16:13 When 1 Jesus came to the area of Caesarea Philippi, 2 he asked his disciples, 3 “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 16:14 They answered, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, 4 and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 16:15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16:16 Simon Peter answered, 5 “You are the Christ, 6 the Son of the living God.” 16:17 And Jesus answered him, 7 “You are blessed, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood 8 did not reveal this to you, but my Father in heaven! 16:18 And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades 9 will not overpower it. 16:19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.” 16:20 Then he instructed his disciples not to tell anyone that he was the Christ. 10
16:21 From that time on 11 Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem 12 and suffer 13 many things at the hands of the elders, chief priests, and experts in the law, 14 and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 16:22 So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him: 15 “God forbid, 16 Lord! This must not happen to you!” 16:23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” 17 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone wants to become my follower, 18 he must deny 19 himself, take up his cross, 20 and follow me. 16:25 For whoever wants to save his life 21 will lose it, 22 but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. 16:26 For what does it benefit a person 23 if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life? Or what can a person give in exchange for his life? 16:27 For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 24 16:28 I tell you the truth, 25 there are some standing here who will not 26 experience 27 death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.” 28
17:1 Six days later 29 Jesus took with him Peter, James, and John the brother of James, 30 and led them privately up a high mountain. 17:2 And he was transfigured before them. 31 His 32 face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 17:3 Then Moses 33 and Elijah 34 also appeared before them, talking with him. 17:4 So 35 Peter said 36 to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you want, I will make 37 three shelters 38 – one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” 17:5 While he was still speaking, a 39 bright cloud 40 overshadowed 41 them, and a voice from the cloud said, 42 “This is my one dear Son, 43 in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” 44 17:6 When the disciples heard this, they were overwhelmed with fear and threw themselves down with their faces to the ground. 45 17:7 But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Do not be afraid.” 17:8 When 46 they looked up, all they saw was Jesus alone.
17:9 As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, 47 “Do not tell anyone about the vision until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” 17:10 The disciples asked him, 48 “Why then do the experts in the law 49 say that Elijah must come first?” 17:11 He 50 answered, “Elijah does indeed come first and will restore all things. 17:12 And I tell you that Elijah has already come. Yet they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they wanted. In 51 the same way, the Son of Man will suffer at their hands.” 17:13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.
17:14 When 52 they came to the crowd, a man came to him, knelt before him, 17:15 and said, “Lord, have mercy on my son, because he has seizures 53 and suffers terribly, for he often falls into the fire and into the water. 17:16 I brought him to your disciples, but 54 they were not able to heal him.” 17:17 Jesus answered, 55 “You 56 unbelieving 57 and perverse generation! How much longer 58 must I be with you? How much longer must I endure 59 you? 60 Bring him here to me.” 17:18 Then 61 Jesus rebuked 62 the demon and it came out of him, and the boy was healed from that moment. 17:19 Then the disciples came 63 to Jesus privately and said, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” 17:20 He told them, “It was because of your little faith. I tell you the truth, 64 if you have faith the size of 65 a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; nothing 66 will be impossible for you.”
17:21 [[EMPTY]] 6717:22 When 68 they gathered together in Galilee, Jesus told them, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. 69 17:23 They will kill him, and on the third day he will be raised.” And they became greatly distressed.
17:24 After 70 they arrived in Capernaum, 71 the collectors of the temple tax 72 came to Peter and said, “Your teacher pays the double drachma tax, doesn’t he?” 17:25 He said, “Yes.” When Peter came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, 73 “What do you think, Simon? From whom do earthly kings collect tolls or taxes – from their sons 74 or from foreigners?” 17:26 After he said, “From foreigners,” Jesus said to him, “Then the sons 75 are free. 17:27 But so that we don’t offend them, go to the lake and throw out a hook. Take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth, you will find a four drachma coin. 76 Take that and give it to them for me and you.”
