daughter has just died, but come and lay your hand on her and she will live.” 9:19 Jesus and his disciples got up and followed him. 9:20 But 236 a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage 237 for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge 238 of his cloak. 239 9:21 For she kept saying to herself, 240 “If only I touch his cloak, I will be healed.” 241 9:22 But when Jesus turned and saw her he said, “Have courage, daughter! Your faith has made you well.” 242 And the woman was healed 243 from that hour. 9:23 When Jesus entered the ruler’s house and saw the flute players and the disorderly crowd, 9:24 he said, “Go away, for the girl is not dead but asleep.” And they began making fun of him. 244 9:25 But when the crowd had been put outside, he went in and gently took her by the hand, and the girl got up. 9:26 And the news of this spread throughout that region. 245
9:27 As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, shouting, 246 “Have mercy 247 on us, Son of David!” 248 9:28 When 249 he went into the house, the blind men came to him. Jesus 250 said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, Lord.” 9:29 Then he touched their eyes saying, “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” 9:30 And their eyes were opened. Then Jesus sternly warned them, “See that no one knows about this.” 9:31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that entire region. 251
9:32 As 252 they were going away, 253 a man who could not talk and was demon-possessed was brought to him. 9:33 After the demon was cast out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowds were amazed and said, “Never has anything like this been seen in Israel!” 9:34 But the Pharisees 254 said, “By the ruler 255 of demons he casts out demons.” 256
9:35 Then Jesus went throughout all the towns 257 and villages, teaching in their synagogues, 258 preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every kind of disease and sickness. 259 9:36 When 260 he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were bewildered and helpless, 261 like sheep without a shepherd. 9:37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 9:38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest 262 to send out 263 workers into his harvest.”
10:1 Jesus 264 called his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits 265 so they could cast them out and heal every kind of disease and sickness. 266 10:2 Now these are the names of the twelve apostles: 267 first, Simon 268 (called Peter), and Andrew his brother; James son of Zebedee and John his brother; 10:3 Philip and Bartholomew; 269 Thomas 270 and Matthew the tax collector; 271 James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; 272 10:4 Simon the Zealot 273 and Judas Iscariot, 274 who betrayed him. 275
10:5 Jesus sent out these twelve, instructing them as follows: 276 “Do not go to Gentile regions 277 and do not enter any Samaritan town. 278 10:6 Go 279 instead to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 10:7 As you go, preach this message: ‘The kingdom of heaven is near!’ 10:8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, 280 cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give. 10:9 Do not take gold, silver, or copper in your belts, 10:10 no bag 281 for the journey, or an extra tunic, 282 or sandals or staff, 283 for the worker deserves his provisions. 10:11 Whenever 284 you enter a town or village, 285 find out who is worthy there 286 and stay with them 287 until you leave. 10:12 As you enter the house, give it greetings. 288 10:13 And if the house is worthy, let your peace come on it, but if it is not worthy, let your peace return to you. 289 10:14 And if anyone will not welcome you or listen to your message, shake the dust off 290 your feet as you leave that house or that town. 10:15 I tell you the truth, 291 it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom and Gomorrah 292 on the day of judgment than for that town!
10:16 “I 293 am sending you out like sheep surrounded by wolves, 294 so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. 10:17 Beware 295 of people, because they will hand you over to councils 296 and flog 297 you in their synagogues. 298 10:18 And you will be brought before governors and kings 299 because of me, as a witness to them and the Gentiles. 10:19 Whenever 300 they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, 301 for what you should say will be given to you at that time. 302 10:20 For it is not you speaking, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
10:21 “Brother 303 will hand over brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rise against 304 parents and have them put to death. 10:22 And you will be hated by everyone because of my name. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. 10:23 Whenever 305 they persecute you in one place, 306 flee to another. I tell you the truth, 307 you will not finish going through all the towns 308 of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
10:24 “A disciple is not greater than his teacher, nor a slave 309 greater than his master. 10:25 It is enough for the disciple to become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house ‘Beelzebul,’ how much more will they defame the members of his household!
10:26 “Do 310 not be afraid of them, for nothing is hidden 311 that will not be revealed, 312 and nothing is secret that will not be made known. 10:27 What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light, and what is whispered in your ear, 313 proclaim from the housetops. 314 10:28 Do 315 not be afraid of those who kill the body 316 but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 317 10:29 Aren’t two sparrows sold for a penny? 318 Yet not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. 319 10:30 Even all the hairs on your head are numbered. 10:31 So do not be afraid; 320 you are more valuable than many sparrows.
10:32 “Whoever, then, acknowledges 321 me before people, I will acknowledge 322 before my Father in heaven. 10:33 But whoever denies me before people, I will deny him also before my Father in heaven.
10:34 “Do not think that I have come to bring 323 peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace but a sword. 10:35 For I have come to set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, 10:36 and a man’s enemies will be the members of his household. 324
10:37 “Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. 10:38 And whoever does not take up his cross 325 and follow me is not worthy of me. 10:39 Whoever finds his life 326 will lose it, 327 and whoever loses his life because of me 328 will find it.
10:40 “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. 329 10:41 Whoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward. Whoever 330 receives a righteous person in the name of a righteous person will receive a righteous person’s reward. 10:42 And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple, I tell you the truth, 331 he will never lose his reward.”
11:1 When 332 Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their towns.
11:2 Now when John 333 heard in prison about the deeds Christ 334 had done, he sent his disciples to ask a question: 335 11:3 “Are you the one who is to come, 336 or should we look for another?” 11:4 Jesus answered them, 337 “Go tell John what you hear and see: 338 11:5 The blind see, the 339 lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have good news proclaimed to them. 11:6 Blessed is anyone 340 who takes no offense at me.”
11:7 While they were going away, Jesus began to speak to the crowd about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness 341 to see? A reed shaken by the wind? 342 11:8 What 343 did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? 344 Look, those who wear fancy clothes are in the homes of kings! 345 11:9 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more 346 than a prophet. 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written:
‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, 347
who will prepare your way before you.’ 348
11:11 “I tell you the truth, 349 among those born of women, no one has arisen greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least 350 in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he is. 11:12 From 351 the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. 352 11:13 For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared. 353 11:14 And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come. 11:15 The one who has ears had better listen! 354
11:16 “To 355 what should I compare this generation? They are like children sitting in the marketplaces who call out to one another, 356
11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; 357
we wailed in mourning, 358 yet you did not weep.’
11:18 For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’ 359 11:19 The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at him, 360 a glutton and a drunk, a friend of tax collectors 361 and sinners!’ 362 But wisdom is vindicated 363 by her deeds.” 364
11:20 Then Jesus began to criticize openly the cities 365 in which he had done many of his miracles, because they did not repent. 11:21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! 366 Woe to you, Bethsaida! If 367 the miracles 368 done in you had been done in Tyre 369 and Sidon, 370 they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. 11:22 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you! 11:23 And you, Capernaum, 371 will you be exalted to heaven? 372 No, you will be thrown down to Hades! 373 For if the miracles done among you had been done in Sodom, it would have continued to this day. 11:24 But I tell you, it will be more bearable for the region of Sodom 374 on the day of judgment than for you!”
11:25 At that time Jesus said, 375 “I praise 376 you, Father, Lord 377 of heaven and earth, because 378 you have hidden these things from the wise 379 and intelligent, and revealed them to little children. 11:26 Yes, Father, for this was your gracious will. 380 11:27 All things have been handed over to me by my Father. 381 No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son decides 382 to reveal him. 11:28 Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 11:29 Take my yoke 383 on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 11:30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and my load is not hard to carry.”
12:1 At that time Jesus went through the grain fields on a Sabbath. His 384 disciples were hungry, and they began to pick heads of wheat 385 and eat them. 12:2 But when the Pharisees 386 saw this they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is against the law to do on the Sabbath.” 12:3 He 387 said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his companions were hungry – 12:4 how he entered the house of God and they ate 388 the sacred bread, 389 which was against the law 390 for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? 391 12:5 Or have you not read in the law that the priests in the temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are not guilty? 12:6 I 392 tell you that something greater than the temple is here. 12:7 If 393 you had known what this means: ‘I want mercy and not sacrifice,’ 394 you would not have condemned the innocent. 12:8 For the Son of Man is lord 395 of the Sabbath.”
12:9 Then 396 Jesus 397 left that place and entered their synagogue. 398 12:10 A 399 man was there who had a withered 400 hand. And they asked Jesus, 401 “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” 402 so that they could accuse him. 12:11 He said to them, “Would not any one of you, if he had one sheep that fell into a pit on the Sabbath, take hold of it and lift it out? 12:12 How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 12:13 Then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out and it was restored, 403 as healthy as the other. 12:14 But the Pharisees went out and plotted against him, as to how they could assassinate 404 him.
12:15 Now when Jesus learned of this, he went away from there. Great 405 crowds 406 followed him, and he healed them all. 12:16 But he sternly warned them not to make him known. 12:17 This fulfilled what was spoken by Isaiah the prophet: 407
12:18 “Here is 408 my servant whom I have chosen,
the one I love, in whom I take great delight. 409
I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations.
12:19 He will not quarrel or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
12:20 He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick,
until he brings justice to victory.
12:21 And in his name the Gentiles 410 will hope.” 411
12:22 Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus 412 healed him so that he could speak and see. 413 12:23 All the crowds were amazed and said, “Could this one be the Son of David?” 12:24 But when the Pharisees 414 heard this they said, “He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, 415 the ruler 416 of demons!” 12:25 Now when Jesus 417 realized what they were thinking, he said to them, 418 “Every kingdom divided against itself is destroyed, 419 and no town or house divided against itself will stand. 12:26 So if 420 Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 12:27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons 421 cast them 422 out? For this reason they will be your judges. 12:28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God 423 has already overtaken 424 you. 12:29 How 425 else can someone enter a strong man’s 426 house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house. 427 12:30 Whoever is not with me is against me, 428 and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 429 12:31 For this reason I tell you, people will be forgiven for every sin and blasphemy, 430 but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. 12:32 Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven. 431 But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, 432 either in this age or in the age to come.
12:33 “Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad 433 and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit. 12:34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart. 12:35 The good person 434 brings good things out of his 435 good treasury, 436 and the evil person brings evil things out of his evil treasury. 12:36 I 437 tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak. 12:37 For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
12:38 Then some of the experts in the law 438 along with some Pharisees 439 answered him, 440 “Teacher, we want to see a sign 441 from you.” 12:39 But he answered them, 442 “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish 443 for three days and three nights, 444 so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. 12:41 The people 445 of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented when Jonah preached to them 446 – and now, 447 something greater than Jonah is here! 12:42 The queen of the South 448 will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon – and now, 449 something greater than Solomon is here!
12:43 “When 450 an unclean spirit 451 goes out of a person, 452 it passes through waterless places 453 looking for rest but 454 does not find it. 12:44 Then it says, ‘I will return to the home I left.’ 455 When it returns, 456 it finds the house 457 empty, swept clean, and put in order. 458 12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so 459 the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”
12:46 While Jesus 460 was still speaking to the crowds, 461 his mother and brothers 462 came and 463 stood outside, asking 464 to speak to him. 12:47 465 Someone 466 told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting 467 to speak to you.” 12:48 To the one who had said this, Jesus 468 replied, 469 “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 12:49 And pointing 470 toward his disciples he said, “Here 471 are my mother and my brothers! 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is 472 my brother and sister and mother.”
13:1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake. 13:2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while 473 the whole crowd stood on the shore. 13:3 He 474 told them many things in parables, 475 saying: “Listen! 476 A sower went out to sow. 477 13:4 And as he sowed, some seeds 478 fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 13:5 Other 479 seeds fell on rocky ground 480 where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. 481 13:6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 13:7 Other seeds fell among the thorns, 482 and they grew up and choked them. 483 13:8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 13:9 The one who has ears had better listen!” 484
13:10 Then 485 the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 13:11 He replied, 486 “You have been given 487 the opportunity to know 488 the secrets 489 of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 13:12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 490 13:13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 13:14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
‘You will listen carefully 491 yet will never understand,
you will look closely 492 yet will never comprehend.
13:15 For the heart of this people has become dull;
they are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’ 493
13:16 “But your eyes are blessed 494 because they see, and your ears because they hear. 13:17 For I tell you the truth, 495 many prophets and righteous people longed to see 496 what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
13:18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one 497 comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; 498 this is the seed sown along the path. 13:20 The 499 seed sown on rocky ground 500 is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 13:21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure; 501 when 502 trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 13:22 The 503 seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth 504 choke the word, 505 so it produces nothing. 13:23 But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.” 506
13:24 He presented them with another parable: 507 “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds 508 among the wheat and went away. 13:26 When 509 the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. 13:27 So the slaves 510 of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ 13:28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So 511 the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ 13:29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At 512 harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then 513 gather 514 the wheat into my barn.”’”
13:31 He gave 515 them another parable: 516 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed 517 that a man took and sowed in his field. 13:32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, 518 so that the wild birds 519 come and nest in its branches.” 520
13:33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with 521 three measures 522 of flour until all the dough had risen.” 523
13:34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 13:35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: 524
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” 525
13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 13:37 He 526 answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 13:38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people 527 of the kingdom. The weeds are the people 528 of the evil one, 13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 13:40 As 529 the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. 530 13:42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, 531 where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 532 The one who has ears had better listen! 533
13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.
13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 13:46 When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.
13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. 13:48 When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away. 13:49 It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, 534 where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13:51 “Have you understood all these things?” They replied, “Yes.” 13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law 535 who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”
13:53 Now when 536 Jesus finished these parables, he moved on from there. 13:54 Then 537 he came to his hometown 538 and began to teach the people 539 in their synagogue. 540 They 541 were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? 13:55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? 542 And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 13:56 And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where did he get all this?” 543 13:57 And so they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.” 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
14:1 At that time Herod the tetrarch 544 heard reports about Jesus, 14:2 and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptist. He has been raised from the dead! And because of this, miraculous powers are at work in him.” 14:3 For Herod had arrested John, bound him, 545 and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, 14:4 because John had repeatedly told 546 him, “It is not lawful for you to have her.” 547 14:5 Although 548 Herod 549 wanted to kill John, 550 he feared the crowd because they accepted John as a prophet. 14:6 But on Herod’s birthday, the daughter of Herodias danced before them and pleased Herod, 14:7 so much that he promised with an oath 551 to give her whatever she asked. 14:8 Instructed by her mother, she said, “Give me the head of John the Baptist here on a platter.” 14:9 Although it grieved the king, 552 because of his oath and the dinner guests he commanded it to be given. 14:10 So 553 he sent and had John beheaded in the prison. 14:11 His 554 head was brought on a platter and given to the girl, and she brought it to her mother. 14:12 Then John’s 555 disciples came and took the body and buried it and went and told Jesus.
14:13 Now when Jesus heard this he went away from there privately in a boat to an isolated place. But when the crowd heard about it, 556 they followed him on foot from the towns. 557 14:14 As he got out he saw the large crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 14:15 When evening arrived, his disciples came to him saying, “This is an isolated place 558 and the hour is already late. Send the crowds away so that they can go into the villages and buy food for themselves.” 14:16 But he 559 replied, “They don’t need to go. You 560 give them something to eat.” 14:17 They 561 said to him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.” 14:18 “Bring them here to me,” he replied. 14:19 Then 562 he instructed the crowds to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and two fish, and looking up to heaven he gave thanks and broke the loaves. He gave them to the disciples, 563 who in turn gave them to the crowds. 564 14:20 They all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, twelve baskets full. 14:21 Not counting women and children, there were about five thousand men who ate.
14:22 Immediately Jesus 565 made the disciples get into the boat and go ahead of him to the other side, while he dispersed the crowds. 14:23 And after he sent the crowds away, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone. 14:24 Meanwhile the boat, already far from land, 566 was taking a beating from the waves because the wind was against it. 14:25 As the night was ending, 567 Jesus came to them walking on the sea. 568 14:26 When 569 the disciples saw him walking on the water 570 they were terrified and said, “It’s a ghost!” and cried out with fear. 14:27 But immediately Jesus 571 spoke to them: 572 “Have courage! It is I. Do not be afraid.” 14:28 Peter 573 said to him, 574 “Lord, if it is you, order me to come to you on the water.” 14:29 So he said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water, and came toward Jesus. 14:30 But when he saw the strong wind he became afraid. And starting to sink, he cried out, 575 “Lord, save me!” 14:31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him, saying to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” 14:32 When they went up into the boat, the wind ceased. 14:33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
14:34 After they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennesaret. 576 14:35 When the people 577 there recognized him, they sent word into all the surrounding area, and they brought all their sick to him. 14:36 They begged him if 578 they could only touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
15:1 Then Pharisees 579 and experts in the law 580 came from Jerusalem 581 to Jesus and said, 582 15:2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their 583 hands when they eat.” 584 15:3 He answered them, 585 “And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 15:4 For God said, 586 ‘Honor your father and mother’ 587 and ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ 588 15:5 But you say, ‘If someone tells his father or mother, “Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God,” 589 15:6 he does not need to honor his father.’ 590 You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. 15:7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said,
15:8 ‘This people honors me with their lips,
but their heart 591 is far from me,
15:9 and they worship me in vain,
teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” 592
15:10 Then he called the crowd to him and said, 593 “Listen and understand. 15:11 What defiles a person is not what goes into the mouth; it is what 594 comes out of the mouth that defiles a person.” 15:12 Then the disciples came to him and said, “Do you know that when the Pharisees 595 heard this saying they were offended?” 15:13 And he replied, 596 “Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. 15:14 Leave them! They are blind guides. 597 If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, 598 both will fall into a pit.” 15:15 But Peter 599 said to him, “Explain this parable to us.” 15:16 Jesus 600 said, “Even after all this, are you still so foolish? 15:17 Don’t you understand that whatever goes into the mouth enters the stomach and then passes out into the sewer? 601 15:18 But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart, and these things defile a person. 15:19 For out of the heart come evil ideas, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. 15:20 These are the things that defile a person; it is not eating with unwashed hands that defiles a person.” 602
15:21 After going out from there, Jesus went to the region of Tyre 603 and Sidon. 604 15:22 A 605 Canaanite woman from that area came 606 and cried out, 607 “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is horribly demon-possessed!” 15:23 But he did not answer her a word. Then 608 his disciples came and begged him, 609 “Send her away, because she keeps on crying out after us.” 15:24 So 610 he answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” 15:25 But she came and bowed down 611 before him and said, 612 “Lord, help me!” 15:26 “It is not right 613 to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs,” 614 he said. 615 15:27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, 616 “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” 15:28 Then 617 Jesus answered her, “Woman, 618 your faith is great! Let what you want be done for you.” And her daughter was healed from that hour.
15:29 When he left there, Jesus went along the Sea of Galilee. Then he went up a mountain, where he sat down. 15:30 Then 619 large crowds came to him bringing with them the lame, blind, crippled, mute, and many others. They 620 laid them at his feet, and he healed them. 15:31 As a result, the crowd was amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled healthy, the lame walking, and the blind seeing, and they praised the God of Israel.
15:32 Then Jesus called the 621 disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry since they may faint on the way.” 15:33 The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?” 15:34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven – and a few small fish.” 15:35 After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 15:36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds. 622 15:37 They 623 all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 15:38 Not counting children and women, 624 there were four thousand men who ate. 625 15:39 After sending away the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. 626
16:1 Now when the Pharisees 627 and Sadducees 628 came to test Jesus, 629 they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 630 16:2 He 631 said, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,’ 16:3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ 632 You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, 633 but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times. 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then 634 he left them and went away.
