Matius 21:23--23:39
Konteks21:23 Now after Jesus 1 entered the temple courts, 2 the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority 3 are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” 21:24 Jesus 4 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?” 5 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 6 they answered Jesus, 7 “We don’t know.” 8 Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you 9 by what authority 10 I am doing these things.
21:28 “What 11 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, 12 ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart 13 and went. 21:30 The father 14 went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, 15 ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go. 21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” 16 Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, 17 tax collectors 18 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 19 you saw this, you did not later change your minds 20 and believe him.
21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner 21 who planted a vineyard. 22 He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then 23 he leased it to tenant farmers 24 and went on a journey. 21:34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves 25 to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop. 26 21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, 27 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, 28 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 29 they seized him, 30 threw him out of the vineyard, 31 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. 32
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? 33
21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people 34 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.” 35 21:45 When 36 the chief priests and the Pharisees 37 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 38 regarded him as a prophet.
22:1 Jesus spoke 39 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 40 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. 41 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 42 rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them. 22:7 The 43 king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death 44 and set their city 45 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. 46 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 47 went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words. 48 22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, 49 saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. 50 You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality. 51 22:17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right 52 to pay taxes 53 to Caesar 54 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 55 they brought him a denarius. 56 22:20 Jesus 57 said to them, “Whose image 58 is this, and whose inscription?” 22:21 They replied, 59 “Caesar’s.” He said to them, 60 “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” 61 22:22 Now when they heard this they were stunned, 62 and they left him and went away.
22:23 The same day Sadducees 63 (who say there is no resurrection) 64 came to him and asked him, 65 22:24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children 66 for his brother.’ 67 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 68 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.” 69 22:29 Jesus 70 answered them, “You are deceived, 71 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 72 in heaven. 22:31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, 73 22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? 74 He is not the God of the dead but of the living!” 75 22:33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.
22:34 Now when the Pharisees 76 heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, 77 they assembled together. 78 22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, 79 asked him a question to test 80 him: 22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 81 22:37 Jesus 82 said to him, “‘Love 83 the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 84 22:38 This is the first and greatest 85 commandment. 22:39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 86 22:40 All the law and the prophets depend 87 on these two commandments.”
22:41 While 88 the Pharisees 89 were assembled, Jesus asked them a question: 90 22:42 “What do you think about the Christ? 91 Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.” 92 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, 93
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’? 94
22:45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” 95 22:46 No one 96 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 97 experts in the law 98 and the Pharisees 99 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. 100 23:4 They 101 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 102 do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries 103 wide and their tassels 104 long. 23:6 They 105 love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues 106 23:7 and elaborate greetings 107 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. 108 23:11 The 109 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 110 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! 111 You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! 112 For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.
23:14 [[EMPTY]] 11323:15 “Woe to you, experts in the law 114 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, 115 and when you get one, 116 you make him twice as much a child of hell 117 as yourselves!
23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. 118 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. 119 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 120 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth 121 of mint, dill, and cumin, 122 yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You 123 should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! 124
23:25 “Woe to you, experts in the law 125 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, 126 so that the outside may become clean too!
23:27 “Woe to you, experts in the law 127 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. 128 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 129 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You 130 build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves 131 of the righteous. 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, 132 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? 133
23:34 “For this reason I 134 am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, 135 some of whom you will kill and crucify, 136 and some you will flog 137 in your synagogues 138 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, 139 whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, 140 this generation will be held responsible for all these things! 141
23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 142 you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! 143 How often I have longed 144 to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but 145 you would have none of it! 146 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!’” 147
[21:23] 2 tn Grk “the temple.”
[21:23] 3 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ.1
[21:24] 4 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] 5 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] 6 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] 7 tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[21:27] 8 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] 9 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] 10 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] 11 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:29] 12 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] 13 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] 14 tn “And he”; here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:30] 15 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] 16 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] 17 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[21:31] 18 sn See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
[21:32] 19 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[21:32] 20 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] 21 tn The term here refers to the owner and manager of a household.
[21:33] 22 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] 23 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[21:33] 24 sn The leasing of land to tenant farmers was common in this period.
[21:34] 25 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] 26 tn Grk “to collect his fruits.”
[21:35] 27 sn The image of the tenants mistreating the owner’s slaves pictures the nation’s rejection of the prophets and their message.