18:1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus saying, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 18:2 He called a child, had him stand among them, 18:3 and said, “I tell you the truth, 77 unless you turn around and become like little children, 78 you will never 79 enter the kingdom of heaven! 18:4 Whoever then humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 18:5 And whoever welcomes 80 a child like this in my name welcomes me.
18:6 “But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, 81 it would be better for him to have a huge millstone 82 hung around his neck and to be drowned in the open sea. 83 18:7 Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! It 84 is necessary that stumbling blocks come, but woe to the person through whom they come. 18:8 If 85 your hand or your foot causes you to sin, 86 cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than to have 87 two hands or two feet and be thrown into eternal fire. 18:9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye than to have 88 two eyes and be thrown into fiery hell. 89
18:10 “See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 18:11 [[EMPTY]] 90 18:12 What do you think? If someone 91 owns a hundred 92 sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? 93 18:13 And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, 94 he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. 18:14 In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.
18:15 “If 95 your brother 96 sins, 97 go and show him his fault 98 when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 18:16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others with you, so that at the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter may be established. 99 18:17 If 100 he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If 101 he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like 102 a Gentile 103 or a tax collector. 104
18:18 “I tell you the truth, 105 whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven. 18:19 Again, I tell you the truth, 106 if two of you on earth agree about whatever you ask, my Father in heaven will do it for you. 107 18:20 For where two or three are assembled in my name, I am there among them.”
18:21 Then Peter came to him and said, “Lord, how many times must I forgive my brother 108 who sins against me? As many as seven times?” 18:22 Jesus said to him, “Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times! 109
18:23 “For this reason, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his slaves. 110 18:24 As 111 he began settling his accounts, a man who owed ten thousand talents 112 was brought to him. 18:25 Because 113 he was not able to repay it, 114 the lord ordered him to be sold, along with 115 his wife, children, and whatever he possessed, and repayment to be made. 18:26 Then the slave threw himself to the ground 116 before him, saying, 117 ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you everything.’ 18:27 The lord had compassion on that slave and released him, and forgave him the debt. 18:28 After 118 he went out, that same slave found one of his fellow slaves who owed him one hundred silver coins. 119 So 120 he grabbed him by the throat and started to choke him, 121 saying, ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ 122 18:29 Then his fellow slave threw himself down and begged him, 123 ‘Be patient with me, and I will repay you.’ 18:30 But he refused. Instead, he went out and threw him in prison until he repaid the debt. 18:31 When 124 his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were very upset and went and told their lord everything that had taken place. 18:32 Then his lord called the first slave 125 and said to him, ‘Evil slave! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me! 18:33 Should you not have shown mercy to your fellow slave, just as I showed it to you?’ 18:34 And in anger his lord turned him over to the prison guards to torture him 126 until he repaid all he owed. 18:35 So also my heavenly Father will do to you, if each of you does not forgive your 127 brother 128 from your heart.”
19:1 Now when 129 Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. 130 19:2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
1 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
2 map For location see Map1-C1; Map2-F4.
3 tn Grk “he asked his disciples, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has been left untranslated.
4 sn The appearance of Elijah would mean that the end time had come. According to 2 Kgs 2:11, Elijah was still alive. In Mal 4:5 it is said that Elijah would be the precursor of Messiah.
5 tn Grk “And answering, Simon Peter said.”
6 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
7 tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to him.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant, but the syntax of this phrase has been modified for clarity.
8 tn The expression “flesh and blood” could refer to “any human being” (so TEV, NLT; cf. NIV “man”), but it could also refer to Peter himself (i.e., his own intuition; cf. CEV “You didn’t discover this on your own”). Because of the ambiguity of the referent, the phrase “flesh and blood” has been retained in the translation.
9 tn Or “and the power of death” (taking the reference to the gates of Hades as a metonymy).
10 tc Most
11 tn Grk “From then.”
12 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.
13 sn The necessity that the Son of Man suffer is the particular point that needed emphasis since for many 1st century Jews the Messiah was a glorious and powerful figure, not a suffering one.