16:5 When the disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread. 16:6 “Watch out,” Jesus said to them, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees 635 and Sadducees.” 636 16:7 So 637 they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “It is because we brought no bread.” 16:8 When Jesus learned of this, 638 he said, “You who have such little faith! 639 Why are you arguing 640 among yourselves about having no bread? 16:9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 16:10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? 16:11 How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 16:12 Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
16:13 When 641 Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, 642 he asked his disciples, 643 “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 16:14 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, 644 and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16:16 Simon Peter answered, 645 “You are the Christ, 646 the Son of the living God.” 16:17 And Jesus answered him, 647 “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood 648 did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades 649 will not overpower it. 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” 16:20 Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 650
16:21 From that time on 651 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem 652 and suffer 653 many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, 654 and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 16:22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: 655 “God forbid, 656 Lord! This must not happen to you!” 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” 657 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, 658 he must deny 659 himself, take up his cross, 660 and follow me. 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life 661 will lose it, 662 but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 16:26 For what does it benefit a person 663 if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 16:27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 664 16:28 I tell you the truth, 665 there are some standing here who will not 666 experience 667 death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 668
17:1 Six days later 669 Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, 670 and led them privately up a high mountain. 17:2 And he was transfigured before them. 671 His 672 face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 17:3 Then Moses 673 and Elijah 674 also appeared before them, talking with him. 17:4 So 675 Peter said 676 to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make 677 three shelters 678 – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 17:5 While he was still speaking, a 679 bright cloud 680 overshadowed 681 them, and a voice from the cloud said, 682 “This is my one dear Son, 683 in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” 684 17:6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 685 17:7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.” 17:8 When 686 they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone.
17:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 687 “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 17:10 The disciples asked him, 688 “Why then do the experts in the law 689 say that Elijah must come first?” 17:11 He 690 answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. 17:12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In 691 the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
17:14 When 692 they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 17:15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures 693 and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 17:16 I brought him to your disciples, but 694 they were not able to heal him.” 17:17 Jesus answered, 695 “You 696 unbelieving 697 and perverse generation! How much longer 698 must I be with you? How much longer must I endure 699 you? 700 Bring him here to me.” 17:18 Then 701 Jesus rebuked 702 the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. 17:19 Then the disciples came 703 to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 17:20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, 704 if you have faith the size of 705 a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing 706 will be impossible for you.”
17:21 [[EMPTY]] 70717:22 When 708 they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 709 17:23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed.
17:24 After 710 they arrived in Capernaum, 711 the collectors of the temple tax 712 came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” 17:25 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, 713 “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes – from their sons 714 or from foreigners?” 17:26 After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons 715 are free. 17:27 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. 716 Take that and give it to them for me and you.”
18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 18:2 He called a child, had him stand among them, 18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, 717 unless you turn around and become like little children, 718 you will never 719 enter the kingdom of heaven! 18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 18:5 And whoever welcomes 720 a child like this in my name welcomes me.
18:6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, 721 it would be better for him to have a huge millstone 722 hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea. 723 18:7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It 724 is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. 18:8 If 725 your hand or your foot causes you to sin, 726 cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have 727 two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have 728 two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell. 729
18:10 “See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 18:11 [[EMPTY]] 730 18:12 What do you think? If someone 731 owns a hundred 732 sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? 733 18:13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, 734 he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 18:14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.
18:15 “If 735 your brother 736 sins, 737 go and show him his fault 738 when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 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. 739 18:17 If 740 he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If 741 he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like 742 a Gentile 743 or a tax collector. 744
18:18 “I tell you the truth, 745 whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 18:19 Again, I tell you the truth, 746 if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 747 18:20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
18:21 Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother 748 who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 18:22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times! 749
18:23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 750 18:24 As 751 he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents 752 was brought to him. 18:25 Because 753 he was not able to repay it, 754 the lord ordered him to be sold, along with 755 his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. 18:26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground 756 before him, saying, 757 ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’ 18:27 The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt. 18:28 After 758 he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. 759 So 760 he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, 761 saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 762 18:29 Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, 763 ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ 18:30 But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt. 18:31 When 764 his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place. 18:32 Then his lord called the first slave 765 and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! 18:33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ 18:34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him 766 until he repaid all he owed. 18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your 767 brother 768 from your heart.”
19:1 Now when 769 Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. 770 19:2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
19:3 Then some Pharisees 771 came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful 772 to divorce a wife for any cause?” 773 19:4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, 774 19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 775 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 19:7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 776 19:8 Jesus 777 said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, 778 but from the beginning it was not this way. 19:9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.” 19:10 The 779 disciples said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!” 19:11 He 780 said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given. 19:12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, 781 and some who were made eunuchs 782 by others, 783 and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”
19:13 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. 784 But the disciples scolded those who brought them. 785 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 786 19:15 And he placed his hands on them and went on his way. 787
19:16 Now 788 someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” 19:17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 19:18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19:19 honor your father and mother, 789 and love your neighbor as yourself.” 790 19:20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed 791 all these laws. 792 What do I still lack?” 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money 793 to the poor, and you will have treasure 794 in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 795
19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, 796 it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! 19:24 Again I say, 797 it is easier for a camel 798 to go through the eye of a needle 799 than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 19:25 The 800 disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” 801 19:26 Jesus 802 looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, 803 but for God all things are possible.” 19:27 Then Peter said 804 to him, “Look, 805 we have left everything to follow you! 806 What then will there be for us?” 19:28 Jesus 807 said to them, “I tell you the truth: 808 In the age when all things are renewed, 809 when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging 810 the twelve tribes of Israel. 19:29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much 811 and will inherit eternal life. 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner 812 who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 20:2 And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage, 813 he sent them into his vineyard. 20:3 When it was about nine o’clock in the morning, 814 he went out again and saw others standing around in the marketplace without work. 20:4 He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and I will give you whatever is right.’ 20:5 So they went. When 815 he went out again about noon and three o’clock that afternoon, 816 he did the same thing. 20:6 And about five o’clock that afternoon 817 he went out and found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why are you standing here all day without work?’ 20:7 They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go and work in the vineyard too.’ 20:8 When 818 it was evening 819 the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the workers and give the pay 820 starting with the last hired until the first.’ 20:9 When those hired about five o’clock came, each received a full day’s pay. 821 20:10 And when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more. But each one also received the standard wage. 20:11 When 822 they received it, they began to complain 823 against the landowner, 20:12 saying, ‘These last fellows worked one hour, and you have made them equal to us who bore the hardship and burning heat of the day.’ 20:13 And the landowner 824 replied to one of them, 825 ‘Friend, I am not treating you unfairly. Didn’t you agree with me to work for the standard wage? 826 20:14 Take what is yours and go. I 827 want to give to this last man 828 the same as I gave to you. 20:15 Am I not 829 permitted to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 830 20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
20:17 As Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, 831 he took the twelve 832 aside privately and said to them on the way, 20:18 “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the experts in the law. 833 They will condemn him to death, 20:19 and will turn him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged severely 834 and crucified. 835 Yet 836 on the third day, he will be raised.”
20:20 Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, and kneeling down she asked him for a favor. 837 20:21 He said to her, “What do you want?” She replied, 838 “Permit 839 these two sons of mine to sit, one at your 840 right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” 20:22 Jesus 841 answered, “You don’t know what you are asking! 842 Are you able to drink the cup I am about to drink?” 843 They said to him, “We are able.” 844 20:23 He told them, “You will drink my cup, 845 but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.”
20:24 Now 846 when the other ten 847 heard this, 848 they were angry with the two brothers. 20:25 But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 20:26 It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 20:27 and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave 849 – 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom 850 for many.”
20:29 As they were leaving Jericho, 851 a large crowd followed them. 20:30 Two 852 blind men were sitting by the road. When they heard that Jesus was passing by, they shouted, 853 “Have mercy 854 on us, Lord, Son of David!” 855 20:31 The 856 crowd scolded 857 them to get them to be quiet. But they shouted even more loudly, “Lord, have mercy on us, 858 Son of David!” 20:32 Jesus stopped, called them, and said, “What do you want me to do for you?” 20:33 They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.” 20:34 Moved with compassion, Jesus touched their eyes. Immediately they received their sight and followed him.
21:1 Now 859 when they approached Jerusalem 860 and came to Bethphage, 861 at the Mount of Olives, 862 Jesus sent two disciples, 21:2 telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. 863 Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 21:3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ 864 and he will send them at once.” 21:4 This 865 took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet: 866
21:5 “Tell the people of Zion, 867
‘Look, your king is coming to you,
unassuming and seated on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 868
21:6 So 869 the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks 870 on them, and he sat on them. 21:8 A 871 very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 21:9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting, 872 “Hosanna 873 to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! 874 Hosanna in the highest!” 21:10 As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar, 875 saying, “Who is this?” 21:11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth 876 in Galilee.”
21:12 Then 877 Jesus entered the temple area 878 and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, 879 and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. 21:13 And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ 880 but you are turning it into a den 881 of robbers!” 882
21:14 The blind and lame came to him in the temple courts, and he healed them. 21:15 But when the chief priests and the experts in the law 883 saw the wonderful things he did and heard the children crying out in the temple courts, 884 “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant 21:16 and said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of children and nursing infants you have prepared praise for yourself’?” 885 21:17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.
21:18 Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry. 21:19 After noticing a fig tree 886 by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered at once. 21:20 When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” 21:21 Jesus 887 answered them, “I tell you the truth, 888 if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen. 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, 889 you will receive.”
21:23 Now after Jesus 890 entered the temple courts, 891 the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority 892 are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 21:24 Jesus 893 answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things. 21:25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” 894 They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ 21:26 But if we say, ‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider John to be a prophet.” 21:27 So 895 they answered Jesus, 896 “We don’t know.” 897 Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you 898 by what authority 899 I am doing these things.
21:28 “What 900 do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’ 21:29 The boy answered, 901 ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart 902 and went. 21:30 The father 903 went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, 904 ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” 905 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, 906 tax collectors 907 and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God! 21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although 908 you saw this, you did not later change your minds 909 and believe him.
21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner 910 who planted a vineyard. 911 He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then 912 he leased it to tenant farmers 913 and went on a journey. 21:34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves 914 to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop. 915 21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, 916 killed another, and stoned another. 21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way. 21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, 917 saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’ 21:39 So 918 they seized him, 919 threw him out of the vineyard, 920 and killed him. 21:40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” 21:41 They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”
21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. 921
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 922
21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people 923 who will produce its fruit. 21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.” 924 21:45 When 925 the chief priests and the Pharisees 926 heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. 21:46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowds 927 regarded him as a prophet.
22:1 Jesus spoke 928 to them again in parables, saying: 22:2 “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son. 22:3 He sent his slaves 929 to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come. 22:4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. 930 My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’ 22:5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. 22:6 The 931 rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. 22:7 The 932 king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death 933 and set their city 934 on fire. 22:8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy. 22:9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’ 22:10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests. 22:11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes. 22:12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. 935 22:13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’ 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
22:15 Then the Pharisees 936 went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. 937 22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, 938 saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 939 You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. 940 22:17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right 941 to pay taxes 942 to Caesar 943 or not?”
22:18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me? 22:19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” So 944 they brought him a denarius. 945 22:20 Jesus 946 said to them, “Whose image 947 is this, and whose inscription?” 22:21 They replied, 948 “Caesar’s.” He said to them, 949 “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 950 22:22 Now when they heard this they were stunned, 951 and they left him and went away.
22:23 The same day Sadducees 952 (who say there is no resurrection) 953 came to him and asked him, 954 22:24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children 955 for his brother.’ 956 22:25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother. 22:26 The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh. 22:27 Last 957 of all, the woman died. 22:28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.” 958 22:29 Jesus 959 answered them, “You are deceived, 960 because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God. 22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels 961 in heaven. 22:31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, 962 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 963 He is not the God of the dead but of the living!” 964 22:33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.
22:34 Now when the Pharisees 965 heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, 966 they assembled together. 967 22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, 968 asked him a question to test 969 him: 22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 970 22:37 Jesus 971 said to him, “‘Love 972 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 973 22:38 This is the first and greatest 974 commandment. 22:39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 975 22:40 All the law and the prophets depend 976 on these two commandments.”
22:41 While 977 the Pharisees 978 were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: 979 22:42 “What do you think about the Christ? 980 Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.” 981 22:43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
22:44 ‘The Lord said to my lord, 982
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’? 983
22:45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 984 22:46 No one 985 was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.
23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 23:2 “The 986 experts in the law 987 and the Pharisees 988 sit on Moses’ seat. 23:3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 989 23:4 They 990 tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 23:5 They 991 do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries 992 wide and their tassels 993 long. 23:6 They 994 love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues 995 23:7 and elaborate greetings 996 in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’ 23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. 23:9 And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. 23:10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ. 997 23:11 The 998 greatest among you will be your servant. 23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
23:13 “But woe to you, experts in the law 999 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! 1000 You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! 1001 For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.
23:14 [[EMPTY]] 100223:15 “Woe to you, experts in the law 1003 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, 1004 and when you get one, 1005 you make him twice as much a child of hell 1006 as yourselves!
23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. 1007 But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. 1008 But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.
23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law 1009 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth 1010 of mint, dill, and cumin, 1011 yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You 1012 should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! 1013
23:25 “Woe to you, experts in the law 1014 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, 1015 so that the outside may become clean too!
23:27 “Woe to you, experts in the law 1016 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. 1017 23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law 1018 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You 1019 build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves 1020 of the righteous. 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, 1021 we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? 1022
23:34 “For this reason I 1023 am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, 1024 some of whom you will kill and crucify, 1025 and some you will flog 1026 in your synagogues 1027 and pursue from town to town, 23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, 1028 whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, 1029 this generation will be held responsible for all these things! 1030
23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 1031 you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! 1032 How often I have longed 1033 to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but 1034 you would have none of it! 1035 23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate! 23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’” 1036
24:1 Now 1037 as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings. 1038 24:2 And he said to them, 1039 “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, 1040 not one stone will be left on another. 1041 All will be torn down!” 1042
24:3 As 1043 he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things 1044 happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” 24:4 Jesus answered them, 1045 “Watch out 1046 that no one misleads you. 24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ 1047 and they will mislead many. 24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come. 1048 24:7 For nation will rise up in arms 1049 against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines 1050 and earthquakes 1051 in various places. 24:8 All 1052 these things are the beginning of birth pains.
24:9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations 1053 because of my name. 1054 24:10 Then many will be led into sin, 1055 and they will betray one another and hate one another. 24:11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive 1056 many, 24:12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold. 24:13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved. 1057 24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, 1058 and then the end will come.
24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation 1059 – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), 24:16 then those in Judea must flee 1060 to the mountains. 24:17 The one on the roof 1061 must not come down 1062 to take anything out of his house, 24:18 and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak. 24:19 Woe 1063 to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days! 24:20 Pray 1064 that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath. 24:21 For then there will be great suffering 1065 unlike anything that has happened 1066 from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen. 24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. 24:23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ 1067 or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him. 24:24 For false messiahs 1068 and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect. 24:25 Remember, 1069 I have told you ahead of time. 24:26 So then, if someone 1070 says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ 1071 do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him. 24:27 For just like the lightning 1072 comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures 1073 will gather. 1074
24:29 “Immediately 1075 after the suffering 1076 of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken. 1077 24:30 Then 1078 the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, 1079 and 1080 all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They 1081 will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven 1082 with power and great glory. 24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven 1083 to the other.
24:32 “Learn 1084 this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. 24:33 So also you, when you see all these things, know 1085 that he is near, right at the door. 24:34 I tell you the truth, 1086 this generation 1087 will not pass away until all these things take place. 24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. 1088
24:36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven 1089 – except the Father alone. 24:37 For just like the days of Noah 1090 were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be. 24:38 For in those days before the flood, people 1091 were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark. 24:39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. 1092 It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man. 1093 24:40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left. 1094 24:41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; 1095 one will be taken and one left.
24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day 1096 your Lord will come. 24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief 1097 was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into. 24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him. 1098
24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, 1099 whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves 1100 their food at the proper time? 24:46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work 1101 when he comes. 24:47 I tell you the truth, 1102 the master 1103 will put him in charge of all his possessions. 24:48 But if 1104 that evil slave should say to himself, 1105 ‘My master is staying away a long time,’ 24:49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards, 24:50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee, 24:51 and will cut him in two, 1106 and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 25:2 Five 1107 of the virgins 1108 were foolish, and five were wise. 25:3 When 1109 the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra 1110 olive oil 1111 with them. 25:4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps. 25:5 When 1112 the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep. 25:6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’ 1113 25:7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. 25:8 The 1114 foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’ 25:9 ‘No,’ they replied. 1115 ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ 25:10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then 1116 the door was shut. 25:11 Later, 1117 the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’ 1118 25:12 But he replied, 1119 ‘I tell you the truth, 1120 I do not know you!’ 25:13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour. 1121
25:14 “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves 1122 and entrusted his property to them. 25:15 To 1123 one he gave five talents, 1124 to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 25:16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work 1125 and gained five more. 25:17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more. 25:18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it. 25:19 After 1126 a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them. 25:20 The 1127 one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, 1128 you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’ 25:21 His master answered, 1129 ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 25:22 The 1130 one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’ 25:23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’ 25:24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed, 25:25 so 1131 I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’ 25:26 But his master answered, 1132 ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter? 25:27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, 1133 and on my return I would have received my money back with interest! 1134 25:28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten. 1135 25:29 For the one who has will be given more, 1136 and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 1137 25:30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
25:31 “When 1138 the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 25:32 All 1139 the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 25:33 He 1140 will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. 25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, 1141 ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 25:38 When 1142 did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you? 25:39 When 1143 did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 25:40 And the king will answer them, 1144 ‘I tell you the truth, 1145 just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters 1146 of mine, you did it for me.’
25:41 “Then he will say 1147 to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels! 25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink. 25:43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 25:44 Then they too will answer, 1148 ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’ 25:45 Then he will answer them, 1149 ‘I tell you the truth, 1150 just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’ 25:46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
[5:1] 1 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[5:1] 2 tn Or “up a mountain” (εἰς τὸ ὄρος, eis to oro").
[5:1] sn The expression up the mountain here may be idiomatic or generic, much like the English “he went to the hospital” (cf. 15:29), or even intentionally reminiscent of Exod 24:12 (LXX), since the genre of the Sermon on the Mount seems to be that of a new Moses giving a new law.
[5:2] 3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[5:2] 4 tn Grk “And opening his mouth he taught them, saying.” The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκεν (edidasken) has been translated ingressively.
[5:3] 5 sn The term Blessed introduces the first of several beatitudes promising blessing to those whom God cares for. They serve as an invitation to come into the grace God offers.
[5:3] 6 sn The poor in spirit is a reference to the “pious poor” for whom God especially cares. See Ps 14:6; 22:24; 25:16; 34:6; 40:17; 69:29.
[5:3] 7 sn The present tense (belongs) here is significant. Jesus makes the kingdom and its blessings currently available. This phrase is unlike the others in the list with the possessive pronoun being emphasized.
[5:4] 8 sn The promise they will be comforted is the first of several “reversals” noted in these promises. The beatitudes and the reversals that accompany them serve in the sermon as an invitation to enter into God’s care, because one can know God cares for those who turn to him.
