Matius 12:45-50

12:45 Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there, so ¹  the last state of that person is worse than the first. It will be that way for this evil generation as well!”

Jesus’ True Family

12:46 While Jesus ²  was still speaking to the crowds, ³  his mother and brothers ⁴  came and ⁵  stood outside, asking ⁶  to speak to him. 12:47 ⁷  Someone ⁸  told him, “Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside wanting ⁹  to speak to you.” 12:48 To the one who had said this, Jesus ¹⁰  replied, ¹¹  “Who is my mother and who are my brothers?” 12:49 And pointing ¹²  toward his disciples he said, “Here ¹³  are my mother and my brothers! 12:50 For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is ¹⁴  my brother and sister and mother.”

[12:45]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the concluding point of the story.

[12:46]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:46]  ³ 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]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ tn “His mother and brothers came and” is a translation of “behold, his mother and brothers came.”

[12:46]  ⁶ tn Grk “seeking.”

[12:47]  ⁷ tc A few ancient mss and versions lack this verse (א* B L Γ pc ff¹ k sy^s,c sa). The witness of א and B is especially strong, but internal considerations override this external evidence. Both v. 46 and 47 end with the word λαλῆσαι (“to speak”), so early scribes probably omitted the verse through homoioteleuton. The following verses make little sense without v. 47; its omission is too hard a reading. Thus v. 47 was most likely part of the original text.

[12:47]  ⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[12:47]  ⁹ tn Grk “seeking.”

[12:48]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:48]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Grk “extending his hand.”

[12:49]  ¹³ tn Grk “Behold my mother and my brothers.”

[12:50]  ¹⁴ tn The pleonastic pronoun αὐτός (autos, “he”) which precedes this verb has not been translated.