Matthew 21:20

21:20 When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”

Matthew 22:43

22:43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,

Matthew 22:45

22:45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?” ¹ 

Matthew 23:33

23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ² 

Matthew 26:54

26:54 How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?”

Matthew 12:26

12:26 So if ³  Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand?

Matthew 22:12

22:12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. ⁴ 

Matthew 6:28

6:28 Why do you worry about clothing? Think about how the flowers ⁵  of the field grow; they do not work ⁶  or spin.

Matthew 10:19

10:19 Whenever ⁷  they hand you over for trial, do not worry about how to speak or what to say, ⁸  for what you should say will be given to you at that time. ⁹ 

Matthew 12:34

12:34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.

Matthew 16:11

16:11 How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!”

Matthew 7:4

7:4 Or how can you say ¹⁰  to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own?

Matthew 12:4

12:4 how he entered the house of God and they ate ¹¹  the sacred bread, ¹²  which was against the law ¹³  for him or his companions to eat, but only for the priests? ¹⁴ 

Matthew 12:29

12:29 How ¹⁵  else can someone enter a strong man’s ¹⁶  house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly plunder the house. ¹⁷ 

¹ tn Grk “how is he his son?”

¹ tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”

¹ tn This first class condition, the first of three “if” clauses in the following verses, presents the example vividly as if it were so. In fact, all three conditions in these verses are first class. The examples are made totally parallel. The expected answer is that Satan’s kingdom will not stand, so the suggestion makes no sense. Satan would not seek to heal.

¹ tn Grk “he was silent.”

¹ tn 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.

² tn 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.

¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

² tn Grk “how or what you might speak.”

³ tn Grk “in that hour.”

¹ tn Grk “how will you say?”

¹ tc The Greek verb ἔφαγεν (efagen, “he ate”) is found in a majority of witnesses (Ì⁷⁰ C D L W Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï latt sy co) in place of ἔφαγον (efagon, “they ate”), the wording found in א B pc. ἔφαγεν is most likely motivated by the parallels in Mark and Luke (both of which have the singular).

² tn Grk “the bread of presentation.”

³ sn Jesus’ response to the charge that what his disciples were doing was against the law is one of analogy: “If David did it for his troops in a time of need, then so can I with my disciples.” Jesus is clear that on the surface there was a violation here. What is not as clear is whether he is arguing a “greater need” makes this permissible or that this was within the intention of the law all along.

⁴ sn See 1 Sam 21:1-6.

¹ tn Grk “Or how can.”

² sn The strong man here pictures Satan.

³ sn Some see the imagery here as similar to Eph 4:7-10, although no opponents are explicitly named in that passage. Jesus has the victory over Satan. Jesus’ acts of healing mean that the war is being won and the kingdom is coming.