Discovery BoxMatthew 1:1
Context1:1 This is the record of the genealogy 1 of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Matthew 13:1-58
Context13:1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake. 13:2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while 2 the whole crowd stood on the shore. 13:3 He 3 told them many things in parables, 4 saying: “Listen! 5 A sower went out to sow. 6 13:4 And as he sowed, some seeds 7 fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 13:5 Other 8 seeds fell on rocky ground 9 where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. 10 13:6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 13:7 Other seeds fell among the thorns, 11 and they grew up and choked them. 12 13:8 But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 13:9 The one who has ears had better listen!” 13
13:10 Then 14 the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 13:11 He replied, 15 “You have been given 16 the opportunity to know 17 the secrets 18 of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 13:12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 19 13:13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 13:14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
‘You will listen carefully 20 yet will never understand,
you will look closely 21 yet will never comprehend.
13:15 For the heart of this people has become dull;
they are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’ 22
13:16 “But your eyes are blessed 23 because they see, and your ears because they hear. 13:17 For I tell you the truth, 24 many prophets and righteous people longed to see 25 what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
13:18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 13:19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one 26 comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; 27 this is the seed sown along the path. 13:20 The 28 seed sown on rocky ground 29 is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 13:21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure; 30 when 31 trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 13:22 The 32 seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth 33 choke the word, 34 so it produces nothing. 13:23 But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.” 35
13:24 He presented them with another parable: 36 “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 13:25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds 37 among the wheat and went away. 13:26 When 38 the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. 13:27 So the slaves 39 of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ 13:28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So 40 the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ 13:29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. 13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At 41 harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then 42 gather 43 the wheat into my barn.”’”
13:31 He gave 44 them another parable: 45 “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed 46 that a man took and sowed in his field. 13:32 It is the smallest of all the seeds, but when it has grown it is the greatest garden plant and becomes a tree, 47 so that the wild birds 48 come and nest in its branches.” 49
13:33 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with 50 three measures 51 of flour until all the dough had risen.” 52
13:34 Jesus spoke all these things in parables to the crowds; he did not speak to them without a parable. 13:35 This fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet: 53
“I will open my mouth in parables,
I will announce what has been hidden from the foundation of the world.” 54
13:36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 13:37 He 55 answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 13:38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people 56 of the kingdom. The weeds are the people 57 of the evil one, 13:39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 13:40 As 58 the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 13:41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. 59 13:42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, 60 where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 13:43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. 61 The one who has ears had better listen! 62
13:44 “The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure, hidden in a field, that a person found and hid. Then because of joy he went and sold all that he had and bought that field.
13:45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls. 13:46 When he found a pearl of great value, he went out and sold everything he had and bought it.
13:47 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was cast into the sea that caught all kinds of fish. 13:48 When it was full, they pulled it ashore, sat down, and put the good fish into containers and threw the bad away. 13:49 It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous 13:50 and throw them into the fiery furnace, 63 where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
13:51 “Have you understood all these things?” They replied, “Yes.” 13:52 Then he said to them, “Therefore every expert in the law 64 who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his treasure what is new and old.”
13:53 Now when 65 Jesus finished these parables, he moved on from there. 13:54 Then 66 he came to his hometown 67 and began to teach the people 68 in their synagogue. 69 They 70 were astonished and said, “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers? 13:55 Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t his mother named Mary? 71 And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? 13:56 And aren’t all his sisters here with us? Where did he get all this?” 72 13:57 And so they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own house.” 13:58 And he did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.
Matthew 19:1-30
Context19:1 Now when 73 Jesus finished these sayings, he left Galilee and went to the region of Judea beyond the Jordan River. 74 19:2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.
19:3 Then some Pharisees 75 came to him in order to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful 76 to divorce a wife for any cause?” 77 19:4 He answered, “Have you not read that from the beginning the Creator made them male and female, 78 19:5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and will be united with his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? 79 19:6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” 19:7 They said to him, “Why then did Moses command us to give a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her?” 80 19:8 Jesus 81 said to them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of your hard hearts, 82 but from the beginning it was not this way. 19:9 Now I say to you that whoever divorces his wife, except for immorality, and marries another commits adultery.” 19:10 The 83 disciples said to him, “If this is the case of a husband with a wife, it is better not to marry!” 19:11 He 84 said to them, “Not everyone can accept this statement, except those to whom it has been given. 19:12 For there are some eunuchs who were that way from birth, 85 and some who were made eunuchs 86 by others, 87 and some who became eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who is able to accept this should accept it.”