14 tn Or “and scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
15 tn Grk “began to rebuke him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
16 tn Grk “Merciful to you.” A highly elliptical expression: “May God be merciful to you in sparing you from having to undergo [some experience]” (L&N 88.78). A contemporary English equivalent is “God forbid!”
17 tn Grk “people.”
18 tn Grk “to come after me.”
19 tn This translation better expresses the force of the Greek third person imperative than the traditional “let him deny,” which could be understood as merely permissive.
20 sn To bear the cross means to accept the rejection of the world for turning to Jesus and following him. Discipleship involves a death that is like a crucifixion; see Gal 6:14.
21 tn Or “soul” (throughout vv. 25-26).
22 sn The point of the saying whoever wants to save his life will lose it is that if one comes to Jesus then rejection by many will certainly follow. If self-protection is a key motivation, then one will not respond to Jesus and will not be saved. One who is willing to risk rejection will respond and find true life.
23 tn Grk “a man,” but ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used in a generic sense here to refer to both men and women.
24 sn An allusion to Pss 28:4; 62:12; cf. Prov 24:12.
25 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
26 tn The Greek negative here (οὐ μή, ou mh) is the strongest possible.
27 tn Grk “will not taste.” Here the Greek verb does not mean “sample a small amount” (as a typical English reader might infer from the word “taste”), but “experience something cognitively or emotionally; come to know something” (cf. BDAG 195 s.v. γεύομαι 2).
28 sn Several suggestions have been made as to the referent for the phrase the Son of Man coming in his kingdom: (1) the transfiguration itself, which immediately follows in the narrative; (2) Jesus’ resurrection and ascension; (3) the coming of the Spirit; (4) Christ’s role in the Church; (5) the destruction of Jerusalem; (6) Jesus’ second coming and the establishment of the kingdom. The reference to six days later in 17:1 seems to indicate that Matthew had the transfiguration in mind insofar as it was a substantial prefiguring of the consummation of the kingdom (although this interpretation is not without its problems). As such, the transfiguration would be a tremendous confirmation to the disciples that even though Jesus had just finished speaking of his death (in vv. 21-23), he was nonetheless the promised Messiah and things were proceeding according to God’s plan.
29 tn Grk “And after six days.”
30 tn Grk “John his brother” with “his” referring to James.
31 sn In 1st century Judaism and in the NT, there was the belief that the righteous get new, glorified bodies in order to enter heaven (1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 5:1-10). This transformation means the righteous will share the glory of God. One recalls the way Moses shared the Lord’s glory after his visit to the mountain in Exod 34. So the disciples saw Jesus transfigured, and they were getting a sneak preview of the great glory that Jesus would have (only his glory is more inherent to him as one who shares in the rule of the kingdom).
32 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
33 tn Grk “And behold, Moses.” 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).
34 sn Commentators and scholars discuss why Moses and Elijah are present. The most likely explanation is that Moses represents the prophetic office (Acts 3:18-22) and Elijah pictures the presence of the last days (Mal 4:5-6), the prophet of the eschaton (the end times).
35 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate that the appearance of Moses and Elijah prompted Peter’s comment.
36 tn Grk “Peter answering said.” This construction is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
37 tc Instead of the singular future indicative ποιήσω (poihsw, “I will make”), most witnesses (C3 D L W Θ [Φ] 0281 Ë[1],13 33 Ï lat sy co) have the plural aorist subjunctive ποιήσωμεν (poihswmen, “let us make”). But since ποιήσωμεν is the reading found in the parallel accounts in Mark and Luke, it is almost surely a motivated reading. Further, the earliest and best witnesses, as well as a few others (א B C* 700 pc) have ποιήσω. It is thus more likely that the singular verb is authentic.
38 tn Or “booths,” “dwellings” (referring to the temporary booths constructed in the celebration of the feast of Tabernacles).
39 tn Grk “behold, a.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated here or in the following clause because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
40 sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.
41 tn Or “surrounded.”
42 tn 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.
43 tn 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).
44 sn The expression listen to him comes from Deut 18:15 and makes two points: 1) Jesus is a prophet like Moses, a leader-prophet, and 2) they have much yet to learn from him.