[21:37] 28 sn The owner’s decision to send his son represents God sending Jesus.
[21:39] 29 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] 30 tn Grk “seizing him.” The participle λαβόντες (labontes) has been translated as attendant circumstance.
[21:39] 31 sn Throwing the heir out of the vineyard pictures Jesus’ death outside of Jerusalem.
[21:42] 32 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] 33 sn A quotation from Ps 118:22-23.
[21:43] 34 tn Or “to a nation” (so KJV, NASB, NLT).
[21:44] 35 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] 36 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[21:45] 37 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[21:46] 38 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] 39 tn Grk “And answering again, Jesus spoke.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
[22:3] 40 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[22:4] 41 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] 42 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:7] 43 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:7] 44 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] 45 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] 46 tn Grk “he was silent.”
[22:15] 47 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:15] 48 tn Grk “trap him in word.”
[22:16] 49 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] 50 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] 51 tn Grk “And it is not a concern to you about anyone because you do not see the face of men.”
[22:17] 52 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] 53 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] 54 tn Or “to the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
[22:19] 55 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate their response to Jesus’ request for a coin.
[22:19] 56 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] 57 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[22:20] 58 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] 59 tn Grk “they said to him.”
[22:21] 60 tn Grk “then he said to them.” τότε (tote) has not been translated to avoid redundancy.
[22:21] 61 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] 62 tn Grk “they were amazed; they marveled.”
[22:23] 63 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[22:23] 64 sn This remark is best regarded as a parenthetical note by the author.
[22:23] 65 tn Grk “and asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[22:24] 66 tn Grk “and raise up seed,” an idiom for fathering children (L&N 23.59).
[22:24] 67 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] 68 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:28] 69 tn Grk “For all had her.”
[22:29] 70 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
[22:29] 71 tn Or “mistaken” (cf. BDAG 822 s.v. πλανάω 2.c.γ).
[22:30] 72 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] 73 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] 74 sn A quotation from Exod 3:6.
[22:32] 75 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] 76 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:34] 77 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[22:34] 78 tn Grk “for the same.” That is, for the same purpose that the Sadducees had of testing Jesus.
[22:35] 79 tn Traditionally, “a lawyer.” This was an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law.
[22:35] 80 tn Grk “testing.” The participle, however, is telic in force.
[22:36] 81 tn Or possibly “What sort of commandment in the law is great?”
[22:37] 82 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:37] 83 tn Grk “You will love.” The future indicative is used here with imperatival force (see ExSyn 452 and 569).
[22:37] 84 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] 85 tn Grk “the great and first.”
[22:39] 86 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[22:40] 87 tn Grk “hang.” The verb κρεμάννυμι (kremannumi) is used here with a figurative meaning (cf. BDAG 566 s.v. 2.b).
[22:41] 88 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[22:41] 89 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[22:41] 90 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] 91 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] 92 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] 93 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] 94 sn A quotation from Ps 110:1.
[22:45] 95 tn Grk “how is he his son?”
[22:46] 96 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[23:2] 97 tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[23:2] 98 tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:2] 99 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[23:3] 100 tn Grk “for they say and do not do.”
[23:4] 101 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:5] 102 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:5] 103 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] 104 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] 105 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:6] 106 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[23:7] 107 sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.
[23:10] 108 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] 109 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[23:13] 110 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:13] 111 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] 112 tn Grk “because you are closing the kingdom of heaven before people.”
[23:14] 113 tc The most important
[23:15] 114 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:15] 115 tn Or “one proselyte.”
[23:15] 116 tn Grk “when he becomes [one].”
[23:15] 117 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] 118 tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”
[23:18] 119 tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”
[23:23] 120 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:23] 121 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
[23:23] 122 sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.
[23:23] 123 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] 124 tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”
[23:25] 125 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:26] 126 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] 127 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:27] 128 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] 129 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:29] 130 tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated.
[23:29] 131 tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).
[23:30] 132 tn Grk “fathers” (so also in v. 32).
[23:33] 133 tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”
[23:33] sn See the note on the word hell in 5:22.
[23:34] 134 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] 135 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
[23:34] 136 sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.
[23:34] 137 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] 138 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.
[23:35] 139 sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).
[23:36] 140 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[23:36] 141 tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”
[23:37] 142 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] 143 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] 144 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] 145 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