[5:6] 9 sn Those who hunger are people like the poor Jesus has already mentioned. The term has OT roots both in conjunction with the poor (Isa 32:6-7; 58:6-7, 9-10; Ezek 18:7, 16) or by itself (Ps 37:16-19; 107:9).
[5:9] 10 tn Grk “sons,” though traditionally English versions have taken this as a generic reference to both males and females, hence “children” (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT).
[5:11] 11 tn Grk “when they insult you.” The third person pronoun (here implied in the verb ὀνειδίσωσιν [ojneidiswsin]) has no specific referent, but refers to people in general.
[5:11] 12 tc Although ψευδόμενοι (yeudomenoi, “bearing witness falsely”) could be a motivated reading, clarifying that the disciples are unjustly persecuted, its lack in only D it sys Tert does not help its case. Since the Western text is known for numerous free alterations, without corroborative evidence the shorter reading must be judged as secondary.
[5:13] 13 sn Salt was used as seasoning or fertilizer (BDAG 41 s.v. ἅλας a), or as a preservative. If salt ceased to be useful, it was thrown away. With this illustration Jesus warned about a disciple who ceased to follow him.
[5:13] 14 sn The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its flavor since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested that the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens; under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud (b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca.
[5:15] 15 tn Grk “Nor do they light.” The plural in Greek is indefinite, referring to people in general.
[5:15] 16 tn Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).
[5:17] 17 tn Grk “not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Direct objects (“these things,” “them”) were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but have been supplied here to conform to contemporary English style.
[5:18] 18 tn Grk “For I tell.” Here an explanatory γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
[5:18] 19 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[5:18] 20 tn Grk “Not one iota or one serif.”
[5:18] sn The smallest letter refers to the smallest Hebrew letter (yod) and the stroke of a letter to a serif (a hook or projection on a Hebrew letter).
[5:19] 21 tn Grk “teaches men” ( in a generic sense, people).
[5:20] 22 tn Or “that of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[5:20] 23 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[5:21] 24 tn Grk “to the ancient ones.”
[5:21] 25 sn A quotation from Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17.
[5:22] 26 tc The majority of
[5:22] 27 tn Grk “whoever says to his brother ‘Raca,’” an Aramaic word of contempt or abuse meaning “fool” or “empty head.”
[5:22] 28 tn Grk “subjected,” “guilty,” “liable.”
[5:22] 29 tn Grk “the Sanhedrin.”
[5:22] 30 tn The meaning of the term μωρός (mwros) is somewhat disputed. Most take it to mean, following the Syriac versions, “you fool,” although some have argued that it represents a transliteration into Greek of the Hebrew term מוֹרֵה (moreh) “rebel” (Deut 21:18, 20; cf. BDAG 663 s.v. μωρός c).
[5:22] 31 tn Grk “subjected,” “guilty,” “liable.”
[5:22] 32 tn Grk “the Gehenna of fire.”
[5:22] sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).
[5:25] 33 tn Grk “Make friends.”
[5:25] 34 tn The words “to court” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
[5:25] 35 tn Grk “the accuser.”
[5:26] 36 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[5:26] 37 tn Here the English word “penny” is used as opposed to the parallel in Luke 12:59 where “cent” appears since the Greek word there is different and refers to a different but similar coin.
[5:26] sn The penny here was a quadrans, a Roman copper coin worth 1/64 of a denarius (L&N 6.78). The parallel passage in Luke 12:59 mentions the lepton, equal to one-half of a quadrans and thus the smallest coin available.
[5:27] 38 sn A quotation from Exod 20:14; Deut 5:17.
[5:29] 39 sn On this word here and in the following verse, see the note on the word hell in 5:22.
[5:31] 40 sn A quotation from Deut 24:1.
[5:33] 41 tn Grk “the ancient ones.”
[5:33] 42 sn A quotation from Lev 19:12.
[5:35] 43 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[5:37] 44 tn The term πονηροῦ (ponhrou) may be understood as specific and personified, referring to the devil, or possibly as a general reference to evil. It is most likely personified, however, since it is articular (τοῦ πονηροῦ, tou ponhrou). Cf. also “the evildoer” in v. 39, which is the same construction.
[5:38] 45 sn A quotation from Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20.
[5:39] 46 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] 47 tc ‡ Many
[5:40] 48 tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a “tunic” was any more than they would be familiar with a “chiton.” On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.
[5:41] 49 sn If anyone forces you to go one mile. In NT times Roman soldiers had the authority to press civilians into service to carry loads for them.
[5:42] 50 sn Jesus advocates a generosity and a desire to meet those in dire need with the command give to the one who asks you. This may allude to begging; giving alms was viewed highly in the ancient world (Matt 6:1-4; Deut 15:7-11).
[5:42] 51 tn Grk “do not turn away from.”
[5:43] 52 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[5:44] 53 tc Most
[5:45] 54 tn Grk “be sons of your Father in heaven.” Here, however, the focus is not on attaining a relationship (becoming a child of God) but rather on being the kind of person who shares the characteristics of God himself (a frequent meaning of the Semitic idiom “son of”). See L&N 58.26.
[5:46] 55 sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked.
[5:48] 56 sn This remark echoes the more common OT statements like Lev 19:2 or Deut 18:13: “you must be holy as I am holy.”
[6:1] 57 tc ‡ Several
[6:1] 58 tn Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”
[6:2] 59 tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today. The giving of alms was highly regarded in the ancient world (Deut 15:7-11).
[6:2] 60 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[6:2] 61 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[6:4] 62 tc L W Θ 0250 Ï it read ἐν τῷ φανερῷ (en tw fanerw, “openly”) at the end of this verse, giving a counterweight to what is done in secret. But this reading is suspect because of the obvious literary balance, because of detouring the point of the passage (the focus of vv. 1-4 is not on two kinds of public rewards but on human vs. divine approbation), and because of superior external testimony that lacks this reading (א B D Z Ë1,13 33 al).
[6:5] 63 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[6:6] 64 sn The term translated room refers to the inner room of a house, normally without any windows opening outside, the most private location possible (BDAG 988 s.v. ταμεῖον 2).
[6:6] 65 tc See the tc note on “will reward you” in 6:4: The problem is the same and the ms support differs only slightly.
[6:7] 66 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[6:8] 67 tn Grk “So do not.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[6:9] 68 sn Pray this way. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.
[6:9] 69 sn God is addressed in terms of intimacy (Father). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba. The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship.
[6:9] 70 tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”
[6:10] 71 sn Your kingdom come represents the hope for the full manifestation of God’s promised rule.
[6:11] 72 tn Or “Give us bread today for the coming day,” or “Give us today the bread we need for today.” The term ἐπιούσιος (epiousio") does not occur outside of early Christian literature (other occurrences are in Luke 11:3 and Didache 8:2), so its meaning is difficult to determine. Various suggestions include “daily,” “the coming day,” and “for existence.” See BDAG 376-77 s.v.; L&N 67:183, 206.
[6:12] 73 tn Or “as even we.” The phrase ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς (Jw" kai Jhmei") makes ἡμεῖς emphatic. The translation above adds an appropriate emphasis to the passage.
[6:13] 74 tn Or “into a time of testing.”
[6:13] sn The request do not lead us into temptation is not to suggest God causes temptation, but is a rhetorical way to ask for his protection from sin.
[6:13] 75 tc Most
[6:13] tn The term πονηροῦ (ponhrou) may be understood as specific and personified, referring to the devil, or possibly as a general reference to evil. It is most likely personified since it is articular (τοῦ πονηροῦ, tou ponhrou). Cf. also “the evildoer” in 5:39, which is the same construction.
[6:14] 76 tn Here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense: “people, others.”
[6:16] 77 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[6:16] 78 tn Here the term “disfigure” used in a number of translations was not used because it could convey to the modern reader the notion of mutilation. L&N 79.17 states, “‘to make unsightly, to disfigure, to make ugly.’ ἀφανίζουσιν γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ‘for they make their faces unsightly’ Mt 6:16.”
[6:16] 79 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[6:17] 80 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[6:19] 81 tn The term σής (shs) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2, which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.
[6:21] 82 tn The pronouns in this verse are singular while the pronouns in vv. 19-20 are plural. The change to singular emphasizes personal responsibility as opposed to corporate responsibility; even if others do not listen, the one who hears Jesus’ commands should obey.
[6:21] 83 sn Seeking heavenly treasure means serving others and honoring God by doing so.
[6:22] 84 tn Or “sound” (so L&N 23.132 and most scholars). A few scholars take this word to mean something like “generous” here (L&N 57.107). partly due to the immediate context concerning money, in which case the “eye” is a metonymy for the entire person (“if you are generous”).
[6:23] 85 tn Or “if your eye is sick” (L&N 23.149).
[6:23] sn There may be a slight wordplay here, as this term can also mean “evil,” so the figure uses a term that points to the real meaning of being careful as to what one pays attention to or looks at.
[6:24] 86 sn The contrast between hate and love here is rhetorical. The point is that one will choose the favorite if a choice has to be made.
[6:24] 87 tn Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”
[6:24] 88 tn Grk “God and mammon.”
[6:24] sn The term money is used to translate mammon, the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19. God must be first, not money or possessions.
[6:25] 89 tn Or “do not be anxious,” and so throughout the rest of this paragraph.
[6:26] 90 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
[6:26] 91 tn Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”
[6:26] 92 tn Grk “of more value.”
[6:27] 93 tn Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πῆχυς, phcu") can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία (Jhlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς (phcus). Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 436 s.v. 3 for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.
[6:28] 94 tn Traditionally, “lilies.” According to L&N 3.32, “Though traditionally κρίνον has been regarded as a type of lily, scholars have suggested several other possible types of flowers, including an anemone, a poppy, a gladiolus, and a rather inconspicuous type of daisy.” In view of the uncertainty, the more generic “flowers” has been used in the translation.
[6:28] 95 tn Or, traditionally, “toil.” Although it might be argued that “work hard” would be a more precise translation of κοπιάω (kopiaw) here, the line in English reads better in terms of cadence with a single syllable.
[6:30] 96 tn Grk “grass of the field.”
[6:30] 97 tn Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned.
[6:30] sn The oven was most likely a rounded clay oven used for baking bread, which was heated by burning wood and dried grass.
[6:30] 98 sn The phrase even more is a typical form of rabbinic argumentation, from the lesser to the greater. If God cares for the little things, surely he will care for the more important things.
[6:32] 99 tn Or “unbelievers”; Grk “Gentiles.”
[6:33] 100 tc ‡ Most
[6:33] sn God’s kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.
[6:34] 101 tn Grk “Sufficient for the day is its evil.”
[7:1] 102 sn The point of the statement do not judge so that you will not be judged is that the standards we apply to others God applies to us. The passive verbs in this verse look to God’s action.
[7:2] 103 tn Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured to you.”
[7:3] 104 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[7:3] 105 sn The term translated speck refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or straw; see L&N 3.66.
[7:3] 106 tn Or “do not notice.”
[7:3] 107 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).
[7:4] 108 tn Grk “how will you say?”
[7:6] 109 tn Or “otherwise the latter will trample them under their feet and the former will turn around and tear you to pieces.” This verse is sometimes understood as a chiasm of the pattern a-b-b-a, in which the first and last clauses belong together (“dogs…turn around and tear you to pieces”) and the second and third clauses belong together (“pigs…trample them under their feet”).
[7:7] 110 sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.
[7:7] 111 tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation here and in v. 8 for clarity.
[7:8] 112 sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 7 with the encouragement that God does respond.
[7:9] 113 tn Grk “Or is there.”
[7:10] 114 sn The two questions of vv. 9-10 expect the answer, “No parent would do this!”
[7:11] 115 tn The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated concessively.
[7:11] 116 sn The provision of the good gifts is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. The teaching as a whole stresses not that we get everything we want, but that God gives the good that we need.
[7:12] 117 tn Grk “Therefore in.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[7:12] 118 tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
[7:12] 119 sn Jesus’ teaching as reflected in the phrase treat others as you would want them to treat you, known generally as the Golden Rule, is not completely unique in the ancient world, but here it is stated in its most emphatic, selfless form.
[7:15] 121 sn Sheep’s clothing…voracious wolves. Jesus uses a metaphor here to point out that these false prophets appear to be one thing, but in reality they are something quite different and dangerous.
[7:16] 122 tn Grk “They do not gather.” This has been simplified to the passive voice in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the context.
[7:16] 123 sn The statement illustrates the principle: That which cannot produce fruit does not produce fruit.
[7:17] 124 tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying “tree” in both v. 17 and 18, can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).
[7:21] 125 sn The double use of the vocative is normally used in situations of high emotion or emphasis. Even an emphatic confession without action means little.
[7:22] 126 tn Grk “and in your name do.” This phrase was not repeated here in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[7:23] 127 tn Grk “workers of lawlessness.”
[7:24] 128 tn Grk “Therefore everyone.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[7:24] 129 tn Grk “will be like.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.
[7:24] 130 tn Here and in v. 26 the Greek text reads ἀνήρ (anhr), while the parallel account in Luke 6:47-49 uses ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") in vv. 48 and 49.
[7:25] 131 tn Grk “the rivers.”
[7:27] 132 tn Grk “and great was its fall.”
[7:28] 133 tn Grk “And it happened when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[7:29] 134 sn Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim; he taught with authority. A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Apparently Jesus addressed the issues in terms of his own understanding.
[7:29] 135 tn Or “their scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[8:2] 136 tn Grk “And behold, a leper came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[8:2] sn The ancient term for leprosy covers a wider array of conditions than what we call leprosy today. A leper was totally ostracized from society until he was declared cured (Lev 13:45-46).
[8:2] 137 tn Grk “a leper approaching, bowed low before him, saying.”
[8:2] 138 tn This is a third class condition. The report portrays the leper making no presumptions about whether Jesus will heal him or not.
[8:3] 139 sn Touched. This touch would have rendered Jesus ceremonially unclean (Lev 14:46; also Mishnah, m. Nega’im 3.1; 11.1; 12.1; 13.6-12).
[8:4] 140 sn The command for silence was probably meant to last only until the cleansing took place with the priests and sought to prevent Jesus’ healings from becoming the central focus of the people’s reaction to him. See also 9:30, 12:16, 16:20, and 17:9 for other cases where Jesus asks for silence concerning him and his ministry.
[8:4] 142 sn On the phrase bring the offering that Moses commanded see Lev 14:1-32.
[8:4] 143 tn Or “as an indictment against them.” The pronoun αὐτοῖς (autoi") may be a dative of disadvantage.
[8:5] 144 sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.
[8:5] map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[8:5] 145 sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like the apostle Paul did.
[8:5] 146 sn While in Matthew’s account the centurion came to him asking for help, Luke’s account (7:1-10) mentions that the centurion sent some Jewish elders as emissaries on his behalf.
[8:6] 147 tn Grk “and saying, ‘Lord.’” The participle λέγων (legwn) at the beginning of v. 6 is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[8:6] 148 tn The Greek term here is παῖς (pais), often used of a slave who was regarded with some degree of affection, possibly a personal servant (Luke 7:7 uses the more common term δοῦλος, doulos). See L&N 87.77.
[8:7] 149 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[8:8] 150 tn Grk “But answering, the centurion replied.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.
[8:9] 151 tn Grk “having soldiers under me.”
[8:9] 152 sn I say to this one ‘Go’ and he goes. The illustrations highlight the view of authority the soldier sees in the word of one who has authority. Since the centurion was a commander of a hundred soldiers, he understood what it was both to command others and to be obeyed.
[8:9] 153 tn Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times… in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v. 1). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
[8:9] 154 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[8:10] 155 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[8:10] 156 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[8:11] 157 tn Grk “and recline at table,” as 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away. The word “banquet” has been supplied to clarify for the modern reader the festive nature of the imagery. The banquet imagery is a way to describe the fellowship and celebration of being among the people of God at the end.
[8:11] sn 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
[8:11] 158 tn Grk “and Isaac and Jacob,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
[8:12] 159 sn Weeping and gnashing of teeth is a figure for remorse and trauma, which occurs here because of exclusion from God’s promise.
[8:13] 160 tc ‡ Most
[8:14] 161 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[8:14] 162 tn Grk “having been thrown down.” The verb βεβλημένην (beblhmenhn) is a perfect passive participle of the verb βάλλω (ballw, “to throw”). This indicates the severity of her sickness.
[8:15] 163 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then.”
[8:16] 164 sn Note how the author distinguishes healing from exorcism here, implying that the two are not identical.
[8:17] 165 tn Grk “was fulfilled, saying.” The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant and has not been translated.
[8:17] 166 sn A quotation from Isa 53:4.
[8:18] 167 tc ‡ Codex B and some Sahidic
[8:18] 168 tn The phrase “of the lake” is not in the Greek text but is clearly implied; it has been supplied here for clarity.
[8:19] 169 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then.”
[8:19] 170 tn Or “a scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[8:19] 171 sn The statement I will follow you wherever you go is an offer to follow Jesus as a disciple, no matter what the cost.
[8:20] 172 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
[8:20] 173 sn Jesus’ reply is simply this: Does the man understand the rejection he will be facing? Jesus has no home in the world (the Son of Man has no place to lay his head).
[8:21] 174 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[8:21] 175 tc ‡ Most
[8:22] 176 sn There are several options for the meaning of Jesus’ reply Leave the dead to bury their own dead: (1) Recent research suggests that burial customs in the vicinity of Jerusalem from about 20
[8:23] 177 sn A boat that held all the disciples would be of significant size.
[8:25] 178 tn The participle προσελθόντες (proselqonte") has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
[8:26] 179 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[8:26] 180 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
[8:26] 181 sn Who has authority over the seas and winds is discussed in the OT: Ps 104:3; 135:7; 107:23-30. When Jesus rebuked the winds and the sea he was making a statement about who he was.
[8:27] 182 tn It is difficult to know whether ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) should be translated as “men” or “people” (in a generic sense) here. At issue is whether (1) only the Twelve were with Jesus in the boat, as opposed to other disciples (cf. v. 23), and (2) whether any of those other disciples would have been women. The issue is complicated further by the parallel in Mark (4:35-41), where the author writes (4:36) that other boats accompanied them on this journey.
[8:27] 183 tn Grk “the men were amazed, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.
[8:27] 184 sn Jesus’ authority over creation raised a question for the disciples about his identity (What sort of person is this?). This verse shows that the disciples followed Jesus even though they did not know all about him yet.
[8:28] 185 tc The textual tradition here is quite complicated. A number of
[8:28] sn The region of the Gadarenes would be in Gentile territory on the southeastern side of the Sea of Galilee across from Galilee. Luke 8:26 and Mark 5:1 record this miracle as occurring “in the region of the Gerasenes.” “Irrespective of how one settles this issue, for the [second and] Third Evangelist the chief concern is that Jesus has crossed over into Gentile territory, ‘opposite Galilee’” (J. B. Green, Luke [NICNT], 337). The region of Gadara extended to the Sea of Galilee and included the town of Sennabris on the southern shore – the town that the herdsmen most likely entered after the drowning of the pigs.
[8:29] 186 tn Grk “And behold, they cried out, saying.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.