45 tn Grk “they fell down on their faces.” BDAG 815 s.v. πίπτω 1.b.α.ב. has “fall down, throw oneself to the ground as a sign of devotion, before high-ranking persons or divine beings.”
46 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
47 tn Grk “Jesus commanded them, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
48 tn Grk “asked him, saying.” The participle λέγοντες (legontes) is redundant and has not been translated.
49 tn Or “do the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
50 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This has been simplified in the translation.
51 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
52 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
53 tn Grk “he is moonstruck,” possibly meaning “lunatic” (so NAB, NASB), although now the term is generally regarded as referring to some sort of seizure disorder such as epilepsy (L&N 23.169; BDAG 919 s.v. σεληνιάζομαι).
54 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.
55 tn Grk “And answering, Jesus said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.
56 tn Grk “O.” The marker of direct address, ὦ (w), is functionally equivalent to a vocative and is represented in the translation by “you.”
57 tn Or “faithless.”
58 tn Grk “how long.”
59 tn Or “put up with.” See Num 11:12; Isa 46:4.
60 sn The pronouns you…you are plural, indicating that Jesus is speaking to a group rather than an individual.
61 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
62 tn Or “commanded” (often with the implication of a threat, L&N 33.331).
63 tn Grk “coming, the disciples said.” The participle προσελθόντες (proselqontes) has been translated as a finite verb to make the sequence of events clear in English.
64 tn Grk “For truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
65 tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”
66 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
67 tc Many important
68 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
69 tn The plural Greek term ἀνθρώπων (anqrwpwn) is considered by some to be used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NRSV “into human hands”; TEV, CEV “to people”). However, because this can be taken as a specific reference to the group responsible for Jesus’ arrest, where it is unlikely women were present (cf. Matt 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-12), the word “men” has been retained in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” earlier in the verse.
70 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
71 map For location see Map1-D2; Map2-C3; Map3-B2.
72 tn Grk “Collectors of the double drachma.” This is a case of metonymy, where the coin formerly used to pay the tax (the double drachma coin, or δίδραχμον [didracmon]) was put for the tax itself (cf. BDAG 241 s.v.). Even though this coin was no longer in circulation in NT times and other coins were used to pay the tax, the name for the coin was still used to refer to the tax itself.
73 tn Grk “spoke first to him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
74 sn The phrase their sons may mean “their citizens,” but the term “sons” has been retained here in order to preserve the implicit comparison between the Father and his Son, Jesus.
75 sn See the note on the phrase their sons in the previous verse.
76 sn The four drachma coin was a stater (στατήρ, stathr), a silver coin worth four drachmas. One drachma was equivalent to one denarius, the standard pay for a day’s labor (L&N 6.80).
77 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
78 sn The point of the comparison become like little children has more to do with a child’s trusting spirit, as well as willingness to be dependent and receive from others, than any inherent humility the child might possess.
79 tn The negation in Greek (οὐ μή, ou mh) is very strong here.
80 tn This verb, δέχομαι (decomai), is a term of hospitality (L&N 34.53).
81 tn The Greek term σκανδαλίζω (skandalizw), translated here “causes to sin” can also be translated “offends” or “causes to stumble.”
82 tn Grk “the millstone of a donkey.” This refers to a large flat stone turned by a donkey in the process of grinding grain (BDAG 661 s.v. μύλος 2; L&N 7.68-69). The same term is used in the parallel account in Mark 9:42.
83 tn The term translated “open” here (πελάγει, pelagei) refers to the open sea as opposed to a stretch of water near a coastline (BDAG 794 s.v. πέλαγος). A similar English expression would be “the high seas.”
84 tn Grk “For it.” Here γάρ (gar) has not been translated.
85 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
86 sn In Greek there is a wordplay that is difficult to reproduce in English here. The verb translated “causes…to sin” (σκανδαλίζω, skandalizw) comes from the same root as the word translated “stumbling blocks” (σκάνδαλον, skandalon) in the previous verse.