19:13 Then little children were brought to him for him to lay his hands on them and pray. 88 But the disciples scolded those who brought them. 89 19:14 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me and do not try to stop them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 90 19:15 And he placed his hands on them and went on his way. 91
19:16 Now 92 someone came up to him and said, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” 19:17 He said to him, “Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” 19:18 “Which ones?” he asked. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, 19:19 honor your father and mother, 93 and love your neighbor as yourself.” 94 19:20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed 95 all these laws. 96 What do I still lack?” 19:21 Jesus said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money 97 to the poor, and you will have treasure 98 in heaven. Then come, follow me.” 19:22 But when the young man heard this he went away sorrowful, for he was very rich. 99
19:23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, 100 it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven! 19:24 Again I say, 101 it is easier for a camel 102 to go through the eye of a needle 103 than for a rich person to enter into the kingdom of God.” 19:25 The 104 disciples were greatly astonished when they heard this and said, “Then who can be saved?” 105 19:26 Jesus 106 looked at them and replied, “This is impossible for mere humans, 107 but for God all things are possible.” 19:27 Then Peter said 108 to him, “Look, 109 we have left everything to follow you! 110 What then will there be for us?” 19:28 Jesus 111 said to them, “I tell you the truth: 112 In the age when all things are renewed, 113 when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging 114 the twelve tribes of Israel. 19:29 And whoever has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much 115 and will inherit eternal life. 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
[1:1] 1 tn Grk “the book of the genealogy.” The noun βίβλος (biblo"), though it is without the article, is to be translated as definite due to Apollonius’ corollary and the normal use of anarthrous nouns in titles.
[13:2] 2 tn Grk “and all the crowd.” The clause in this phrase, although coordinate in terms of grammar, is logically subordinate to the previous clause.
[13:3] 3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[13:3] 4 sn Though parables can contain a variety of figures of speech (cf. the remainder of chapter 13), many times they are simply stories that attempt to teach spiritual truth (which is unknown to the hearers) by using a comparison with something known to the hearers. In general, parables usually advance a single idea, though there may be many parts and characters in a single parable and subordinate ideas may expand the main idea further. The beauty of using the parable as a teaching device is that it draws the listener into the story, elicits an evaluation, and demands a response.
[13:3] 6 sn A sower went out to sow. The background for this well-known parable, drawn from a typical scene in the Palestinian countryside, is a field through which a well-worn path runs. Sowing would occur in late fall or early winter (October to December) in the rainy season, looking for sprouting in April or May and a June harvest. The use of seed as a figure for God’s giving life has OT roots (Isa 55:10-11). The point of the parable of the sower is to illustrate the various responses to the message of the kingdom of God.
[13:4] 4 tn In Matthew’s version of this parable, plural pronouns are used to refer to the seed in v. 4 (ἅ…αὐτά [Ja…auta]), although the collective singular is used in v. 5 and following (indicated by the singular verbs like ἔπεσεν [epesen]). For the sake of consistency in English, plural pronouns referring to the seed are used in the translation throughout the Matthean account. In both Mark and Luke the collective singular is used consistently throughout (cf. Mark 4:1-9; Luke 8:4-8).
[13:5] 5 tn Here and in vv. 7 and 8 δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:5] 6 sn The rocky ground in Palestine would be a limestone base lying right under the soil.
[13:5] 7 tn Grk “it did not have enough depth of earth.”
[13:7] 6 sn Palestinian weeds like these thorns could grow up to six feet in height and have a major root system.
[13:7] 7 sn That is, crowded out the good plants.
[13:9] 7 tn 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 11:15, 13:43; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
[13:10] 8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[13:11] 9 tn Grk “And answering, he said to them.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:11] 10 tn This is an example of a “divine passive,” with God understood to be the source of the revelation (see ExSyn 437-38).
[13:11] 11 tn Grk “to you it has been given to know.” The dative pronoun occurs first, in emphatic position in the Greek text, although this position is awkward in contemporary English.
