11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees! 1 You give a tenth 2 of your mint, 3 rue, 4 and every herb, yet you neglect justice 5 and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. 6 11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats 7 in the synagogues 8 and elaborate greetings 9 in the marketplaces!
1 tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so to the end of this chapter).
2 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
3 sn These small herbs were tithed with great care (Mishnah, m. Demai 2:1).
4 tn Grk “and rue.” 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.
5 sn Justice was a major theme of OT ethics (Mic 6:8; Zech 7:8-10).
6 tn Grk “those”; but this has been translated as “the others” to clarify which are meant.
7 tn Or “seats of honor.” The term here is plural and is not a reference only to the lead “seat of Moses” in the synagogue, but includes the front seats near the ark.
8 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
9 tn Grk “and the greetings.”