Matthew 3:16

3:16 After ¹  Jesus was baptized, just as he was coming up out of the water, the ²  heavens ³  opened ⁴  and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove ⁵  and coming on him.

Matthew 9:2

9:2 Just then ⁶  some people ⁷  brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher. ⁸  When Jesus saw their ⁹  faith, he said to the paralytic, “Have courage, son! Your sins are forgiven.” ¹⁰ 

Matthew 9:18

Restoration and Healing

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.”

Matthew 12:40

12:40 For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish ¹¹  for three days and three nights, ¹²  so the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.

Matthew 25:40

25:40 And the king will answer them, ¹³  ‘I tell you the truth, ¹⁴  just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters ¹⁵  of mine, you did it for me.’

Matthew 25:45

25:45 Then he will answer them, ¹⁶  ‘I tell you the truth, ¹⁷  just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’

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¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “behold the heavens.” 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).

³ tn Or “sky.” The Greek word οὐρανός (ourano") may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The same word is used in v. 17.

⁴ tc ‡ αὐτῷ (autw, “to/before him”) is found in the majority of witnesses (א¹ C D^s L W 0233 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat), perhaps added as a point of clarification or emphasis. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

⁵ sn The phrase like a dove is a descriptive comparison. The Spirit is not a dove, but descended like one in some sort of bodily representation.

⁶ 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.

⁷ tn Grk “they”; the referent (some unnamed people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ 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 sn The plural pronoun their makes it clear that Jesus was responding to the faith of the entire group, not just the paralyzed man.

¹⁰ sn The passive voice here is a divine passive (ExSyn 437). It is clear that God does the forgiving.

¹¹ tn Grk “large sea creature.”

¹² sn A quotation from Jonah 1:17.

¹³ tn Grk “answering, the king will say to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

¹⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

¹⁵ 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.

¹⁶ tn Grk “answer them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

¹⁷ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”