[8:29] 187 tn Grk “what to us and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἡμῖν καὶ σοί (ti Jhmin kai soi) is Semitic in origin, though it made its way into colloquial Greek (BDAG 275 s.v. ἐγώ). The equivalent Hebrew expression in the OT had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” (Judg 11:12, 2 Chr 35:21, 1 Kgs 17:18). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his own, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” (2 Kgs 3:13, Hos 14:8). These nuances were apparently expanded in Greek, but the basic notions of defensive hostility (option 1) and indifference or disengagement (option 2) are still present. BDAG suggests the following as glosses for this expression: What have I to do with you? What have we in common? Leave me alone! Never mind! Hostility between Jesus and the demons is certainly to be understood in this context, hence the translation: “Leave us alone….”
[8:29] 188 sn There was an appointed time in which demons would face their judgment, and they seem to have viewed Jesus’ arrival on the scene as an illegitimate change in God’s plan regarding the time when their sentence would be executed.
[8:30] 189 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[8:31] 190 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[8:32] 191 tn Grk “And he said to them.”
[8:32] 192 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate a conclusion and transition in the narrative.
[8:33] 193 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[8:33] 194 tn Or “city.” But see the sn on “Gadarenes” in 8:28.
[8:34] 195 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[9:1] 197 sn His own town refers to Capernaum. It was a town of approximately 1000-1500, though of some significance.
[9:2] 198 tn Grk “And behold, they were bringing.” Here καὶ ἰδού (kai idou) has been translated as “just then” to indicate the somewhat sudden appearance of the people carrying the paralytic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1), especially in conjunction with the suddenness of the stretcher bearers’ appearance.
[9:2] 199 tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:2] 200 tn Traditionally, “on a bed,” but this could be confusing to the modern reader who might envision a large piece of furniture. In various contexts, κλίνη (klinh) may be translated “bed, couch, cot, stretcher, or bier” (in the case of a corpse). See L&N 6.106.
[9:2] 201 sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.
[9:2] 202 sn The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.
[9:3] 203 tn Grk “And behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the narrative.
[9:3] 204 tn Or “some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[9:3] 205 sn Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.
[9:5] 206 sn Which is easier is a reflective kind of question. On the one hand to declare sins are forgiven is easier, since one does not need to see it, unlike telling a paralyzed person to walk. On the other hand, it is harder, because for it to be true one must possess the authority to forgive the sin.
[9:6] 207 sn Now Jesus put the two actions together. The walking of the man would be proof (so that you may know) that his sins were forgiven and that God had worked through Jesus (i.e., the Son of Man).
[9:6] 208 sn The term Son of Man, which is a title in Greek, comes from a pictorial description in Dan 7:13 of one “like a son of man” (i.e., a human being). It is Jesus’ favorite way to refer to himself. Jesus did not reveal the background of the term here, which mixes human and divine imagery as the man in Daniel rides a cloud, something only God does. He just used it. It also could be an idiom in Aramaic meaning either “some person” or “me.” So there is a little ambiguity in its use here, since its origin is not clear at this point. However, the action makes it clear that Jesus used it to refer to himself here.
[9:6] 209 sn Jesus did not finish his sentence with words but with action, that is, healing the paralytic with an accompanying pronouncement to him directly.
[9:6] 210 tn Grk “to your house.”
[9:7] 211 tn Grk “to his house.”
[9:8] 212 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[9:8] 213 tc Most witnesses (C L Θ 0233 Ë13 Ï) have ἐθαύμασαν (eqaumasan; “marveled, were amazed”) instead of ἐφοβήθησαν (efobhqhsan) here, effectively turning the fearful reaction into one of veneration. But the harder reading is well supported by א B D W 0281 Ë1 33 892 1424 al lat co and thus is surely authentic.
[9:8] 214 tn Grk “people.” The plural of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") usually indicates people in general, but the singular is used in the expression “Son of Man.” There is thus an ironic allusion to Jesus’ statement in v. 6: His self-designation as “Son of Man” is meant to be unique, but the crowd regards it simply as meaning “human, person.” To maintain this connection for the English reader the plural ἀνθρώποις (anqrwpoi") has been translated here as “men” rather than as the more generic “people.”
[9:9] 215 tn While “tax office” is sometimes given as a translation for τελώνιον (telwnion, so L&N 57.183), this could give the modern reader a false impression of an indoor office with all its associated furnishings.
[9:9] sn The tax booth was a booth located on the edge of a city or town to collect taxes for trade. There was a tax booth in Capernaum, which was on the trade route from Damascus to Galilee and the Mediterranean. The “taxes” were collected on produce and goods brought into the area for sale, and were a sort of “sales tax” paid by the seller but obviously passed on to the purchaser in the form of increased prices (L&N 57.183). It was here that Jesus met Matthew (also named Levi [see Mark 2:14, Luke 5:27]) who was ultimately employed by the Romans, though perhaps more directly responsible to Herod Antipas. It was his job to collect taxes for Rome and he was thus despised by Jews who undoubtedly regarded him as a traitor.
[9:10] 216 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[9:10] 217 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:10] 218 tn Grk “was reclining at table.”
[9:10] sn As Jesus was having a meal. 1st century middle eastern meals were not eaten while sitting at a table, but while reclining on one’s side on the floor with the head closest to the low table and the feet farthest away.
[9:10] 219 tn Grk “in the house.” The Greek article is used here in a context that implies possession, and the referent of the implied possessive pronoun (Matthew) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[9:10] 220 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[9:11] 221 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[9:11] 222 sn The issue here is inappropriate associations. Jews were very careful about personal associations and contact as a matter of ritual cleanliness. Their question borders on an accusation that Jesus is ritually unclean.
[9:12] 223 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[9:12] 224 sn Jesus’ point is that he associates with those who are sick because they have the need and will respond to the offer of help. A person who is healthy (or who thinks mistakenly that he is) will not seek treatment.
[9:13] 225 sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 12:7).
[9:14] 226 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[9:14] 227 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
[9:14] 228 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[9:14] 229 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.
[9:15] 230 tn Grk “sons of the wedding hall,” an idiom referring to wedding guests, or more specifically friends of the bridegroom present at the wedding celebration (L&N 11.7).
[9:15] 231 sn The expression while the bridegroom is with them is an allusion to messianic times (John 3:29; Isa 54:5-6; 62:4-5; 4 Ezra 2:15, 38).
[9:15] 233 sn The statement the bridegroom will be taken from them is a veiled allusion by Jesus to his death, which he did not make explicit until the incident at Caesarea Philippi in 16:13ff.
[9:17] 234 sn Wineskins were bags made of skin or leather, used for storing wine in NT times. As the new wine fermented and expanded, it would stretch the new wineskins. Putting new (unfermented) wine in old wineskins, which had already been stretched, would result in the bursting of the wineskins.
[9:17] 235 sn The meaning of the saying new wine into new wineskins is that the presence and teaching of Jesus was something new and signaled the passing of the old. It could not be confined within the old religion of Judaism, but involved the inauguration and consummation of the kingdom of God.
[9:20] 236 tn Grk “And behold a woman.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[9:20] 237 sn Suffering from a hemorrhage. The woman was most likely suffering from a vaginal hemorrhage which would make her ritually unclean.
[9:20] 238 sn The edge of his cloak refers to the kraspedon, the blue tassel on the garment that symbolized a Jewish man’s obedience to the law (cf. Num 15:37-41). The woman thus touched the very part of Jesus’ clothing that indicated his ritual purity.
[9:20] 239 tn Grk “garment,” but here ἱμάτιον (Jimation) denotes the outer garment in particular.
[9:21] 240 tn The imperfect verb is here taken iteratively, for the context suggests that the woman was trying to find the courage to touch Jesus’ cloak.
[9:21] sn In this pericope the author uses a term for being healed (Grk “saved”) that would have spiritual significance to his readers. It may be a double entendre (cf. parallel in Mark 5:28 which uses the same term), since elsewhere he uses verbs that simply mean “heal”: If only the reader would “touch” Jesus, he too would be “saved.”
[9:22] 242 tn Or “has delivered you”; Grk “has saved you.” This should not be understood as an expression for full salvation in the immediate context; it refers only to the woman’s healing.
[9:24] 244 tn Grk “They were laughing at him.” The imperfect verb has been taken ingressively.
[9:26] 245 tn For the translation of τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην (thn ghn ekeinhn) as “that region,” see L&N 1.79.
[9:27] 246 tn Grk “shouting, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[9:27] 247 sn Have mercy on us is a request for healing. It is not owed to the men. They simply ask for God’s kind grace.
[9:27] 248 sn There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).
[9:28] 249 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[9:28] 250 tn Grk “to him, and Jesus.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but a new sentence was started here in the translation.
[9:31] 251 tn For the translation of τὴν γῆν ἐκείνην (thn ghn ekeinhn) as “that region,” see L&N 1.79.
[9:32] 252 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[9:32] 253 tn Grk “away, behold, they brought a man to him.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[9:34] 254 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[9:34] 256 tc Although codex Cantabrigiensis (D), along with a few other Western versional and patristic witnesses, lacks this verse, virtually all other witnesses have it. The Western text’s reputation for free alterations as well as the heightened climax if v. 33 concludes this pericope explains why these witnesses omitted the verse.
[9:35] 258 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[9:35] 259 tn Grk “and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[9:36] 260 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[9:36] 261 tn Or “because they had been bewildered and helpless.” The translational issue is whether the perfect participles are predicate (as in the text) or are pluperfect periphrastic (the alternate translation). If the latter, the implication would seem to be that the crowds had been in such a state until the Great Shepherd arrived.
[9:38] 262 sn The phrase Lord of the harvest recognizes God’s sovereignty over the harvest process.
[9:38] 263 tn Grk “to thrust out.”
[10:1] 265 sn Unclean spirits refers to evil spirits.
[10:1] 266 tn Grk “and every [kind of] sickness.” Here “every” was not repeated in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[10:2] 267 sn The term apostles is rare in the gospels, found only here, Mark 3:14, and six more times in Luke (6:13; 9:10; 11:49; 17:5; 22:14; 24:10).
[10:2] 268 sn In the various lists of the twelve, Simon (that is, Peter) is always mentioned first (see also Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:13-16; Acts 1:13) and the first four are always the same, though not in the same order after Peter.
[10:3] 269 sn Bartholomew (meaning “son of Tolmai” in Aramaic) could be another name for Nathanael mentioned in John 1:45.
[10:3] 270 sn This is the “doubting Thomas” of John 20:24-29.
[10:3] 271 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[10:3] 272 tc Witnesses differ on the identification of the last disciple mentioned in v. 3: He is called Λεββαῖος (Lebbaio", “Lebbaeus”) in D, Judas Zelotes in it, and not present in sys. The Byzantine text, along with a few others (C[*],2 L W Θ Ë1 33 Ï), conflates earlier readings by calling him “Lebbaeus, who was called Thaddaeus,” while codex 13 pc conflate by way of transposition (“Thaddaeus, who was called Lebbaeus”). But excellent witnesses of the earliest texttypes (א B Ë13 892 pc lat co) call him merely Θαδδαῖος (Qaddaio", “Thaddaeus”), a reading which, because of this support, is most likely correct.
[10:4] 273 tn Grk “the Cananean,” but according to both BDAG 507 s.v. Καναναῖος and L&N 11.88, this term has no relation at all to the geographical terms for Cana or Canaan, but is derived from the Aramaic term for “enthusiast, zealot” (see Luke 6:15; Acts 1:13), possibly because of an earlier affiliation with the party of the Zealots. He may not have been technically a member of the particular Jewish nationalistic party known as “Zealots” (since according to some scholars this party had not been organized at that time), but simply someone who was zealous for Jewish independence from Rome, in which case the term would refer to his temperament.
[10:4] 274 sn There is some debate about what the name Iscariot means. It probably alludes to a region in Judea and thus might make Judas the only non-Galilean in the group. Several explanations for the name Iscariot have been proposed, but it is probably transliterated Hebrew with the meaning “man of Kerioth” (there are at least two villages that had that name). For further discussion see D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 1:546; also D. A. Carson, John, 304.
[10:4] 275 tn Grk “who even betrayed him.”
[10:5] 276 tn Grk “instructing them, saying.”
[10:5] 277 tn Grk “on the road of the Gentiles.” That is, a path that leads to Gentile regions.
[10:5] 278 tn Grk “town [or city] of the Samaritans.”
[10:6] 279 tn Grk “But go.” The Greek μᾶλλον (mallon, “rather, instead”) conveys the adversative nuance here so that δέ (de) has not been translated.
[10:8] 280 tc The majority of Byzantine minuscules, along with a few other witnesses (C3 K L Γ Θ 700* al), lack νεκροὺς ἐγείρετε (nekrou" ejgeirete, “raise the dead”), most likely because of oversight due to a string of similar endings (-ετε in the second person imperatives, occurring five times in v. 8). The longer version of this verse is found in several diverse and ancient witnesses such as א B C* (D) N 0281vid Ë1,13 33 565 al lat; P W Δ 348 have a word-order variation, but nevertheless include νεκροὺς ἐγείρετε. Although some Byzantine-text proponents charge the Alexandrian witnesses with theologically-motivated alterations toward heterodoxy, it is interesting to find a variant such as this in which the charge could be reversed (do the Byzantine scribes have something against the miracle of resurrection?). In reality, such charges of wholesale theologically-motivated changes toward heterodoxy are immediately suspect due to lack of evidence of intentional changes (here the change is evidently due to accidental omission).
[10:10] 281 tn Or “no traveler’s bag”; or possibly “no beggar’s bag” (L&N 6.145; BDAG 811 s.v. πήρα).
[10:10] 282 tn Grk “two tunics.” See the note on the word “tunic” in Matt 5:40.
[10:10] 283 sn Mark 6:8 allows one staff. It might be that Matthew’s summary (cf. Luke 9:3) means not taking an extra staff or that the expression is merely rhetorical for “traveling light” which has been rendered in two slightly different ways.
[10:11] 284 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[10:11] 285 tn Grk “Into whatever town or village you enter.” This acts as a distributive, meaning every town or village they enter; this is expressed more naturally in English as “whenever you enter a town or village.”
[10:11] 286 tn Grk “in it” (referring to the city or village).
[10:11] 287 tn Grk “there.” This was translated as “with them” to avoid redundancy in English and to clarify where the disciples were to stay.
[10:11] sn Jesus telling his disciples to stay with them in one house contrasts with the practice of religious philosophers in the ancient world who went from house to house begging.
[10:12] 288 tn This is a metonymy; the “house” is put for those who live in it.
[10:13] 289 sn The response to these messengers determines how God’s blessing is bestowed – if the messengers are not welcomed, their blessing will return to them. Jesus shows just how important their mission is by this remark.
[10:14] 290 sn To shake the dust off represented shaking off the uncleanness from one’s feet; see Luke 10:11; Acts 13:51; 18:6. It was a sign of rejection.
[10:15] 291 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[10:15] 292 sn The allusion to Sodom and Gomorrah, the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29, shows that to reject the current message is even more serious than the worst sins of the old era and will result in more severe punishment.
[10:16] 293 tn Grk “Behold I.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[10:16] 294 sn This imagery of wolves is found in intertestamental Judaism; see Pss. Sol. 8:23, 30.
[10:17] 295 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[10:17] 296 sn Councils in this context refers to local judicial bodies attached to the Jewish synagogue. This group would be responsible for meting out justice and discipline within the Jewish community.
[10:17] 297 tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”
[10:17] 298 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[10:18] 299 sn These statements look at persecution both from a Jewish context as the mention of courts and synagogues suggests, and from a Gentile one as the reference to governors and kings suggests. Some fulfillment of Jewish persecution can be seen in Acts.
[10:19] 300 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[10:19] 301 tn Grk “how or what you might speak.”
[10:19] 302 tn Grk “in that hour.”
[10:21] 303 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[10:21] 304 tn Or “will rebel against.”
[10:23] 305 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[10:23] 306 tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.”
[10:23] 307 tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn) I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar, “for”) has not been translated.
[10:23] 308 tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis), which can mean either “town” or “city.” “Town” was chosen here to emphasize the extensive nature of the disciples’ ministry. The same word is translated earlier in the verse as “place.”
[10:24] 309 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[10:26] 310 tn Grk “Therefore do not.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[10:26] 311 tn Or “concealed.”
[10:26] 312 sn I.e., be revealed by God. The passive voice here and in the next verb see the revelation as coming from God. The text is both a warning about bad things being revealed and an encouragement that good things will be made known.
[10:27] 313 tn Grk “what you hear in the ear,” an idiom.
[10:27] 314 tn The expression “proclaim from the housetops” is an idiom for proclaiming something publicly (L&N 7.51). Roofs of many first century Jewish houses in Judea and Galilee were flat and had access either from outside or from within the house. Something shouted from atop a house would be heard by everyone in the street below.
[10:28] 315 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[10:28] 316 sn Judaism had a similar exhortation in 4 Macc 13:14-15.
[10:28] 317 sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.
[10:29] 318 sn The penny refers to an assarion, a small Roman copper coin. One of them was worth one-sixteenth of a denarius or less than a half hour’s average wage. Sparrows were the cheapest items sold in the market. God knows about even the most financially insignificant things; see Isa 49:15.
[10:29] 319 tn Or “to the ground without the knowledge and consent of your Father.”
[10:31] 320 sn Do not be afraid. One should respect and show reverence to God, but need not fear his tender care.
[10:32] 321 tn Or “confesses.”
[10:32] 322 tn Grk “I will acknowledge him also.”
[10:32] sn This acknowledgment will take place at the judgment. On Jesus and judgment, see Luke 22:69; Acts 10:42-43; 17:31.
[10:34] 323 tn Grk “cast.” For βάλλω (ballw) in the sense of causing a state or condition, see L&N 13.14.
[10:36] 324 tn Matt 10:35-36 are an allusion to Mic 7:6.
[10:38] 325 sn It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection.
[10:39] 326 tn Grk “his soul,” but ψυχή (yuch) is frequently used of one’s physical life. It clearly has that meaning in this context.
[10:39] 327 sn If there is no willingness to suffer the world’s rejection at this point, then one will not respond to Jesus (which is trying to find life) and then will be subject to this judgment (which is losing it).
[10:39] 328 tn Or “for my sake.” The traditional rendering “for my sake” can be understood in the sense of “for my benefit,” but the Greek term ἕνεκα indicates the cause or reason for something (BDAG 334 s.v. 1).
[10:40] 329 sn The one who sent me refers to God.
[10:41] 330 tn Grk “And whoever.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[10:42] 331 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[11:1] 332 tn Grk “And it happened when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[11:2] 333 sn John refers to John the Baptist.
[11:2] 334 tc The Western codex D and a few other
[11:2] tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[11:2] sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
[11:2] 335 tc Instead of “by his disciples” (see the tn below for the reading of the Greek), the majority of later
[11:2] tn Grk “sending by his disciples he said to him.” The words “a question” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.
[11:3] 336 sn Aspects of Jesus’ ministry may have led John to question whether Jesus was the promised stronger and greater one who is to come that he had preached about in Matt 3:1-12.
[11:4] 337 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[11:4] 338 sn What you hear and see. The following activities all paraphrase various OT descriptions of the time of promised salvation: Isa 35:5-6; 26:19; 29:18-19; 61:1. Jesus is answering not by acknowledging a title, but by pointing to the nature of his works, thus indicating the nature of the time.
[11:5] 339 tn Grk “and the,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more. Two other conjunctions are omitted in this series.
[11:7] 342 tn There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally (Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?… No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.
[11:8] 343 tn Grk “But what.” Here ἀλλά (alla, a strong contrastive in Greek) produces a somewhat awkward sense in English, and has not been translated. The same situation occurs at the beginning of v. 9.
