5:21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation, 6 ‘Do not murder,’ 7 and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’
5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, 8 ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ 9 5:34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God,
6:1 “Be 10 careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. 11 Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven.
12:38 Then some of the experts in the law 35 along with some Pharisees 36 answered him, 37 “Teacher, we want to see a sign 38 from you.”
19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, 55 it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven!
21:5 “Tell the people of Zion, 60
‘Look, your king is coming to you,
unassuming and seated on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” 61
21:28 “What 70 do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation 74 – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
24:32 “Learn 75 this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
25:41 “Then he will say 83 to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
26:69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A 96 slave girl 97 came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
1 tn Grk “you will call his name.”
2 sn The Greek form of the name Ihsous, which was translated into Latin as Jesus, is the same as the Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” (Yahweh is typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). It was a fairly common name among Jews in 1st century Palestine, as references to a number of people by this name in the LXX and Josephus indicate.
3 sn A quotation from Deut 6:16.
4 tc The majority of later witnesses (C2 D L Z 33 Ï) have “behind me” (ὀπίσω μου; opisw mou) after “Go away.” But since this is the wording in Matt 16:23, where the text is certain, scribes most likely added the words here to conform to the later passage. Further, the shorter reading has superior support (א B C*vid K P W Δ 0233 Ë1,13 565 579* 700 al). Thus, both externally and internally, the shorter reading is strongly preferred.
5 sn A quotation from Deut 6:13. The word “only” is an interpretive expansion not found in either the Hebrew or Greek (LXX) text of the OT.
6 tn Grk “to the ancient ones.”
7 sn A quotation from Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17.
8 tn Grk “the ancient ones.”
9 sn A quotation from Lev 19:12.
10 tc ‡ Several
11 tn Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”
12 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
13 tn Or “if your eye is sick” (L&N 23.149).
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.
14 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.
15 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.
16 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
17 sn The term translated speck refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or straw; see L&N 3.66.
18 tn Or “do not notice.”
19 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).
20 tn Grk “how will you say?”
21 tn Grk “But answering, the centurion replied.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.
22 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.
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.
23 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.
24 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.
25 tn Grk “saved.”
26 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.
27 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
28 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.
29 tn Grk “what you hear in the ear,” an idiom.
30 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.
31 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.
32 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.
33 tn Or “palaces.”
34 tn Grk “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.”
35 tn Or “Then some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
36 tn Grk “and Pharisees.” The word “some” before “Pharisees” has been supplied for clarification.
sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
37 tn Grk “answered him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant, but the syntax of the sentence was changed to conform to English style.
38 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.
39 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.
40 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
41 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.
42 tn Grk “the mysteries.”
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).
43 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
44 tn Or “into the latrine.”
45 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
46 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.
47 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).
48 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.
49 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
50 sn A quotation from Deut 19:15.
51 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.
52 tc The majority of
53 tc A few important
tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
54 tn Grk “heart” (a collective singular).
55 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
56 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
57 tn Grk “this last one,” translated as “this last man” because field laborers in 1st century Palestine were men.
58 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
59 tn Grk “Is your eye evil because I am good?”
60 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.
61 tn Grk “the foal of an animal under the yoke,” i.e., a hard-working animal. This is a quotation from Zech 9:9.
62 sn A quotation from Isa 56:7.
63 tn Or “a hideout” (see L&N 1.57).
64 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.
65 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “So” to indicate that the clause is a result of the deliberations of the leaders.
66 tn Grk “answering Jesus, they said.” This construction is somewhat awkward in English and has been simplified in the translation.
67 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.
68 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.
69 tn On this phrase, see BDAG 844 s.v. ποῖος 2.a.γ. This is exactly the same phrase as in v. 23.
70 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
71 tn Grk “he was silent.”
72 tn Grk “for they say and do not do.”
73 tn Grk “fathers” (so also in v. 32).
74 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
75 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
76 tn Grk “The wise answered, saying, ‘No.’”
77 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
78 tn Grk Or “Lord; or “Master” (and so throughout this paragraph).
79 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
80 tn Grk “But answering, his master said to him.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
81 tn For the translation “deposited my money with the bankers,” see L&N 57.216.
82 sn That is, “If you really feared me you should have done a minimum to get what I asked for.”
83 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
84 tn Or “will be delivered up.”
85 sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.
86 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
87 tn Grk “For she.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
88 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
89 tn Grk “What will you give to me, and I will betray him to you?”
90 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
91 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
92 tn Grk “and put their hands on Jesus.”
93 sn A legion was a Roman army unit of about 6,000 soldiers, so twelve legions would be 72,000.
94 tn Grk “the high priest tore his clothes, saying.”
95 tn Grk “Behold now.” 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).
96 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
97 tn The Greek term here is παιδίσκη (paidiskh), referring to a slave girl or slave woman.
98 sn When Peter went out and wept bitterly it shows he really did not want to fail here and was deeply grieved that he had.
99 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
100 tn Grk “with a loud voice, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
101 sn A quotation from Ps 22:1.
102 tn Grk “But answering, the angel said.” This is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.
103 tn Grk “for I know.”
104 sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.