translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MAT

label: NET translator note

text: Here δέ ( de ) has not been translated.


text: Or “up a mountain” ( εἰς τὸ ὄρος , eis to oro" ). sn The expression up the mountain here may be idiomatic or generic, much like the English “he went to the hospital” (cf. 15:29 ), or even intentionally reminiscent of Exod 24:12 (LXX), since the genre of the Sermon on the Mount seems to be that of a new Moses giving a new law.


text: Here καί ( kai ) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.


text: Grk “And opening his mouth he taught them, saying.” The imperfect verb ἐδίδασκεν ( edidasken ) has been translated ingressively.


text: Grk “sons,” though traditionally English versions have taken this as a generic reference to both males and females, hence “children” (cf. KJV, NAB, NRSV, NLT).


text: Grk “when they insult you.” The third person pronoun (here implied in the verb ὀνειδίσωσιν [ ojneidiswsin ]) has no specific referent, but refers to people in general.


text: Tert does not help its case. Since the Western text is known for numerous free alterations, without corroborative evidence the shorter reading must be judged as secondary.


text: Grk “Nor do they light.” The plural in Greek is indefinite, referring to people in general.


text: Or “a bowl”; this refers to any container for dry material of about eight liters (two gallons) capacity. It could be translated “basket, box, bowl” (L&N 6.151).


text: Grk “not come to abolish but to fulfill.” Direct objects (“these things,” “them”) were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but have been supplied here to conform to contemporary English style.


text: Grk “For I tell.” Here an explanatory γάρ ( gar ) has not been translated.


text: Grk “Truly ( ἀμήν , amhn ), I say to you.”


text: Grk “Not one iota or one serif.” sn The smallest letter refers to the smallest Hebrew letter ( yod ) and the stroke of a letter to a serif (a hook or projection on a Hebrew letter).


text: Grk “teaches men” ( in a generic sense, people).


text: Or “that of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4 .


text: Grk “to the ancient ones.”


text: ) lack it. The ms evidence favors its exclusion, though there is a remote possibility that εἰκῇ could have been accidentally omitted from these witnesses by way of homoioarcton (the next word, ἔνοχος [ enocos , “guilty”], begins with the same letter). An intentional change would likely arise from the desire to qualify “angry,” especially in light of the absolute tone of Jesus’ words. While “without cause” makes good practical sense in this context, and must surely be a true interpretation of Jesus’ meaning (cf. Mark 3:5 ), it does not commend itself as original.


text: Grk “whoever says to his brother ‘ Raca ,’” an Aramaic word of contempt or abuse meaning “fool” or “empty head.”


text: Grk “subjected,” “guilty,” “liable.”


text: Grk “the Sanhedrin.”


text: The meaning of the term μωρός ( mwros ) is somewhat disputed. Most take it to mean, following the Syriac versions, “you fool,” although some have argued that it represents a transliteration into Greek of the Hebrew term מוֹרֵה ( moreh ) “rebel” ( Deut 21:18, 20 ; cf. BDAG 663 s.v. μωρός c).


text: Grk “the Gehenna of fire.” sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” ( γέεννα , geenna ), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35 ), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).


text: Grk “Make friends.”


text: The words “to court” are not in the Greek text but are implied.


text: Grk “the accuser.”


text: Here the English word “penny” is used as opposed to the parallel in Luke 12:59 where “cent” appears since the Greek word there is different and refers to a different but similar coin. sn The penny here was a quadrans, a Roman copper coin worth 1/64 of a denarius (L&N 6.78). The parallel passage in Luke 12:59 mentions the lepton, equal to one-half of a quadrans and thus the smallest coin available.


text: Grk “the ancient ones.”


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: The term πονηροῦ ( ponhrou ) may be understood as specific and personified, referring to the devil, or possibly as a general reference to evil. It is most likely personified, however, since it is articular ( τοῦ πονηροῦ , tou ponhrou ). Cf. also “the evildoer” in v. 39 , which is the same construction.


text: 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 ).


text: has σου in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.


text: Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment ( χιτών , citwn ) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a “tunic” was any more than they would be familiar with a “ chiton .” On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.


text: Grk “do not turn away from.”


text: pc sa, as well as several fathers and versional witnesses.


text: Grk “be sons of your Father in heaven.” Here, however, the focus is not on attaining a relationship (becoming a child of God) but rather on being the kind of person who shares the characteristics of God himself (a frequent meaning of the Semitic idiom “son of”). See L&N 58.26.