[11:8] 344 sn The reference to fancy clothes makes the point that John was not rich or powerful, in that he did not come from the wealthy classes.
[11:9] 346 tn John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The term is neuter, but may be understood as masculine in this context (BDAG 806 s.v. περισσότερος b).
[11:10] 347 tn Grk “before your face” (an idiom).
[11:10] 348 sn The quotation is primarily from Mal 3:1 with pronouns from Exod 23:20. Here is the forerunner who points the way to the arrival of God’s salvation. His job is to prepare and guide the people, as the cloud did for Israel in the desert.
[11:11] 349 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[11:11] 350 sn After John comes a shift of eras. The new era is so great that the lowest member of it (the one who is least in the kingdom of God) is greater than the greatest one of the previous era.
[11:12] 351 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[11:12] 352 tn Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16.
[11:13] 353 tn The word “appeared” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.
[11:15] 354 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 13:9, 43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
[11:16] 355 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[11:16] 356 tn Grk “who call out to one another, saying.” The participle λέγουσιν (legousin) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[11:17] 357 sn ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 18-19) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.
[11:17] 358 tn The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.
[11:18] 359 sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.
[11:19] 360 tn Grk “Behold a man.”
[11:19] 361 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[11:19] 362 sn Neither were they happy with Jesus (the Son of Man), even though he was the opposite of John and associated freely with people like tax collectors and sinners. Either way, God’s messengers were subject to complaint.
[11:19] 363 tn Or “shown to be right.”
[11:19] 364 tc Most witnesses (B2 C D L Θ Ë1 33 Ï lat) have “children” (τέκνων, teknwn) here instead of “deeds” (ἔργων, ergwn), but since “children” is the reading of the parallel in Luke 7:35, scribes would be motivated to convert the less colorful “deeds” into more animate offspring of wisdom. Further, ἔργων enjoys support from א B* W (Ë13) as well as early versional and patristic support.
[11:20] 365 tn The Greek word here is πόλις (polis) which can be translated “city” or “town.” “Cities” was chosen here to emphasize the size of the places Jesus’ mentions in the following verses.
[11:21] 366 sn Chorazin was a town of Galilee that was probably fairly small in contrast to Bethsaida and is otherwise unattested. Bethsaida was declared a polis by the tetrarch Herod Philip, sometime after
[11:21] 367 tn This introduces a second class (contrary to fact) condition in the Greek text.
[11:21] 368 tn Or “powerful deeds.”
[11:21] 369 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[11:21] 370 sn Tyre and Sidon are two other notorious OT cities (Isa 23; Jer 25:22; 47:4). The remark is a severe rebuke, in effect: “Even the sinners of the old era would have responded to the proclamation of the kingdom, unlike you!”
[11:21] map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[11:23] 371 sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.
[11:23] map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[11:23] 372 tn The interrogative particle introducing this question expects a negative reply.
[11:23] 373 sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Luke 10:15; 16:23; Rev 20:13-14).
[11:24] 374 sn The allusion to Sodom, the most wicked of OT cities from Gen 19:1-29, shows that to reject the current message is even more serious, and will result in more severe punishment, than the worst sins of the old era. The phrase region of Sodom is in emphatic position in the Greek text.
[11:25] 375 tn Grk “At that time, answering, Jesus said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[11:25] 377 sn The title Lord is an important name for God, showing his sovereignty, but it is interesting that it comes next to a reference to the Father, a term indicative of God’s care. The two concepts are often related in the NT; see Eph 1:3-6.
[11:25] 379 sn See 1 Cor 1:26-31.
[11:26] 380 tn Grk “for (to do) thus was well-pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.b.δ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.
[11:27] 381 sn This verse has been noted for its conceptual similarity to teaching in John’s Gospel (10:15; 17:2). The authority of the Son and the Father are totally intertwined.
[11:27] 382 tn Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.
[11:29] 383 sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restrictions that a teacher or rabbi would place on his followers.
[12:1] 384 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[12:1] 385 tn Or “heads of grain.” While the generic term στάχυς (stacus) can refer to the cluster of seeds at the top of grain such as barley or wheat, in the NT the term is restricted to wheat (L&N 3.40; BDAG 941 s.v. 1).
[12:2] 386 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[12:3] 387 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[12:4] 388 tc The Greek verb ἔφαγεν (efagen, “he ate”) is found in a majority of witnesses (Ì70 C D L W Θ Ë1,13 33 Ï latt sy co) in place of ἔφαγον (efagon, “they ate”), the wording found in א B pc. ἔφαγεν is most likely motivated by the parallels in Mark and Luke (both of which have the singular).
[12:4] 389 tn Grk “the bread of presentation.”
[12:4] sn The sacred bread refers to the “bread of presentation,” “showbread,” or “bread of the Presence,” twelve loaves prepared weekly for the tabernacle and later, the temple. See Exod 25:30; 35:13; 39:36; Lev 24:5-9. Each loaf was made from 3 quarts (3.5 liters; Heb “two tenths of an ephah”) of fine flour. The loaves were placed on a table in the holy place of the tabernacle, on the north side opposite the lampstand (Exod 26:35). It was the duty of the priest each Sabbath to place fresh bread on the table; the loaves from the previous week were then given to Aaron and his descendants, who ate them in the holy place, because they were considered sacred (Lev 24:9). See also Mark 2:23-28, Luke 6:1-5.
[12:4] 390 sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was against the law is one of analogy: “If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.” Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.
[12:4] 391 sn See 1 Sam 21:1-6.
[12:6] 392 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[12:7] 393 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[12:7] 394 sn A quotation from Hos 6:6 (see also Matt 9:13).
[12:8] 395 tn The term “lord” is in emphatic position in the Greek text.
[12:8] sn A second point in Jesus’ defense of his disciples’ actions was that his authority as Son of Man also allowed it, since as Son of Man he was lord of the Sabbath.
[12:9] 396 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[12:9] 397 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:9] 398 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[12:10] 399 tn Grk “And behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[12:10] 400 sn Withered means the man’s hand was shrunken and paralyzed.
[12:10] 401 tn Grk “and they asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated. The referent of the pronoun (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:10] 402 sn The background for this is the view that only if life was endangered should one attempt to heal on the Sabbath (see the Mishnah, m. Shabbat 6.3; 12.1; 18.3; 19.2; m. Yoma 8.6).
[12:13] 403 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.
[12:15] 405 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[12:15] 406 tc א B pc lat read only πολλοί (polloi, “many”) here, the first hand of N reads ὄχλοι (ocloi, “crowds”), while virtually all the rest of the witnesses have ὄχλοι πολλοί (ocloi polloi, “great crowds”). In spite of the good quality of both א and B (especially in combination), and the testimony of the Latin witnesses, the longer reading is most likely correct; the shorter readings were probably due to homoioteleuton.
[12:17] 407 tn Grk “so that what was said by Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled, saying.” This final clause, however, is part of one sentence in Greek (vv. 15b-17) and is thus not related only to v. 16. The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant and has not been translated.
[12:18] 408 tn Grk “Behold my servant.”
[12:18] 409 tn Grk “in whom my soul is well pleased.”
[12:21] 410 tn Or “the nations” (the same Greek word may be translated “Gentiles” or “nations”).
[12:21] 411 sn Verses 18-21 are a quotation from Isa 42:1-4.
[12:22] 412 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:22] 413 tn Grk “demoniac, and he healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw.”
[12:24] 414 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[12:24] 415 tn Grk “except by Beelzebul.”
[12:24] sn Beelzebul is another name for Satan. So some people recognized Jesus’ work as supernatural, but called it diabolical.
[12:25] 417 tc The majority of
[12:25] 418 sn Jesus here demonstrated the absurdity of the thinking of the religious leaders who maintained that he was in league with Satan and that he actually derived his power from the devil. He first teaches (vv. 25-28) that if he casts out demons by the ruler of the demons, then in reality Satan is fighting against himself, with the result that his kingdom has come to an end. He then teaches (v. 29) about tying up the strong man to prove that he does not need to align himself with the devil because he is more powerful. Jesus defeated Satan at his temptation (4:1-11) and by his exorcisms he clearly demonstrated himself to be stronger than the devil. The passage reveals the desperate condition of the religious leaders, who in their hatred for Jesus end up attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan (a position for which they will be held accountable, 12:31-32).
[12:25] 419 tn Or “is left in ruins.”
[12:26] 420 tn This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made totally parallel. The expected answer is that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.
[12:27] 421 sn Most read your sons as a reference to Jewish exorcists (cf. “your followers,” L&N 9.4), but more likely this is a reference to the disciples of Jesus themselves, who are also Jewish and have been healing as well (R. J. Shirock, “Whose Exorcists are they? The Referents of οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν at Matthew 12:27/Luke 11:19,” JSNT 46 [1992]: 41-51). If this is a reference to the disciples, then Jesus’ point is that it is not only him, but those associated with him whose power the hearers must assess. The following reference to judging also favors this reading.
[12:27] 422 tn The pronoun “them” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[12:28] 423 sn The kingdom of God is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong.
[12:28] 424 tn The phrase ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (efqasen ef’ Juma") is quite important. Does it mean merely “approach” (which would be reflected in a translation like “has come near to you”) or actually “come upon” (as in the translation given above, “has already overtaken you,” which has the added connotation of suddenness)? Is the arrival of the kingdom merely anticipated or already in process? Two factors favor arrival over anticipation here. First, the prepositional phrase ἐφ᾿ ὑμᾶς (ef’ Jumas, “upon you”) in the Greek text suggests arrival (Dan 4:24, 28 Theodotion). Second, the following illustration in v. 29 looks at the healing as portraying Satan being overrun. So the presence of God’s authority has arrived. See also L&N 13.123 for the translation of φθάνω (fqanw) as “to happen to already, to come upon, to come upon already.”
[12:29] 425 tn Grk “Or how can.”
[12:29] 426 sn The strong man here pictures Satan.
[12:29] 427 sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.
[12:30] 428 sn Whoever is not with me is against me. The call here is to join the victor. Failure to do so means that one is being destructive. Responding to Jesus is the issue.
[12:30] 429 sn For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.
[12:31] 430 tn Grk “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.”
[12:32] 431 tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”
[12:32] 432 tn Grk “it will not be forgiven him.”
[12:32] sn Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this sin. Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning.
[12:33] 433 tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both “tree” and “fruit,” can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).
[12:35] 434 tn The Greek text reads here ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpos). The term is generic referring to any person.
[12:35] 435 tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“his evil treasury”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
[12:35] 436 sn The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and the parallel passage in Luke 6:45).
[12:36] 437 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[12:38] 438 tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[12:38] 439 tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.
[12:38] sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[12:38] 440 tn Grk “answered him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence was changed to conform to English style.
[12:38] 441 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
[12:39] 442 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[12:40] 443 tn Grk “large sea creature.”
[12:40] 444 sn A quotation from Jonah 1:17.
[12:41] 445 tn Grk “men”; the word here (ἀνήρ, anhr) usually indicates males or husbands, but occasionally is used in a generic sense of people in general, as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 1.a, 2).
[12:41] 446 tn Grk “at the preaching of Jonah.”
[12:42] 448 sn On the queen of the South see 1 Kgs 10:1-3 and 2 Chr 9:1-12, as well as Josephus, Ant. 8.6.5-6 (8.165-175). The South most likely refers to modern southwest Arabia, possibly the eastern part of modern Yemen, although there is an ancient tradition reflected in Josephus which identifies this geo-political entity as Ethiopia.
[12:43] 450 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[12:43] 451 sn Unclean spirit refers to an evil spirit.
[12:43] 452 tn Grk “man.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females. This same use occurs in v. 45.
[12:43] 453 sn The background for the reference to waterless places is not entirely clear, though some Jewish texts suggest spirits must have a place to dwell, but not with water (Luke 8:29-31; Tob 8:3). Some suggest that the image of the desert or deserted cities as the places demons dwell is where this idea started (Isa 13:21; 34:14).
[12:43] 454 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[12:44] 455 tn Grk “I will return to my house from which I came.”
[12:44] 457 tn The words “the house” are not in Greek but are implied.
[12:44] 458 sn The image of the house empty, swept clean, and put in order refers to the life of the person from whom the demon departed. The key to the example appears to be that no one else has been invited in to dwell. If an exorcism occurs and there is no response to God, then the way is free for the demon to return. Some see the reference to exorcism as more symbolic; thus the story’s only point is about responding to Jesus. This is possible and certainly is an application of the passage.
[12:45] 459 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.
[12:46] 460 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:46] 461 tn Grk “crowds, behold, his mother.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[12:46] 462 sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.
[12:46] 463 tn “His mother and brothers came and” is a translation of “behold, his mother and brothers came.”
[12:47] 465 tc A few ancient
[12:47] 466 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[12:48] 468 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[12:48] 469 tn Grk “And answering, he said to the one who had said this.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) at the beginning of the clause has not been translated.
[12:49] 470 tn Grk “extending his hand.”
[12:49] 471 tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”
[12:50] 472 tn The pleonastic pronoun αὐτός (autos, “he”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.
[13:2] 473 tn Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clause.
[13:3] 474 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[13:3] 475 sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. the remainder of chapter 13), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.
[13:3] 477 sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well-worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God.
[13:4] 478 tn In Matthew’s version of this parable, plural pronouns are used to refer to the seed in v. 4 (ἅ…αὐτά [Ja…auta]), although the collective singular is used in v. 5 and following (indicated by the singular verbs like ἔπεσεν [epesen]). For the sake of consistency in English, plural pronouns referring to the seed are used in the translation throughout the Matthean account. In both Mark and Luke the collective singular is used consistently throughout (cf. Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8).
[13:5] 479 tn Here and in vv. 7 and 8 δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:5] 480 sn The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.
[13:5] 481 tn Grk “it did not have enough depth of earth.”
[13:7] 482 sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.
[13:7] 483 sn That is, crowded out the good plants.
[13:9] 484 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
[13:10] 485 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[13:11] 486 tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:11] 487 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
[13:11] 488 tn Grk “to you it has been given to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.
[13:11] 489 tn Grk “the mysteries.”
[13:11] sn The key term secrets (μυστήριον, musthrion) can mean either (1) a new revelation or (2) a revealing interpretation of existing revelation as in Dan 2:17-23, 27-30. Jesus seems to be explaining how current events develop old promises, since the NT consistently links the events of Jesus’ ministry and message with old promises (Rom 1:1-4; Heb 1:1-2). The traditional translation of this word, “mystery,” is misleading to the modern English reader because it suggests a secret which people have tried to uncover but which they have failed to understand (L&N 28.77).
[13:12] 490 sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.
[13:14] 491 tn Grk “with hearing,” a cognate dative that intensifies the action of the main verb “you will listen” (ExSyn 168-69).
[13:14] 492 tn Grk “look by looking.” The participle is redundant, functioning to intensify the force of the main verb.
[13:15] 493 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.
[13:16] 494 sn This beatitude highlights the great honor bestowed on the disciples to share in this salvation.
[13:17] 495 tn Grk “truly (ἀμήν, amhn) I say to you.”
[13:17] 496 sn This is what past prophets and righteous people had wanted very much to see, yet the fulfillment had come to the disciples. This remark is like 1 Pet 1:10-12 or Heb 1:1-2.
[13:19] 497 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
[13:19] 498 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
[13:20] 499 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:20] 500 tn Grk “The one sown on rocky ground, this is the one.” The next two statements like this one have this same syntactical structure.
[13:21] 501 tn Grk “is temporary.”
[13:21] 502 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:22] 503 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:22] 504 tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”
[13:22] 505 sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.
[13:23] 506 tn The Greek is difficult to translate because it switches from a generic “he” to three people within this generic class (thus, something like: “Who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one instance a hundred times, in another, sixty times, in another, thirty times”).
[13:24] 507 tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[13:25] 508 tn Grk “sowed darnel.” The Greek term ζιζάνιον (zizanion) refers to an especially undesirable weed that looks like wheat but has poisonous seeds (L&N 3.30).
[13:26] 509 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:27] 510 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[13:28] 511 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the owner’s statement.
[13:30] 512 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[13:30] 514 tn Grk “burned, but gather.”
[13:31] 515 tn Grk “put before.”
[13:31] 516 tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[13:31] 517 sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.
[13:32] 518 sn This is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically a mustard plant is not a tree. This could refer to one of two types of mustard plant popular in Palestine and would be either ten or twenty-five ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.
[13:32] 519 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
[13:32] 520 sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.
[13:33] 522 sn This measure was a saton, the Greek name for the Hebrew term “seah.” Three of these was a very large quantity of flour, since a saton is a little over 16 pounds (7 kg) of dry measure (or 13.13 liters). So this was over 47 lbs (21 kg) of flour total, enough to feed over a hundred people.
[13:33] 523 tn Grk “it was all leavened.”
[13:33] sn The parable of the yeast and the dough teaches that the kingdom of God will start small but eventually grow to permeate everything. Jesus’ point was not to be deceived by its seemingly small start, the same point made in the parable of the mustard seed, which preceded this one.
[13:35] 524 tc A few important
[13:35] tn Grk “was spoken by the prophet, saying.” The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[13:35] 525 sn A quotation from Ps 78:2.
[13:37] 526 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:38] 527 tn Grk “the sons of the kingdom.” This idiom refers to people who should properly be, or were traditionally regarded as, a part of God’s kingdom. L&N 11.13 translates the phrase: “people of God’s kingdom, God’s people.”
[13:38] 528 tn Grk “the sons of the evil one.” See the preceding note on the phrase “people of the kingdom” earlier in this verse, which is the opposite of this phrase. See also L&N 9.4; 11.13; 11.14.
[13:40] 529 tn Grk “Therefore as.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[13:41] 530 tn Grk “the ones who practice lawlessness.”
[13:42] 531 sn A quotation from Dan 3:6.
[13:43] 532 sn An allusion to Dan 12:3.
[13:43] 533 tn The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 11:15, 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
[13:50] 534 sn An allusion to Dan 3:6.
[13:52] 535 tn Or “every scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4. It is possible that the term translated “expert in the law” (traditionally, “scribe”) here is a self-description used by the author, Matthew, to represent his role in conveying the traditions about Jesus to his intended audience. See David E. Orton, The Understanding Scribe [JSNTSup].
[13:53] 536 tn Grk “Now it happened that when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[13:54] 537 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
[13:54] 538 sn Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.
[13:54] 539 tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:54] 540 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.
[13:54] 541 tn Grk “synagogue, so that they.” Here ὥστε (Jwste) has not been translated. Instead a new sentence was started in the translation.
[13:55] 542 sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter’s son is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to his mother…Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 4:41; 8:41; 9:29).
[13:56] 543 tn Grk “Where did he get these things?”
[14:1] 544 sn A tetrarch, a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage rather than an official title.
[14:3] 545 tc ‡ Most witnesses (א2 C D L W Z Θ 0106 Ë1,13 33 Ï lat) read αὐτόν (auton, “him”) here as a way of clarifying the direct object; various important witnesses lack the word, however (א* B 700 pc ff1 h q). The original wording most likely lacked it, but it has been included here due to English style. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating reservations about its authenticity.
[14:4] 546 tn The imperfect tense verb is here rendered with an iterative force.
[14:4] 547 sn This marriage of Herod to his brother Philip’s wife was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left marriages to enter into this union.
