Matthew 4:4

4:4 But he answered, 1  “It is written, ‘Man 2  does not live 3  by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 4 

Matthew 5:39

5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. 5  But whoever strikes you on the 6  right cheek, turn the other to him as well.

Matthew 12:39

12:39 But he answered them, 7  “An evil and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

1 tn Grk “answering, he said.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of the phrase has been changed for clarity.

2 tn Or “a person.” Greek ὁ ἄνθρωπος (Jo anqrwpo") is used generically for humanity. The translation “man” is used because the emphasis in Jesus’ response seems to be on his dependence on God as a man.

3 tn Grk “will not live.” The verb in Greek is a future tense, but it is unclear whether it is meant to be taken as a command (also known as an imperatival future) or as a statement of reality (predictive future).

4 sn A quotation from Deut 8:3.

5 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).

6 tc ‡ Many mss (B D K L Δ Θ Ë13 565 579 700 1424 pm) have σου (sou) here (“your right cheek”), but many others lack the pronoun (א W Ë1 33 892 1241 pm). The pronoun was probably added by way of clarification. NA27 has σου in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

7 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.