translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: MAT

label: NET translator note

text: Or “desert.”


text: Grk “and saying, ‘Repent.’” The participle λέγων ( legwn ) at the beginning of v. 2 is redundant in English and has not been translated.


text: Grk “was spoken of by Isaiah the prophet, saying.” The participle λέγοντος ( legonto" ) is redundant and has not been translated. The passive construction has also been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.


text: Or “A voice.”


text: Grk “Then Jerusalem.” map For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Grk “they were being baptized by him.” The passive construction has been rendered as active in the translation for the sake of English style.


text: Grk “fruit worthy of.”


text: Grk “of whom I am not worthy.” sn The humility of John is evident in the statement I am not worthy . This was considered one of the least worthy tasks of a slave, and John did not consider himself worthy to do even that for the one to come, despite the fact he himself was a prophet.


text: Or “granary,” “barn” (referring to a building used to store a farm’s produce rather than a building to house livestock).


text: “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.


text: 33 Ï lat[t] sy mae bo), it looks to be a motivated and predictable reading: Scribes apparently could not resist adding this clarification.


text: The imperfect verb has been translated conatively.


text: Grk “but Jesus, answering, said.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “replied to him.”


text: Grk “Permit now.”


text: Grk “he”; the referent (John the Baptist) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Or “permitted him.”


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


text: 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 ).


text: 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 .


text: includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.


text: Grk “and behold.” The Greek word ἰδού ( idou ) has not been translated here.


text: Grk “behold, a voice from the cloud, saying.” This is an incomplete sentence in Greek which portrays intensity and emotion. The participle λέγουσα ( legousa ) was translated as a finite verb in keeping with English style.


text: Grk “my beloved Son,” or “my Son, the beloved [one].” The force of ἀγαπητός ( agaphtos ) is often “pertaining to one who is the only one of his or her class, but at the same time is particularly loved and cherished” (L&N 58.53; cf. also BDAG 7 s.v. 1 ). sn The parallel accounts in Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22 read “You are” rather than “This is,” portraying the remark as addressed personally to Jesus.


text: Grk “in whom.”


text: Or “with whom I am well pleased.” sn The allusions in the remarks of the text recall Ps 2:7 a; Isa 42:1 and either Isa 41:8 or, less likely, Gen 22:12,16 . God is marking out Jesus as his chosen one (the meaning of “[in him I take] great delight”), but it may well be that this was a private experience that only Jesus and John saw and heard (cf. John 1:32-33 ).