[14:5] 548 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[14:5] 549 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Herod) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:5] 550 tn Grk “him” (also in the following phrase, Grk “accepted him”); in both cases the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:7] 551 tn The Greek text reads here ὁμολογέω (Jomologew); though normally translated “acknowledge, confess,” BDAG (708 s.v. 1) lists “assure, promise with an oath” for certain contexts such as here.
[14:9] 552 tn Grk “and being grieved, the king commanded.”
[14:9] sn Herod was technically not a king, but this reflects popular usage. See the note on tetrarch in 14:1.
[14:10] 553 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.
[14:11] 554 tn Grk “And his”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:12] 555 tn Grk “his”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
[14:13] 556 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[14:15] 558 tn Or “a desert” (meaning a deserted or desolate area with sparse vegetation).
[14:16] 559 tc ‡ The majority of witnesses read ᾿Ιησοῦς (Ihsous, “Jesus”) here, perhaps to clarify the subject. Although only a few Greek
[14:16] 560 tn Here the pronoun ὑμεῖς (Jumeis) is used, making “you” in the translation emphatic.
[14:17] 561 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[14:19] 562 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
[14:19] 563 tn Grk “And after instructing the crowds to recline for a meal on the grass, after taking the five loaves and the two fish, after looking up to heaven, he gave thanks, and after breaking the loaves he gave them to the disciples.” Although most of the participles are undoubtedly attendant circumstance, there are but two indicative verbs – “he gave thanks” and “he gave.” The structure of the sentence thus seems to focus on these two actions and has been translated accordingly.
[14:19] 564 tn Grk “to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds.”
[14:22] 565 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[14:24] 566 tn Grk “The boat was already many stades from the land.” A stade (στάδιον, stadion) was a unit of distance about 607 feet (187 meters) long.
[14:25] 567 tn Grk “In the fourth watch of the night,” that is, between 3 a.m. and 6 a.m.
[14:25] 568 tn Or “on the lake.”
[14:26] 569 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[14:26] 570 tn Grk “on the sea”; or “on the lake.” The translation “water” has been used here for stylistic reasons (cf. the same phrase in v. 25).
[14:27] 571 tc Most witnesses have ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς (Jo Ihsous, “Jesus”), while a few lack the words (א* D 073 892 pc ff1 syc sa bo). Although such additions are often suspect (due to liturgical influences, piety, or for the sake of clarity), in this case it is likely that ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς dropped out accidentally. Apart from a few albeit important witnesses, as noted above, the rest of the tradition has either ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς αὐτοῖς (Jo Ihsous autois) or αὐτοῖς ὁ ᾿Ιησοῦς (autois Jo Ihsous). In uncial letters, with Jesus’ name as a nomen sacrum, this would have been written as autoisois_ or ois_autois. Thus homoioteleuton could explain the reason for the omission of Jesus’ name.
[14:27] 572 tn Grk “he said to them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[14:28] 573 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[14:28] 574 tn Grk “answering him, Peter said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.
[14:30] 575 tn Grk “he cried out, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[14:34] 576 sn Gennesaret was a fertile plain south of Capernaum (see also Mark 6:53). The Sea of Galilee was also sometimes known as the Sea of Gennesaret (Luke 5:1).
[14:35] 577 tn Grk “men”; the word here (ἀνήρ, anhr) usually indicates males or husbands, but occasionally is used in a generic sense of people in general, as here (cf. BDAG 79 s.v. 1.a, 2).
[14:36] 578 tn Grk “asked that they might touch.”
[15:1] 579 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[15:1] 580 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[15:1] 581 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[15:1] 582 tn The participle λέγοντες (legontes) has been translated as a finite verb so that its telic (i.e., final or conclusive) force can be more easily detected: The Pharisees and legal experts came to Jesus in order to speak with him.
[15:2] 583 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 Ë1 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] 584 tn Grk “when they eat bread.”
[15:3] 585 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.”
[15:4] 586 tc Most
[15:4] 587 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.
[15:4] 588 sn A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9.
[15:5] 589 tn Grk “is a gift,” that is, something dedicated to God.
[15:6] 590 tc The logic of v. 5 would seem to demand that both father and mother are in view in v. 6. Indeed, the majority of
[15:6] tn Grk “he will never honor his father.” Here Jesus is quoting the Pharisees, whose intent is to release the person who is giving his possessions to God from the family obligation of caring for his parents. The verb in this phrase is future tense, and it is negated with οὐ μή (ou mh), the strongest negation possible in Greek. A literal translation of the phrase does not capture the intended sense of the statement; it would actually make the Pharisees sound as if they agreed with Jesus. Instead, a more interpretive translation has been used to focus upon the release from family obligations that the Pharisees allowed in these circumstances.
[15:6] sn Here Jesus refers to something that has been set aside as a gift to be given to God at some later date, but which is still in the possession of the owner. According to contemporary Jewish tradition, the person who made this claim was absolved from responsibility to support or assist his parents, a clear violation of the Mosaic law to honor one’s parents (v. 4).
[15:8] 591 tn The term “heart” is a collective singular in the Greek text.
[15:9] 592 sn A quotation from Isa 29:13.
[15:10] 593 tn Grk “And calling the crowd, he said to them.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as attendant circumstance. The emphasis here is upon Jesus’ speaking to the crowd.
[15:11] 594 tn Grk “but what.”
[15:12] 595 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[15:13] 596 tn Grk “And answering, he said.”
[15:14] 597 tc ‡ Most
[15:14] 598 tn Grk “If blind leads blind.”
[15:15] 599 tn Grk “And answering, Peter said to him.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[15:16] 600 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[15:17] 601 tn Or “into the latrine.”
[15:20] 602 tn Grk “but to eat with unwashed hands does not defile a person.”
[15:21] 603 map For location see Map1 A2; Map2 G2; Map4 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[15:21] 604 map For location see Map1 A1; JP3 F3; JP4 F3.
[15:22] 605 tn Grk “And behold a Canaanite.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[15:22] 606 tn Grk The participle ἐξελθοῦσα (exelqousa) is here translated as a finite verb. The emphasis is upon her crying out to Jesus.
[15:22] 607 tn Grk “cried out, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[15:23] 608 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
[15:23] 609 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[15:24] 610 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” The construction in Greek is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the disciples’ request.
[15:25] 611 tn In this context the verb προσκυνέω (proskunew), which often describes worship, probably means simply bowing down to the ground in an act of reverence or supplication (see L&N 17.21).
[15:25] 612 tn Grk “she bowed down to him, saying.”
[15:26] 613 tn Grk “And answering, he said, ‘It is not right.’” The introductory phrase “answering, he said” has been simplified and placed at the end of the English sentence for stylistic reasons. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[15:26] 614 tn Or “lap dogs, house dogs,” as opposed to dogs on the street. The diminutive form originally referred to puppies or little dogs, then to house pets. In some Hellenistic uses κυνάριον (kunarion) simply means “dog.”
[15:26] sn The term dogs does not refer to wild dogs (scavenging animals roaming around the countryside) in this context, but to small dogs taken in as house pets. It is thus not a derogatory term per se, but is instead intended by Jesus to indicate the privileged position of the Jews (especially his disciples) as the initial recipients of Jesus’ ministry. The woman’s response of faith and her willingness to accept whatever Jesus would offer pleased him to such an extent that he granted her request.
[15:26] 615 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.
[15:27] 616 tn Grk “she said.”
[15:28] 617 tn Grk “Then answering, Jesus said to her.” This expression has been simplified in the translation.
[15:28] 618 sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.
[15:30] 619 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
[15:30] 620 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[15:32] 621 tc ‡ Although the external evidence is not great (א W Θ 700 pc), the internal evidence for the omission of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after “disciples” is fairly strong. The pronoun may have been added by way of clarification. NA27, however, includes the pronoun, on the basis of the much stronger external evidence.
[15:36] 622 tn Grk “was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.”
[15:37] 623 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[15:38] 624 tc ‡ Although most witnesses (B C L W Ë13 33 Ï f sys,p,h mae) read “women and children” instead of “children and women,” it is likely that the majority’s reading is a harmonization to Matt 14:21. “Children and women” is found in early and geographically widespread witnesses (e.g., א D [Θ Ë1] 579 lat syc sa bo), and has more compelling internal arguments on its side, suggesting that this is the original reading. NA27, however, agrees with the majority of witnesses.
[15:38] 625 tn Grk “And those eating were four thousand men, apart from children and women.”
[15:39] 626 sn Magadan was a place along the Sea of Galilee, the exact location of which is uncertain.
[16:1] 627 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[16:1] 628 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[16:1] 629 tn The object of the participle πειράζοντες (peirazontes) is not given in the Greek text but has been supplied here for clarity.
[16:1] 630 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
[16:2] 631 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” The construction has been simplified in the translation and δέ (de) has not been translated.
[16:3] 632 tn Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).
[16:3] 633 tn Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”
[16:4] 634 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[16:6] 635 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[16:6] 636 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[16:7] 637 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ saying about the Pharisees and Sadducees.
[16:8] 638 tn Or “becoming aware of it.”
[16:8] 639 tn Grk “Those of little faith.”
[16:8] 640 tn Or “discussing.”
[16:13] 641 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[16:13] 642 map For location see Map1 C1; Map2 F4.
[16:13] 643 tn Grk “he asked his disciples, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has been left untranslated.
[16:14] 644 sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.
[16:16] 645 tn Grk “And answering, Simon Peter said.”
[16:16] 646 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[16:16] sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
[16:17] 647 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of this phrase has been modified for clarity.
[16:17] 648 tn The expression “flesh and blood” could refer to “any human being” (so TEV, NLT; cf. NIV “man”), but it could also refer to Peter himself (i.e., his own intuition; cf. CEV “You didn’t discover this on your own”). Because of the ambiguity of the referent, the phrase “flesh and blood” has been retained in the translation.
[16:18] 649 tn Or “and the power of death” (taking the reference to the gates of Hades as a metonymy).
[16:18] sn In the OT, Hades was known as Sheol. It is the place where the unrighteous will reside (Matt 11:23; Luke 16:23; Rev 20:13-14). Some translations render this by its modern equivalent, “hell”; others see it as a reference to the power of death.
[16:20] 650 tc Most
[16:20] tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[16:20] sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
[16:21] 651 tn Grk “From then.”
[16:21] 652 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[16:21] 653 sn The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.
[16:21] 654 tn Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[16:22] 655 tn Grk “began to rebuke him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[16:22] 656 tn Grk “Merciful to you.” A highly elliptical expression: “May God be merciful to you in sparing you from having to undergo [some experience]” (L&N 88.78). A contemporary English equivalent is “God forbid!”
[16:24] 658 tn Grk “to come after me.”
[16:24] 659 tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.
[16:24] 660 sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.
[16:25] 661 tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 25-26).
[16:25] 662 sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.
[16:26] 663 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
[16:27] 664 sn An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.
[16:28] 665 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[16:28] 666 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.
[16:28] 667 tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
[16:28] 668 sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Christ’s role in the Church; (5) the destruction of Jerusalem; (6) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to six days later in 17:1 seems to indicate that Matthew had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration would be a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (in vv. 21-23), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.
[17:1] 669 tn Grk “And after six days.”
[17:1] 670 tn Grk “John his brother” with “his” referring to James.
[17:2] 671 sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
[17:2] 672 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[17:3] 673 tn Grk “And behold, Moses.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[17:3] 674 sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).
[17:4] 675 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the appearance of Moses and Elijah prompted Peter’s comment.
[17:4] 676 tn Grk “Peter answering said.” This construction is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:4] 677 tc Instead of the singular future indicative ποιήσω (poihsw, “I will make”), most witnesses (C3 D L W Θ [Φ] 0281 Ë[1],13 33 Ï lat sy co) have the plural aorist subjunctive ποιήσωμεν (poihswmen, “let us make”). But since ποιήσωμεν is the reading found in the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke, it is almost surely a motivated reading. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, as well as a few others (א B C* 700 pc) have ποιήσω. It is thus more likely that the singular verb is authentic.
[17:4] 678 tn Or “booths,” “dwellings” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).
[17:4] sn Peter apparently wanted to celebrate the feast of Tabernacles or Booths that looked forward to the end and wanted to treat Moses, Elijah, and Jesus as equals by making three shelters (one for each). It was actually a way of expressing honor to Jesus, but the next verse makes it clear that it was not enough honor.
[17:5] 679 tn Grk “behold, a.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated here or in the following clause because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[17:5] 680 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
[17:5] 681 tn Or “surrounded.”
[17:5] 682 tn Grk “behold, a voice from the cloud, saying.” This is an incomplete sentence in Greek which portrays intensity and emotion. The participle λέγουσα (legousa) was translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style.
[17:5] 683 tn Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός (agaphtos) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1).
[17:5] 684 sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.
[17:6] 685 tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
[17:8] 686 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[17:9] 687 tn Grk “Jesus commanded them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[17:10] 688 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.
[17:10] 689 tn Or “do the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[17:11] 690 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This has been simplified in the translation.
[17:12] 691 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[17:14] 692 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[17:15] 693 tn Grk “he is moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB, NASB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).
[17:16] 694 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[17:17] 695 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[17:17] 696 tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”
[17:17] 697 tn Or “faithless.”
[17:17] sn The rebuke for lack of faith has OT roots: Num 14:27; Deut 32:5, 30; Isa 59:8.
[17:17] 698 tn Grk “how long.”
[17:17] 699 tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.
[17:17] 700 sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.
[17:18] 701 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
[17:18] 702 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
[17:19] 703 tn Grk “coming, the disciples said.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.
[17:20] 704 tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
[17:20] 705 tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”
[17:20] 706 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[17:21] 707 tc Many important
[17:22] 708 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[17:22] 709 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is considered by some to be used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NRSV “into human hands”; TEV, CEV “to people”). However, because this can be taken as a specific reference to the group responsible for Jesus’ arrest, where it is unlikely women were present (cf. Matt 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12), the word “men” has been retained in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” earlier in the verse.
[17:24] 710 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[17:24] 711 map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.
[17:24] 712 tn Grk “Collectors of the double drachma.” This is a case of metonymy, where the coin formerly used to pay the tax (the double drachma coin, or δίδραχμον [didracmon]) was put for the tax itself (cf. BDAG 241 s.v.). Even though this coin was no longer in circulation in NT times and other coins were used to pay the tax, the name for the coin was still used to refer to the tax itself.
[17:24] sn The temple tax refers to the half-shekel tax paid annually by male Jews to support the temple (Exod 30:13-16).
[17:25] 713 tn Grk “spoke first to him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[17:25] 714 sn The phrase their sons may mean “their citizens,” but the term “sons” has been retained here in order to preserve the implicit comparison between the Father and his Son, Jesus.
[17:26] 715 sn See the note on the phrase their sons in the previous verse.
[17:27] 716 sn The four drachma coin was a stater (στατήρ, stathr), a silver coin worth four drachmas. One drachma was equivalent to one denarius, the standard pay for a day’s labor (L&N 6.80).
[18:3] 717 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[18:3] 718 sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.
[18:3] 719 tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.
[18:5] 720 tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).
[18:6] 721 tn The Greek term σκανδαλίζω (skandalizw), translated here “causes to sin” can also be translated “offends” or “causes to stumble.”
[18:6] 722 tn Grk “the millstone of a donkey.” This refers to a large flat stone turned by a donkey in the process of grinding grain (BDAG 661 s.v. μύλος 2; L&N 7.68-69). The same term is used in the parallel account in Mark 9:42.
[18:6] sn The punishment of drowning with a heavy weight attached is extremely gruesome and reflects Jesus’ views concerning those who cause others who believe in him to sin.
[18:6] 723 tn The term translated “open” here (πελάγει, pelagei) refers to the open sea as opposed to a stretch of water near a coastline (BDAG 794 s.v. πέλαγος). A similar English expression would be “the high seas.”
[18:7] 724 tn Grk “For it.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
[18:8] 725 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[18:8] 726 sn In Greek there is a wordplay that is difficult to reproduce in English here. The verb translated “causes…to sin” (σκανδαλίζω, skandalizw) comes from the same root as the word translated “stumbling blocks” (σκάνδαλον, skandalon) in the previous verse.
[18:8] 727 tn Grk “than having.”
[18:9] 728 tn Grk “than having.”
[18:9] 729 tn Grk “the Gehenna of fire.”
[18:9] sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.
[18:11] 730 tc The most important
[18:12] 731 tn Grk “a certain man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.
[18:12] 732 sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.
[18:12] 733 sn Look for the one that went astray. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.
[18:13] 734 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[18:15] 735 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. All the “if” clauses in this paragraph are third class conditions in Greek.
[18:15] 736 tn The Greek term “brother” can mean “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a) whether male or female. It can also refer to siblings, though here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God. Therefore, because of the familial connotations, “brother” has been retained in the translation here in preference to the more generic “fellow believer” (“fellow Christian” would be anachronistic in this context).
[18:15] 737 tc ‡ The earliest and best witnesses lack “against you” after “if your brother sins.” It is quite possible that the shorter reading in these witnesses (א B, as well as 0281 Ë1 579 pc sa) occurred when scribes either intentionally changed the text (to make it more universal in application) or unintentionally changed the text (owing to the similar sound of the end of the verb ἁμαρτήσῃ [Jamarthsh] and the prepositional phrase εἰς σέ [eis se]). However, if the
[18:15] 738 tn Grk “go reprove him.”
[18:16] 739 sn A quotation from Deut 19:15.
[18:17] 740 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[18:17] 741 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[18:17] 742 tn Grk “let him be to you as.”
[18:17] 744 sn To treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector means not to associate with such a person. See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[18:18] 745 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[18:19] 746 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[18:19] 747 tn Grk “if two of you…agree about whatever they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the pronouns, which change from second person plural to third person plural in the Greek text, have been consistently translated as second person plural.
[18:21] 748 tn Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a), whether male or female. Concerning the familial connotations, see also the note on the first occurrence of this term in v. 15.
[18:22] 749 tn Or “seventy times seven,” i.e., an unlimited number of times. See L&N 60.74 and 60.77 for the two possible translations of the phrase.
[18:23] 750 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[18:24] 751 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[18:24] 752 sn A talent was a huge sum of money, equal to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the usual day’s wage for a worker. L&N 6.82 states, “a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight) with a value which fluctuated, depending upon the particular monetary system which prevailed at a particular period of time (a silver talent was worth approximately six thousand denarii with gold talents worth at least thirty times that much).”
[18:25] 753 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[18:25] 754 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[18:25] 755 tn Grk “and his wife.”
[18:26] 756 tn Grk “falling therefore the slave bowed down to the ground.” The redundancy of this expression signals the desperation of the slave in begging for mercy.
[18:26] 757 tc The majority of
[18:28] 758 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[18:28] 759 tn Grk “one hundred denarii.” The denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be about three month’s pay.
[18:28] 760 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so.” A new sentence was started at this point in the translation in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
[18:28] 761 tn Grk “and he grabbed him and started choking him.”
[18:28] 762 tn The word “me” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[18:29] 763 tn Grk “begged him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[18:31] 764 tn Grk “Therefore when.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[18:32] 765 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the first slave mentioned in v. 24) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[18:34] 766 tn Grk “handed him over to the torturers,” referring specifically to guards whose job was to torture prisoners who were being questioned. According to L&N 37.126, it is difficult to know for certain in this instance whether the term actually envisions torture as a part of the punishment or is simply a hyperbole. However, in light of the following verse and Jesus’ other warning statements in Matthew about “fiery hell,” “the outer darkness,” etc., it is best not to dismiss this as mere imagery.
