translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MAT

label: NET translator note

text: Grk “And it happened when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο ( kai egeneto , “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.


label: NET textual note

text: The Western codex D and a few other mss (0233 1424 al ) read “Jesus” here instead of “Christ.” This is not likely to be original because it is not found in the earliest and most important mss , nor in the rest of the ms tradition. tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” sn See the note on Christ in 1:16 .


text: 33 sa), and thus should be considered original. Grk “sending by his disciples he said to him.” The words “a question” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.


text: Grk “And answering, Jesus said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.


text: Grk “and the,” 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. Two other conjunctions are omitted in this series.


text: Grk “whoever.”


text: Or “desert.”


text: There is a debate as to whether one should read this figuratively (“to see someone who is easily blown over?”) or literally ( Grk “to see the wilderness vegetation?… No, to see a prophet”). Either view makes good sense, but the following examples suggest the question should be read literally and understood to point to the fact that a prophet drew them to the desert.


text: 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 .


text: Or “palaces.”


text: John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The term is neuter, but may be understood as masculine in this context (BDAG 806 s.v. περισσότερος b).


text: Grk “before your face” (an idiom).


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


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


text: Or “the kingdom of heaven is forcibly entered and violent people take hold of it.” For a somewhat different interpretation of this passage, see the note on the phrase “urged to enter in” in Luke 16:16 .


text: The word “appeared” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.


text: The translation “had better listen!” captures the force of the third person imperative more effectively than the traditional “let him hear,” which sounds more like a permissive than an imperative to the modern English reader. This was Jesus’ common expression to listen and heed carefully (cf. Matt 13:9, 43 ; Mark 4:9, 23 ; Luke 8:8, 14:35 ).


text: Grk “who call out to one another, saying.” The participle λέγουσιν ( legousin ) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.


text: The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν ( eqrhnhsamen ) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.


text: Grk “Behold a man.”


text: Or “shown to be right.”


text: ) as well as early versional and patristic support.


text: The Greek word here is πόλις ( polis ) which can be translated “city” or “town.” “Cities” was chosen here to emphasize the size of the places Jesus’ mentions in the following verses.


text: This introduces a second class (contrary to fact) condition in the Greek text.


text: Or “powerful deeds.”


text: For location see Map1-A2 ; Map2-G2 ; Map4-A1 ; JP3-F3 ; JP4-F3 .


text: The interrogative particle introducing this question expects a negative reply.


text: Grk “At that time, answering, Jesus said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation.


text: Or “thank.”


text: Or “that.”


text: Grk “for (to do) thus was well-pleasing before you,” BDAG 325 s.v. ἔμπροσθεν 1.b. δ ; speaking of something taking place “before” God is a reverential way of avoiding direct connection of the action to him.


text: Or “wishes”; or “intends”; or “plans” (cf. BDAG 182 s.v. βούλομαι 2.b). Here it is the Son who has sovereignty.