translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MAT

label: NET translator note

text: has δέ in brackets, indicating reservations about its authenticity.


text: Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”


text: Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today. The giving of alms was highly regarded in the ancient world ( Deut 15:7-11 ).


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


text: 33 al ).


label: NET textual note

text: See the tc note on “will reward you” in 6:4 : The problem is the same and the ms support differs only slightly.


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


text: Grk “So do not.” Here οὖν ( oun ) has not been translated.


text: Grk “hallowed be your name.”


text: Or “Give us bread today for the coming day,” or “Give us today the bread we need for today.” The term ἐπιούσιος ( epiousio" ) does not occur outside of early Christian literature (other occurrences are in Luke 11:3 and Didache 8:2 ), so its meaning is difficult to determine. Various suggestions include “daily,” “the coming day,” and “for existence.” See BDAG 376-77 s.v.; L&N 67:183, 206.


text: Or “as even we.” The phrase ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ( Jw" kai Jhmei" ) makes ἡμεῖς emphatic. The translation above adds an appropriate emphasis to the passage.


text: Or “into a time of testing.” sn The request do not lead us into temptation is not to suggest God causes temptation, but is a rhetorical way to ask for his protection from sin.


text: pc lat mae Or). The phrase was probably composed for the liturgy of the early church and most likely was based on 1 Chr 29:11-13 ; a scribe probably added the phrase at this point in the text for use in public scripture reading (see TCGNT 13-14). Both external and internal evidence argue for the shorter reading. 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 since it is articular ( τοῦ πονηροῦ , tou ponhrou ). Cf. also “the evildoer” in 5:39 , which is the same construction.


text: Here ἄνθρωπος ( anqrwpo" ) is used in a generic sense: “people, others.”


text: Here the term “disfigure” used in a number of translations was not used because it could convey to the modern reader the notion of mutilation. L&N 79.17 states, “‘to make unsightly, to disfigure, to make ugly.’ ἀφανίζουσιν γὰρ τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν ‘for they make their faces unsightly’ Mt 6:16 .”


text: The term σής ( shs ) refers to moths in general. It is specifically the larvae of moths that destroy clothing by eating holes in it (L&N 4.49; BDAG 922 s.v.). See Jas 5:2 , which mentions “moth-eaten” clothing.


text: The pronouns in this verse are singular while the pronouns in vv. 19-20 are plural. The change to singular emphasizes personal responsibility as opposed to corporate responsibility; even if others do not listen, the one who hears Jesus’ commands should obey.


text: Or “sound” (so L&N 23.132 and most scholars). A few scholars take this word to mean something like “generous” here (L&N 57.107). partly due to the immediate context concerning money, in which case the “eye” is a metonymy for the entire person (“if you are generous”).


text: 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.


text: Or “and treat [the other] with contempt.”


text: Grk “God and mammon.” sn The term money is used to translate mammon , the Aramaic term for wealth or possessions. The point is not that money is inherently evil, but that it is often misused so that it is a means of evil; see 1 Tim 6:6-10, 17-19 . God must be first, not money or possessions.


text: Or “do not be anxious,” and so throughout the rest of this paragraph.


text: Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός ( ouranos ) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν ).


text: Or “God gives them food to eat.” L&N 23.6 has both “to provide food for” and “to give food to someone to eat.”


text: Grk “of more value.”


text: Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit ( πῆχυς , phcu" ) can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία ( Jhlikia ) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς ( phcus ). Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 436 s.v. 3 for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.


text: 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.


text: 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.


text: Grk “grass of the field.”


text: Grk “into the oven.” The expanded translation “into the fire to heat the oven” has been used to avoid misunderstanding; most items put into modern ovens are put there to be baked, not burned. sn The oven was most likely a rounded clay oven used for baking bread, which was heated by burning wood and dried grass.


text: Or “unbelievers”; Grk “Gentiles.”


text: Grk “Sufficient for the day is its evil.”