[18:35] 767 tn Grk “his.” The pronoun has been translated to follow English idiom (the last pronoun of the verse [“from your heart”] is second person plural in the original).
[18:35] 768 tn Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a), whether male or female. Concerning the familial connotations, see also the note on the first occurrence of this term in v. 15.
[19:1] 769 tn Grk “it happened when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[19:1] 770 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).
[19:3] 771 tn Grk “And Pharisees.”
[19:3] sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[19:3] 772 tc ‡ Most
[19:3] 773 sn The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him. Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 14:1-12). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1, but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design.
[19:4] 774 sn A quotation from Gen 1:27; 5:2.
[19:5] 775 sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.
[19:7] 776 tc ‡ Although the majority of witnesses (B C W 078 087 Ë13 33 Ï syp,h) have αὐτήν (authn, “her”) after the infinitive ἀπολῦσαι (apolusai, “to divorce”), a variant lacks the αὐτήν. This shorter reading may be due to assimilation to the Markan parallel, but since it is attested in early and diverse witnesses (א D L Z Θ Ë1 579 700 pc lat) and since the parallel verse (Mark 10:4) already departs at many points, the shorter reading seems more likely to be original. The pronoun has been included in the translation, however, for clarity. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating reservations regarding its authenticity.
[19:7] sn A quotation from Deut 24:1. The Pharisees were all in agreement that the OT permitted a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce his wife (not vice-versa) and that remarriage was therefore sanctioned. But the two rabbinic schools of Shammai and Hillel differed on the grounds for divorce. Shammai was much stricter than Hillel and permitted divorce only in the case of sexual immorality. Hillel permitted divorce for almost any reason (cf. the Mishnah, m. Gittin 9.10).
[19:8] 777 tc A few important
[19:8] tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:8] 778 tn Grk “heart” (a collective singular).
[19:10] 779 tc ‡ Some significant witnesses, along with the majority of later
[19:11] 780 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:12] 781 tn Grk “from the womb of the mother” (an idiom).
[19:12] 782 tn The verb εὐνουχίζω occurs twice in this verse, translated the first time as “made eunuchs” and the second time as “became eunuchs.” The term literally refers to castration. The second occurrence of the word in this verse is most likely figurative, though, referring to those who willingly maintain a life of celibacy for the furtherance of the kingdom (see W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, Matthew [ICC], 3:23).
[19:13] 784 tn Grk “so that he would lay his hands on them and pray.”
[19:13] 785 tn Grk “the disciples scolded them.” In the translation the referent has been specified as “those who brought them,” since otherwise the statement could be understood to mean that the disciples scolded the children rather than their parents who brought them.
[19:14] 786 sn The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.
[19:15] 787 tn Grk “went from there.”
[19:16] 788 tn Grk “And behold one came.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[19:19] 789 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20.
[19:19] 790 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[19:20] 791 tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.
[19:20] 792 tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:20] sn While the rich man was probably being sincere when he insisted I have wholeheartedly obeyed all these laws, he had confined his righteousness to external obedience. The rich man’s response to Jesus’ command – to give away all he had – revealed that internally he loved money more than God.
[19:21] 793 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[19:21] 794 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
[19:22] 795 tn Grk “he had many possessions.” This term (κτῆμα, kthma) is often used for land as a possession.
[19:23] 796 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[19:24] 797 tn Grk “I say to you.”
[19:24] 798 tc A few late witnesses (579 1424 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words.
[19:24] 799 sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was saying rhetorically that it is impossible for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, unless God (v. 26) intervenes.
[19:25] 800 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:25] 801 sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?
[19:26] 802 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:26] 803 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men, but for God all things are possible”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” in v. 28.
[19:27] 804 tn Grk “Then answering, Peter said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
[19:27] 805 sn Peter wants reassurance that the disciples’ response and sacrifice have been noticed.
[19:27] 806 tn Grk “We have left everything and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied.
[19:28] 807 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:28] 808 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[19:28] 809 sn The Greek term translated the age when all things are renewed (παλιγγενεσία, palingenesia) is understood as a reference to the Messianic age, the time when all things are renewed and restored (cf. Rev 21:5).
[19:28] 810 sn The statement you…will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel looks at the future authority the Twelve will have when Jesus returns. They will share in Israel’s judgment.
[19:29] 811 sn Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life (a hundred times as much) and (2) eternal life will be given.
[20:1] 812 sn The term landowner here refers to the owner and manager of a household.
[20:2] 813 tn Grk “agreeing with the workers for a denarius a day.”
[20:2] sn The standard wage was a denarius a day. The denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wage for a laborer in Palestine in the 1st century.
[20:3] 814 tn Grk “about the third hour.”
[20:5] 815 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[20:5] 816 tn Grk “he went out again about the sixth and ninth hour.”
[20:6] 817 tn Grk “about the eleventh hour.”
[20:8] 818 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[20:8] 819 sn That is, six o’clock in the evening, the hour to pay day laborers. See Lev 19:13b.
[20:8] 820 tc ‡ Most witnesses (including B D W Θ Ë1,13 33vid Ï latt sy) have αὐτοῖς (autois, “to them”) after ἀπόδος (apodos, “give the pay”), but this seems to be a motivated reading, clarifying the indirect object. The omission is supported by א C L Z 085 Or. Nevertheless, NA27 includes the pronoun on the basis of the greater external attestation.
[20:9] 821 tn Grk “each received a denarius.” See the note on the phrase “standard wage” in v. 2.
[20:11] 822 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[20:11] 823 tn The imperfect verb ἐγόγγυζον (egonguzon) has been translated ingressively.
[20:13] 824 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the landowner) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[20:13] 825 tn Grk “And answering, he said to one of them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
[20:13] 826 tn Grk “for a denarius a day.”
[20:14] 827 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[20:14] 828 tn Grk “this last one,” translated as “this last man” because field laborers in 1st century Palestine were men.
[20:15] 829 tc ‡ Before οὐκ (ouk, “[am I] not”) a number of significant witnesses read ἤ (h, “or”; e.g., א C W 085 Ë1,13 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
[20:15] 830 tn Grk “Is your eye evil because I am good?”
[20:17] 831 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[20:17] 832 tc ‡ A number of significant witnesses (e.g., B C W 085 33 lat) have μαθητάς (maqhtas, “disciples”) after δώδεκα (dwdeka, “twelve”), perhaps by way of clarification, while other important witnesses lack the word (e.g., א D L Θ Ë1,13). The longer reading looks to be a scribal clarification, and hence is considered to be secondary. NA27 puts the word in brackets to show doubts about its authenticity.
[20:18] 833 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[20:19] 834 tn Traditionally, “scourged” (the term means to beat severely with a whip, L&N 19.9). BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “The ‘verberatio’ is denoted in the passion predictions and explicitly as action by non-Israelites Mt 20:19; Mk 10:34; Lk 18:33”; the verberatio was the beating given to those condemned to death in the Roman judicial system. Here the term μαστιγόω (mastigow) has been translated “flog…severely” to distinguish it from the term φραγελλόω (fragellow) used in Matt 27:26; Mark 15:15.
[20:19] 835 sn Crucifixion was the cruelest form of punishment practiced by the Romans. Roman citizens could not normally undergo it. It was reserved for the worst crimes, like treason and evasion of due process in a capital case. The Roman historian Cicero called it “a cruel and disgusting penalty” (Against Verres 2.5.63-66 §§163-70); Josephus (J. W. 7.6.4 [7.203]) called it the worst of deaths.
[20:19] 836 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[20:20] 837 tn Grk “asked something from him.”
[20:21] 838 tn Grk “said to him.”
[20:21] 839 tn Grk “Say that.”
[20:21] 840 tc A majority of witnesses read σου (sou, “your”) here, perhaps for clarification. At the same time, it is possible that the pronoun dropped out through haplography or was excised because of perceived redundancy (there are two other such pronouns in the verse) by א B. Either way, the translation adds it due to the requirements of English style. NA27 includes σου here.
[20:22] 841 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[20:22] 842 tn The verbs in Greek are plural here, indicating that Jesus is not answering the mother but has turned his attention directly to the two disciples.
[20:22] 843 tc Most
[20:22] 844 sn No more naïve words have ever been spoken as those found here coming from James and John, “We are able.” They said it with such confidence and ease, yet they had little clue as to what they were affirming. In the next sentence Jesus confirms that they will indeed suffer for his name.
[20:23] 845 tc See the tc note on “about to drink” in v. 22.
[20:24] 846 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[20:24] 848 tn The word “this” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[20:27] 849 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[20:28] 850 sn The Greek word for ransom (λύτρον, lutron) is found here and in Mark 10:45 and refers to the payment of a price in order to purchase the freedom of a slave. The idea of Jesus as the “ransom” is that he paid the price with his own life by standing in our place as a substitute, enduring the judgment that we deserved for sin.
[20:29] 851 map For location see Map5 B2; Map6 E1; Map7 E1; Map8 E3; Map10 A2; Map11 A1.
[20:30] 852 tn Grk “And behold.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[20:30] 853 tn Grk “shouted, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[20:30] 854 sn Have mercy on us is a request for healing. It is not owed to the men. They simply ask for God’s kind grace.
[20:30] 855 sn There was a tradition in Judaism that the Son of David (Solomon) had great powers of healing (Josephus, Ant. 8.2.5 [8.42-49]).
[20:31] 856 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[20:31] 857 tn Or “rebuked.” The crowd’s view was that surely Jesus would not be bothered with someone as unimportant as a blind beggar.
[20:31] 858 tc ‡ The majority of
[21:1] 859 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[21:1] 860 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[21:1] 861 sn The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most put it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.
[21:1] 862 sn “Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 3 kilometers (1.8 miles) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 30 meters (100 ft) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.
[21:2] 863 tn Grk “the village lying before you” (BDAG 530 s.v. κατέναντι 2.b).
[21:3] 864 sn The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.
[21:4] 865 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:4] 866 tn Grk “what was spoken by the prophet, saying.” The present participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant and has not been translated.
[21:5] 867 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] 868 tn Grk “the foal of an animal under the yoke,” i.e., a hard-working animal. This is a quotation from Zech 9:9.
[21:6] 869 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ instructions in vv. 2-3.
[21:7] 870 tn Grk “garments”; but this refers in context to their outer cloaks. The action is like 2 Kgs 9:13.
[21:8] 871 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:9] 872 tn Grk “were shouting, saying.” The participle λέγοντας (legontas) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[21:9] 873 tn The expression ῾Ωσαννά (Jwsanna, literally in Hebrew, “O Lord, save”) in the quotation from Ps 118:25-26 was probably by this time a familiar liturgical expression of praise, on the order of “Hail to the king,” although both the underlying Aramaic and Hebrew expressions meant “O Lord, save us.” In words familiar to every Jew, the author is indicating that at this point every messianic expectation is now at the point of realization. It is clear from the words of the psalm shouted by the crowd that Jesus is being proclaimed as messianic king. See E. Lohse, TDNT 9:682-84.
[21:9] sn Hosanna is an Aramaic expression that literally means, “help, I pray,” or “save, I pray.” By Jesus’ time it had become a strictly liturgical formula of praise, however, and was used as an exclamation of praise to God.
[21:9] 874 sn A quotation from Ps 118:25-26.
[21:10] 875 tn Grk “was shaken.” The translation “thrown into an uproar” is given by L&N 25.233.
[21:11] 876 map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.
[21:12] 877 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[21:12] 878 tn Grk “the temple.”
[21:12] sn The merchants (those who were selling) would have been located in the Court of the Gentiles.
[21:12] 879 tn Grk “the temple.”
[21:12] sn Matthew (here, 21:12-27), Mark (11:15-19) and Luke (19:45-46) record this incident of the temple cleansing at the end of Jesus’ ministry. John (2:13-16) records a cleansing of the temple at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. See the note on the word temple courts in John 2:14 for a discussion of the relationship of these accounts to one another.
[21:13] 880 sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.
[21:13] 881 tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).
[21:13] 882 sn A quotation from Jer 7:11. The meaning of Jesus’ statement about making the temple courts a den of robbers probably operates here at two levels. Not only were the religious leaders robbing the people financially, but because of this they had also robbed them spiritually by stealing from them the opportunity to come to know God genuinely. It is possible that these merchants had recently been moved to this location for convenience.
[21:15] 883 tn Or “and the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[21:15] 884 tn Grk “crying out in the temple [courts] and saying.” The participle λέγοντας (legontas) is somewhat redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[21:16] 885 sn A quotation from Ps 8:2.
[21:19] 886 tn Grk “one fig tree.”
[21:19] sn The fig tree is a variation on the picture of a vine as representing the nation; see Isa 5:1-7.
[21:21] 887 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[21:21] 888 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:22] 889 tn Grk “believing”; the participle here is conditional.
[21:23] 891 tn Grk “the temple.”
[21:23] 892 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.1
[21:24] 893 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:25] 894 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is used here (and in v. 26) in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NAB, NRSV, “of human origin”; TEV, “from human beings”; NLT, “merely human”).
[21:25] sn The question is whether John’s ministry was of divine or human origin.
[21:27] 895 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the clause is a result of the deliberations of the leaders.
[21:27] 896 tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[21:27] 897 sn Very few questions could have so completely revealed the wicked intentions of the religious leaders. Jesus’ question revealed the motivation of the religious leaders and exposed them for what they really were – hypocrites. They indicted themselves when they cited only two options and chose neither of them (“We do not know”). The point of Matt 21:23-27 is that no matter what Jesus said in response to their question, they were not going to believe it and would in the end use it against him.
[21:27] 898 sn Neither will I tell you. Though Jesus gave no answer, the analogy he used to their own question makes his view clear. His authority came from heaven.
[21:27] 899 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 23.
[21:28] 900 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:29] 901 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here the referent (“the boy”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:29] 902 tn The Greek text reads here μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai): “to change one’s mind about something, with the probable implication of regret” (L&N 31.59); cf. also BDAG 639 s.v. The idea in this context involves more than just a change of mind, for the son regrets his initial response. The same verb is used in v. 32.
[21:30] 903 tn “And he”; here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:30] 904 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated. Here the referent (“this boy”) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[21:31] 905 tc Verses 29-31 involve a rather complex and difficult textual problem. The variants cluster into three different groups: (1) The first son says “no” and later has a change of heart, and the second son says “yes” but does not go. The second son is called the one who does his father’s will. This reading is found in the Western
[21:31] 906 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:31] 907 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[21:32] 908 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:32] 909 sn The word translated change your minds is the same verb used in v. 29 (there translated had a change of heart). Jesus is making an obvious comparison here, in which the religious leaders are viewed as the disobedient son.
[21:33] 910 tn The term here refers to the owner and manager of a household.
[21:33] 911 sn The vineyard is a figure for Israel in the OT (Isa 5:1-7). The nation and its leaders are the tenants, so the vineyard here may well refer to the promise that resides within the nation. The imagery is like that in Rom 11:11-24.
[21:33] 912 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[21:33] 913 sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.
[21:34] 914 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[21:34] sn These slaves represent the prophets God sent to the nation, who were mistreated and rejected.
[21:34] 915 tn Grk “to collect his fruits.”
[21:35] 916 sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.
[21:37] 917 sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.
[21:39] 918 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the tenants’ decision to kill the son in v. 38.
[21:39] 919 tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.
[21:39] 920 sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.
[21:42] 921 tn Or “capstone,” “keystone.” Although these meanings are lexically possible, the imagery in Eph 2:20-22 and 1 Cor 3:11 indicates that the term κεφαλὴ γωνίας (kefalh gwnia") refers to a cornerstone, not a capstone.
[21:42] sn The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The use of Ps 118:22-23 and the “stone imagery” as a reference to Christ and his suffering and exaltation is common in the NT (see also Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; 1 Pet 2:6-8; cf. also Eph 2:20). The irony in the use of Ps 118:22-23 here is that in the OT, Israel was the one rejected (or perhaps her king) by the Gentiles, but in the NT it is Jesus who is rejected by Israel.
[21:42] 922 sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.
[21:43] 923 tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).
[21:44] 924 tc A few witnesses, especially of the Western text (D 33 it sys Or Eussyr), do not contain 21:44. However, the verse is found in א B C L W Z (Θ) 0102 Ë1,13 Ï lat syc,p,h co and should be included as authentic.
[21:44] tn Grk “on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”
[21:44] sn This proverb basically means that the stone crushes, without regard to whether it falls on someone or someone falls on it. On the stone as a messianic image, see Isa 28:16 and Dan 2:44-45.
[21:45] 925 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[21:45] 926 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[21:46] 927 tn Grk “they”; the referent (the crowds) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Both previous occurrences of “they” in this verse refer to the chief priests and the Pharisees.
[22:1] 928 tn Grk “And answering again, Jesus spoke.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[22:3] 929 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[22:4] 930 tn Grk “Behold, I have prepared my dinner.” In some contexts, however, to translate ἄριστον (ariston) as “dinner” somewhat misses the point. L&N 23.22 here suggests, “See now, the feast I have prepared (for you is ready).”
[22:6] 931 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:7] 932 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:7] 933 tn Grk “he sent his soldiers, destroyed those murderers.” The verb ἀπώλεσεν (apwlesen) is causative, indicating that the king was the one behind the execution of the murderers. In English the causative idea is not expressed naturally here; either a purpose clause (“he sent his soldiers to put those murderers to death”) or a relative clause (“he sent his soldier who put those murderers to death”) is preferred.
[22:7] 934 tn The Greek text reads here πόλις (polis), which could be translated “town” or “city.” The prophetic reference is to the city of Jerusalem, so “city” is more appropriate here.
[22:12] 935 tn Grk “he was silent.”
[22:15] 936 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:15] 937 tn Grk “trap him in word.”
[22:16] 938 sn The Herodians are mentioned in the NT only once in Matt (22:16 = Mark 12:13) and twice in Mark (3:6; 12:13; some
[22:16] 939 sn Teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Very few comments are as deceitful as this one; they did not really believe this at all. The question of the Pharisees and Herodians was specifically designed to trap Jesus.
[22:16] 940 tn Grk “And it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”
[22:17] 941 tn Or “lawful,” that is, in accordance with God’s divine law. On the syntax of ἔξεστιν (exestin) with an infinitive and accusative, see BDF §409.3.
[22:17] 942 tn According to L&N 57.180 the term κῆνσος (khnso") was borrowed from Latin and referred to a poll tax, a tax paid by each adult male to the Roman government.
[22:17] sn This question concerning taxes was specifically designed to trap Jesus. If he answered yes, then his opponents could publicly discredit him as a sympathizer with Rome. If he answered no, then they could go to the Roman governor and accuse Jesus of rebellion.
[22:17] 943 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
[22:19] 944 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate their response to Jesus’ request for a coin.
[22:19] 945 tn Here the specific name of the coin was retained in the translation, because not all coins in circulation in Palestine at the time carried the image of Caesar. In other places δηνάριον (dhnarion) has been translated simply as “silver coin” with an explanatory note.
[22:19] sn A denarius was a silver coin worth approximately one day’s wage for a laborer. The fact that they had such a coin showed that they already operated in the economic world of Rome. The denarius would have had a picture of Tiberius Caesar stamped on it.
[22:20] 946 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[22:20] 947 tn Or “whose likeness.”
[22:20] sn In this passage Jesus points to the image (Grk εἰκών, eikwn) of Caesar on the coin. This same Greek word is used in Gen 1:26 (LXX) to state that humanity is made in the “image” of God. Jesus is making a subtle yet powerful contrast: Caesar’s image is on the denarius, so he can lay claim to money through taxation, but God’s image is on humanity, so he can lay claim to each individual life.