87 tn Grk “than having.”
88 tn Grk “than having.”
89 tn Grk “the Gehenna of fire.”
90 tc The most important
91 tn Grk “a certain man.” The Greek word ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used here in a somewhat generic sense.
92 sn This individual with a hundred sheep is a shepherd of modest means, as flocks often had up to two hundred head of sheep.
93 sn Look for the one that went astray. The parable pictures God’s pursuit of the sinner. On the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd, see John 10:1-18.
94 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
95 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. All the “if” clauses in this paragraph are third class conditions in Greek.
96 tn The Greek term “brother” can mean “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a) whether male or female. It can also refer to siblings, though here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God. Therefore, because of the familial connotations, “brother” has been retained in the translation here in preference to the more generic “fellow believer” (“fellow Christian” would be anachronistic in this context).
97 tc ‡ The earliest and best witnesses lack “against you” after “if your brother sins.” It is quite possible that the shorter reading in these witnesses (א B, as well as 0281 Ë1 579 pc sa) occurred when scribes either intentionally changed the text (to make it more universal in application) or unintentionally changed the text (owing to the similar sound of the end of the verb ἁμαρτήσῃ [Jamarthsh] and the prepositional phrase εἰς σέ [eis se]). However, if the
98 tn Grk “go reprove him.”
99 sn A quotation from Deut 19:15.
100 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
101 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
102 tn Grk “let him be to you as.”
103 tn Or “a pagan.”
104 sn To treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector means not to associate with such a person. See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.
105 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
106 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
107 tn Grk “if two of you…agree about whatever they ask, it will be done for them by my Father who is in heaven.” The passive construction has been translated as an active one in keeping with contemporary English style, and the pronouns, which change from second person plural to third person plural in the Greek text, have been consistently translated as second person plural.
108 tn Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a), whether male or female. Concerning the familial connotations, see also the note on the first occurrence of this term in v. 15.
109 tn Or “seventy times seven,” i.e., an unlimited number of times. See L&N 60.74 and 60.77 for the two possible translations of the phrase.
110 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
111 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
112 sn A talent was a huge sum of money, equal to 6,000 denarii. One denarius was the usual day’s wage for a worker. L&N 6.82 states, “a Greek monetary unit (also a unit of weight) with a value which fluctuated, depending upon the particular monetary system which prevailed at a particular period of time (a silver talent was worth approximately six thousand denarii with gold talents worth at least thirty times that much).”
113 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
114 tn The word “it” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
115 tn Grk “and his wife.”
116 tn Grk “falling therefore the slave bowed down to the ground.” The redundancy of this expression signals the desperation of the slave in begging for mercy.
117 tc The majority of
118 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
119 tn Grk “one hundred denarii.” The denarius was a silver coin worth about a day’s wage for a laborer; this would be about three month’s pay.
120 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so.” A new sentence was started at this point in the translation in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.
121 tn Grk “and he grabbed him and started choking him.”
122 tn The word “me” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
123 tn Grk “begged him, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant here in contemporary English and has not been translated.
124 tn Grk “Therefore when.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
125 tn Grk “him”; the referent (the first slave mentioned in v. 24) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
126 tn Grk “handed him over to the torturers,” referring specifically to guards whose job was to torture prisoners who were being questioned. According to L&N 37.126, it is difficult to know for certain in this instance whether the term actually envisions torture as a part of the punishment or is simply a hyperbole. However, in light of the following verse and Jesus’ other warning statements in Matthew about “fiery hell,” “the outer darkness,” etc., it is best not to dismiss this as mere imagery.
127 tn Grk “his.” The pronoun has been translated to follow English idiom (the last pronoun of the verse [“from your heart”] is second person plural in the original).
128 tn Here the term “brother” means “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a), whether male or female. Concerning the familial connotations, see also the note on the first occurrence of this term in v. 15.
129 tn Grk “it happened when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
130 tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity. The region referred to here is sometimes known as Transjordan (i.e., “across the Jordan”).