[22:21] 948 tn Grk “they said to him.”
[22:21] 949 tn Grk “then he said to them.” τότε (tote) has not been translated to avoid redundancy.
[22:21] 950 sn Jesus’ answer to give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s was a both/and, not the questioners’ either/or. So he slipped out of their trap.
[22:22] 951 tn Grk “they were amazed; they marveled.”
[22:23] 952 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[22:23] 953 sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.
[22:23] 954 tn Grk “and asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[22:24] 955 tn Grk “and raise up seed,” an idiom for fathering children (L&N 23.59).
[22:24] 956 sn A quotation from Deut 25:5. This practice is called levirate marriage (see also Ruth 4:1-12; Mishnah, m. Yevamot; Josephus, Ant. 4.8.23 [4.254-256]). The levirate law is described in Deut 25:5-10. The brother of a man who died without a son had an obligation to marry his brother’s widow. This served several purposes: It provided for the widow in a society where a widow with no children to care for her would be reduced to begging, and it preserved the name of the deceased, who would be regarded as the legal father of the first son produced from that marriage.
[22:27] 957 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:28] 958 tn Grk “For all had her.”
[22:29] 959 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[22:29] 960 tn Or “mistaken” (cf. BDAG 822 s.v. πλανάω 2.c.γ).
[22:30] 961 tc Most witnesses have “of God” after “angels,” although some
[22:30] sn Angels do not die, nor do they eat according to Jewish tradition (1 En. 15:6; 51:4; Wis 5:5; 2 Bar. 51:10; 1QH 3.21-23).
[22:31] 962 tn Grk “spoken to you by God, saying.” The participle λέγοντος (legontos) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[22:32] 963 sn A quotation from Exod 3:6.
[22:32] 964 sn He is not God of the dead but of the living. Jesus’ point was that if God could identify himself as God of the three old patriarchs, then they must still be alive when God spoke to Moses; and so they must be raised.
[22:34] 965 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:34] 966 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[22:34] 967 tn Grk “for the same.” That is, for the same purpose that the Sadducees had of testing Jesus.
[22:35] 968 tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law.
[22:35] 969 tn Grk “testing.” The participle, however, is telic in force.
[22:36] 970 tn Or possibly “What sort of commandment in the law is great?”
[22:37] 971 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:37] 972 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
[22:37] 973 sn A quotation from Deut 6:5. The threefold reference to different parts of the person says, in effect, that one should love God with all one’s being.
[22:38] 974 tn Grk “the great and first.”
[22:39] 975 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[22:40] 976 tn Grk “hang.” The verb κρεμάννυμι (kremannumi) is used here with a figurative meaning (cf. BDAG 566 s.v. 2.b).
[22:41] 977 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:41] 978 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:41] 979 tn Grk “asked them a question, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is somewhat redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[22:42] 980 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[22:42] sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
[22:42] 981 sn It was a common belief in Judaism that Messiah would be the son of David in that he would come from the lineage of David. On this point the Pharisees agreed and were correct. But their understanding was nonetheless incomplete, for Messiah is also David’s Lord. With this statement Jesus was affirming that, as the Messiah, he is both God and man.
[22:44] 982 sn The Lord said to my Lord. With David being the speaker, this indicates his respect for his descendant (referred to as my Lord). Jesus was arguing, as the ancient exposition assumed, that the passage is about the Lord’s anointed. The passage looks at an enthronement of this figure and a declaration of honor for him as he takes his place at the side of God. In Jerusalem, the king’s palace was located to the right of the temple to indicate this kind of relationship. Jesus was pressing the language here to get his opponents to reflect on how great Messiah is.
[22:44] 983 sn A quotation from Ps 110:1.
[22:45] 984 tn Grk “how is he his son?”
[22:46] 985 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[23:2] 986 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[23:2] 987 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:2] 988 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[23:3] 989 tn Grk “for they say and do not do.”
[23:4] 990 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:5] 991 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:5] 992 sn Phylacteries were small leather cases containing OT scripture verses, worn on the arm and forehead by Jews, especially when praying. The custom was derived from such OT passages as Exod 13:9; 16; Deut 6:8; 11:18.
[23:5] 993 tn The term κράσπεδον (kraspedon) in some contexts could refer to the outer fringe of the garment (possibly in Mark 6:56). This edge could have been plain or decorated. L&N 6.180 states, “In Mt 23:5 κράσπεδον denotes the tassels worn at the four corners of the outer garment (see 6.194).”
[23:5] sn Tassels refer to the tassels that a male Israelite was obligated to wear on the four corners of his outer garment according to the Mosaic law (Num 15:38; Deut 22:12).
[23:6] 994 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:6] 995 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[23:7] 996 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
[23:10] 997 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[23:10] sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
[23:11] 998 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:13] 999 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:13] 1000 tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so throughout this chapter).
[23:13] 1001 tn Grk “because you are closing the kingdom of heaven before people.”
[23:14] 1002 tc The most important
[23:15] 1003 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:15] 1004 tn Or “one proselyte.”
[23:15] 1005 tn Grk “when he becomes [one].”
[23:15] 1006 tn Grk “a son of Gehenna.” Expressions constructed with υἱός (Juios) followed by a genitive of class or kind denote a person belonging to the class or kind specified by the following genitive (L&N 9.4). Thus the phrase here means “a person who belongs to hell.”
[23:15] sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.
[23:16] 1007 tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”
[23:18] 1008 tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”
[23:23] 1009 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:23] 1010 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
[23:23] 1011 sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.
[23:23] 1012 tc ‡ Many witnesses (B C K L W Δ 0102 33 565 892 pm) have δέ (de, “but”) after ταῦτα (tauta, “these things”), while many others lack it (א D Γ Θ Ë1,13 579 700 1241 1424 pm). Since asyndeton was relatively rare in Koine Greek, the conjunction may be an intentional alteration, and is thus omitted from the present translation. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
[23:24] 1013 tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”
[23:25] 1014 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:26] 1015 tc A very difficult textual problem is found here. The most important Alexandrian and Byzantine, as well as significant Western, witnesses (א B C L W 0102 0281 Ë13 33 Ï lat co) have “and the dish” (καὶ τῆς παροψίδος, kai th" paroyido") after “cup,” while few important witnesses (D Θ Ë1 700 and some versional and patristic authorities) omit the phrase. On the one hand, scribes sometimes tended to eliminate redundancy; since “and the dish” is already present in v. 25, it may have been deleted in v. 26 by well-meaning scribes. On the other hand, as B. M. Metzger notes, the singular pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou, “its”) with τὸ ἐκτός (to ekto", “the outside”) in some of the same witnesses that have the longer reading (viz., B* Ë13 al) hints that their archetype lacked the words (TCGNT 50). Further, scribes would be motivated both to add the phrase from v. 25 and to change αὐτοῦ to the plural pronoun αὐτῶν (aujtwn, “their”). Although the external evidence for the shorter reading is not compelling in itself, combined with these two prongs of internal evidence, it is to be slightly preferred.
[23:27] 1016 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:27] 1017 sn This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (for discussion of a similar metaphor, see L&N 88.234; BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). See Deut 28:22; Ezek 13:10-16; Acts 23:3.
[23:29] 1018 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:29] 1019 tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated.
[23:29] 1020 tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).
[23:30] 1021 tn Grk “fathers” (so also in v. 32).
[23:33] 1022 tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”
[23:33] sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.
[23:34] 1023 tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[23:34] 1024 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:34] 1025 sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.
[23:34] 1026 tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”
[23:34] 1027 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[23:35] 1028 sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).
[23:36] 1029 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[23:36] 1030 tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”
[23:37] 1031 sn The double use of the city’s name betrays intense emotion.
[23:37] map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[23:37] 1032 tn Although the opening address (“Jerusalem, Jerusalem”) is direct (second person), the remainder of this sentence in the Greek text is third person (“who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her”). The following sentences then revert to second person (“your… you”), so to keep all this consistent in English, the third person pronouns in the present verse were translated as second person (“you who kill… sent to you”).
[23:37] 1033 sn How often I have longed to gather your children. Jesus, like a lamenting prophet, speaks for God here, who longed to care tenderly for Israel and protect her.
[23:37] 1034 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
[23:37] 1035 tn Grk “you were not willing.”
[23:39] 1036 sn A quotation from Ps 118:26.
[24:1] 1037 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[24:1] 1038 sn The Jerusalem temple was widely admired around the world. See Josephus, Ant. 15.11 [15.380-425]; J. W. 5.5 [5.184-227] and Tacitus, History 5.8, who called it “immensely opulent.” Josephus compared it to a beautiful snowcapped mountain.
[24:2] 1039 tn Grk “answering, he said to them.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (ajpokriqei") is redundant in English and has not been translated.
[24:2] 1040 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:2] 1041 sn With the statement not one stone will be left on another Jesus predicted the total destruction of the temple, something that did occur in
[24:2] 1042 tn Grk “not one stone will be left here on another which will not be thrown down.”
[24:3] 1043 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:3] 1044 sn Because the phrase these things is plural, more than the temple’s destruction is in view. The question may presuppose that such a catastrophe signals the end.
[24:4] 1045 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[24:4] 1046 tn Or “Be on guard.”
[24:5] 1047 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[24:5] sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
[24:6] 1048 tn Grk “it is not yet the end.”
[24:7] 1049 tn For the translation “rise up in arms” see L&N 55.2.
[24:7] 1050 sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.
[24:7] 1051 tc Most witnesses (C Θ 0102 Ë1,13 Ï) have “and plagues” (καὶ λοιμοί, kai loimoi) between “famines” (λιμοί, limoi) and “earthquakes” (σεισμοί, seismoi), while others have “plagues and famines and earthquakes” (L W 33 pc lat). The similarities between λιμοί and λοιμοί could explain how καὶ λοιμοί might have accidentally dropped out, but since the Lukan parallel has both terms (and W lat have the order λοιμοὶ καὶ λιμοί there too, as they do in Matthew), it seems more likely that scribes added the phrase here. The shorter reading does not enjoy overwhelming support ([א] B D 892 pc, as well as versional witnesses), but it is nevertheless significant; coupled with the internal evidence it should be given preference.
[24:8] 1052 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:9] 1053 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).
[24:9] 1054 sn See Matt 5:10-12; 1 Cor 1:25-31.
[24:10] 1055 tn Or “many will fall away.” This could also refer to apostasy.
[24:11] 1056 tn Or “and lead many astray.”
[24:13] 1057 sn But the person who endures to the end will be saved. Jesus was not claiming here that salvation is by works. He was simply arguing that genuine faith evidences itself in persistence through even the worst of trials.
[24:14] 1058 tn Or “all the Gentiles” (the same Greek word may be translated “nations” or “Gentiles”).
[24:15] 1059 sn The reference to the abomination of desolation is an allusion to Dan 9:27. Though some have seen the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy in the actions of Antiochus IV (or a representative of his) in 167
[24:16] 1060 sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.
[24:17] 1061 sn On the roof. Most of the roofs in the NT were flat roofs made of pounded dirt, sometimes mixed with lime or stones, supported by heavy wooden beams. They generally had an easy means of access, either a sturdy wooden ladder or stone stairway, sometimes on the outside of the house.
[24:17] 1062 sn The swiftness and devastation of the judgment will require a swift escape. There will be no time to come down from the roof and pick up anything from inside one’s home.
[24:19] 1063 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:20] 1064 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:21] 1065 tn Traditionally, “great tribulation.”
[24:21] 1066 sn Suffering unlike anything that has happened. Some refer this event to the destruction of Jerusalem in
[24:23] 1067 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[24:23] sn See the note on Christ in 1:16.
[24:24] 1068 tn Or “false christs”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[24:25] 1069 tn Or “Pay attention!” Grk “Behold.”
[24:26] 1070 tn Grk “they say.” The third person plural is used here as an indefinite and translated “someone” (ExSyn 402).
[24:26] 1071 tn Or “in the desert.”
[24:27] 1072 sn The Son of Man’s coming in power will be sudden and obvious like lightning. No one will need to point it out.
[24:28] 1073 tn The same Greek term can refer to “eagles” or “vultures” (L&N 4.42; BDAG 22 s.v. ἀετός), but in this context it must mean vultures because the gruesome image is one of dead bodies being consumed by scavengers.
[24:28] sn Jesus’ answer is that when the judgment comes, the scenes of death will be obvious and so will the location of the judgment. See also Luke 17:37.
[24:28] 1074 tn Grk “will be gathered.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in English.
[24:29] 1075 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:29] 1076 tn Traditionally, “tribulation.”
[24:29] 1077 sn An allusion to Isa 13:10, 34:4 (LXX); Joel 2:10. The heavens were seen as the abode of heavenly forces, so their shaking indicates distress in the spiritual realm. Although some take the powers as a reference to bodies in the heavens (like stars and planets, “the heavenly bodies,” NIV) this is not as likely.
[24:30] 1078 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[24:30] 1079 tn Or “in the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
[24:30] 1080 tn Here τότε (tote, “then”) has not been translated to avoid redundancy in English.
[24:30] 1081 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[24:30] 1082 sn An allusion to Dan 7:13. Here is Jesus returning with full authority to judge.
[24:31] 1083 tn Or “of the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context.
[24:32] 1084 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[24:33] 1085 tn The verb γινώσκετε (ginwskete, “know”) can be parsed as either present indicative or present imperative. In this context the imperative fits better, since the movement is from analogy (trees and seasons) to the future (the signs of the coming of the kingdom) and since the emphasis is on preparation for this event.
[24:34] 1086 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:34] 1087 sn This is one of the hardest verses in the gospels to interpret. Various views exist for what generation means. (1) Some take it as meaning “race” and thus as an assurance that the Jewish race (nation) will not pass away. But it is very questionable that the Greek term γενεά (genea) can have this meaning. Two other options are possible. (2) Generation might mean “this type of generation” and refer to the generation of wicked humanity. Then the point is that humanity will not perish, because God will redeem it. Or (3) generation may refer to “the generation that sees the signs of the end” (v. 30), who will also see the end itself. In other words, once the movement to the return of Christ starts, all the events connected with it happen very quickly, in rapid succession.
[24:35] 1088 sn The words that Jesus predicts here will never pass away. They are more stable and lasting than creation itself. For this kind of image, see Isa 40:8; 55:10-11.
[24:36] 1089 tc ‡ Some important witnesses, including early Alexandrian and Western
[24:37] 1090 sn Like the days of Noah, the time of the flood in Gen 6:5-8:22, the judgment will come as a surprise as people live their day to day lives.
[24:38] 1091 tn Grk “they,” but in an indefinite sense, “people.”
[24:39] 1092 sn Like the flood that came and took them all away, the coming judgment associated with the Son of Man will condemn many.
[24:39] 1093 tn Grk “So also will be the coming of the Son of Man.”
[24:40] 1094 sn There is debate among commentators and scholars over the phrase one will be taken and one left about whether one is taken for judgment or for salvation. If the imagery is patterned after the rescue of Noah from the flood, as some suggest, the ones taken are the saved (as Noah was) andthose left behind are judged. The imagery, however, is not directly tied to theidentification of the two groups. Its primary purposein context is topicture the sudden, surprisingseparation of the righteous and the judged (i.e., condemned) at the return of the Son of Man.
[24:41] 1095 tn According to L&N 46.16, this refers to a hand mill normally operated by two women.
[24:42] 1096 tc Most later
[24:43] 1097 sn On Jesus pictured as a returning thief, see 1 Thess 5:2, 4; 2 Pet 3:10; Rev 3:3; 16:15.
[24:44] 1098 sn Jesus made clear that his coming could not be timed, and suggested it would take some time – so long, in fact, that some will not be looking for him any longer (at an hour when you do not expect him).
[24:45] 1099 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[24:45] 1100 tn Grk “give them.”
[24:46] 1101 tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.
[24:47] 1102 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[24:47] 1103 tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[24:48] 1104 tn In the Greek text this is a third class condition that for all practical purposes is a hypothetical condition (note the translation of the following verb “should say”).
[24:48] 1105 tn Grk “should say in his heart.”
[24:51] 1106 tn The verb διχοτομέω (dicotomew) means to cut an object into two parts (L&N 19.19). This is an extremely severe punishment compared to the other two later punishments. To translate it simply as “punish” is too mild. If taken literally this servant is dismembered, although it is possible to view the stated punishment as hyperbole (L&N 38.12).
[25:2] 1107 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:2] 1108 tn Grk “Five of them.”
[25:3] 1109 tn Grk “For when.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
[25:3] 1110 tn The word “extra” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The point is that the five foolish virgins had only the oil in their lamps, but took along no extra supply from which to replenish them. This is clear from v. 8, where the lamps of the foolish virgins are going out because they are running out of oil.
[25:3] 1111 tn On the use of olive oil in lamps, see L&N 6.202.
[25:5] 1112 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:6] 1113 tc ‡ Most witnesses have αὐτοῦ (autou, “[with] him”) after ἀπάντησιν (apanthsin, “meeting”), a reading which makes explicit what is already implied in the shorter text (as found in א B 700). The translation likewise adds “him” for clarity’s sake even though the word is not considered part of the original text. NA27 has αὐτοῦ in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
[25:8] 1114 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:9] 1115 tn Grk “The wise answered, saying, ‘No.’”
[25:10] 1116 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[25:11] 1117 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:11] 1118 tn Grk “Open to us.”
[25:12] 1119 tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[25:12] 1120 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[25:13] 1121 tc Most later
[25:14] 1122 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[25:15] 1123 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[25:15] 1124 sn A talent was equal to 6000 denarii. See the note on this term in 18:24.
[25:16] 1125 tn Grk “traded with them.”
[25:19] 1126 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:20] 1127 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[25:20] 1128 tn Grk Or “Lord; or “Master” (and so throughout this paragraph).
[25:21] 1129 tn Grk “His master said to him.”
[25:22] 1130 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:25] 1131 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[25:26] 1132 tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[25:27] 1133 tn For the translation “deposited my money with the bankers,” see L&N 57.216.
[25:27] 1134 sn That is, “If you really feared me you should have done a minimum to get what I asked for.”
[25:28] 1135 tn Grk “the ten talents.”
[25:29] 1136 tn Grk “to everyone who has, he will be given more.”
[25:29] sn The one who has will be given more. Faithfulness yields great reward (see Matt 13:12; also Mark 4:25; Luke 8:18, 19:26).
[25:29] 1137 sn The one who has nothing has even what he seems to have taken from him, ending up with no reward at all (see also Luke 8:18). The exact force of this is left ambiguous, but there is no comfort here for those who are pictured by the third slave as being totally unmoved by the master. Though not an outright enemy, there is no relationship to the master either.
[25:31] 1138 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:32] 1139 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[25:33] 1140 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[25:37] 1141 tn Grk “answer him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[25:38] 1142 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:39] 1143 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[25:40] 1144 tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[25:40] 1145 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[25:40] 1146 tn Grk “brothers,” but the Greek word may be used for “brothers and sisters” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 1, where considerable nonbiblical evidence for the plural ἀδελφοί [adelfoi] meaning “brothers and sisters” is cited). In this context Jesus is ultimately speaking of his “followers” (whether men or women, adults or children), but the familial connotation of “brothers and sisters” is also important to retain here.
[25:41] 1147 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[25:44] 1148 tn Grk “Then they will answer, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[25:45] 1149 tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