[13:11] 12 tn Grk “the mysteries.”
[13:12] 10 sn What he has will be taken from him. The meaning is that the one who accepts Jesus’ teaching concerning his person and the kingdom will receive a share in the kingdom now and even more in the future, but for the one who rejects Jesus’ words, the opportunity that that person presently possesses with respect to the kingdom will someday be taken away forever.
[13:14] 11 tn Grk “with hearing,” a cognate dative that intensifies the action of the main verb “you will listen” (ExSyn 168-69).
[13:14] 12 tn Grk “look by looking.” The participle is redundant, functioning to intensify the force of the main verb.
[13:15] 12 sn A quotation from Isa 6:9-10. Thus parables both conceal or reveal depending on whether one is open to hearing what they teach.
[13:16] 13 sn This beatitude highlights the great honor bestowed on the disciples to share in this salvation.
[13:17] 14 tn Grk “truly (ἀμήν, amhn) I say to you.”
[13:17] 15 sn This is what past prophets and righteous people had wanted very much to see, yet the fulfillment had come to the disciples. This remark is like 1 Pet 1:10-12 or Heb 1:1-2.
[13:19] 15 sn Interestingly, the synoptic parallels each use a different word for Satan here: Mark 4:15 has “Satan,” while Luke 8:12 has “the devil.” This illustrates the fluidity of the gospel tradition in often using synonyms at the same point of the parallel tradition.
[13:19] 16 sn The word of Jesus has the potential to save if it germinates in a person’s heart, something the devil is very much against.
[13:20] 16 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:20] 17 tn Grk “The one sown on rocky ground, this is the one.” The next two statements like this one have this same syntactical structure.
[13:21] 17 tn Grk “is temporary.”
[13:21] 18 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:22] 18 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:22] 19 tn Grk “the deceitfulness of riches.” Cf. BDAG 99 s.v. ἀπάτη 1, “the seduction which comes from wealth.”
[13:22] 20 sn That is, their concern for spiritual things is crowded out by material things.
[13:23] 19 tn The Greek is difficult to translate because it switches from a generic “he” to three people within this generic class (thus, something like: “Who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one instance a hundred times, in another, sixty times, in another, thirty times”).
[13:24] 20 tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[13:25] 21 tn Grk “sowed darnel.” The Greek term ζιζάνιον (zizanion) refers to an especially undesirable weed that looks like wheat but has poisonous seeds (L&N 3.30).
[13:26] 22 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:27] 23 tn See the note on the word “slave” in 8:9.
[13:28] 24 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the owner’s statement.
[13:30] 25 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[13:30] 27 tn Grk “burned, but gather.”
[13:31] 26 tn Grk “put before.”
[13:31] 27 tn Grk “He set before them another parable, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
[13:31] 28 sn The mustard seed was noted for its tiny size.
[13:32] 27 sn This is rhetorical hyperbole, since technically a mustard plant is not a tree. This could refer to one of two types of mustard plant popular in Palestine and would be either ten or twenty-five ft (3 or 7.5 m) tall.
[13:32] 28 tn Grk “the birds of the sky” or “the birds of the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated either “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. The idiomatic expression “birds of the sky” refers to wild birds as opposed to domesticated fowl (cf. BDAG 809 s.v. πετεινόν).
[13:32] 29 sn The point of the parable seems to be that while the kingdom of God may appear to have insignificant and unnoticeable beginnings (i.e., in the ministry of Jesus), it will someday (i.e., at the second advent) be great and quite expansive. The kingdom, however, is not to be equated with the church, but rather the church is an expression of the kingdom. Also, there is important OT background in the image of the mustard seed that grew and became a tree: Ezek 17:22-24 pictures the reemergence of the Davidic house where people can find calm and shelter. Like the mustard seed, it would start out small but grow to significant size.
[13:33] 29 sn This measure was a saton, the Greek name for the Hebrew term “seah.” Three of these was a very large quantity of flour, since a saton is a little over 16 pounds (7 kg) of dry measure (or 13.13 liters). So this was over 47 lbs (21 kg) of flour total, enough to feed over a hundred people.
[13:33] 30 tn Grk “it was all leavened.”
[13:35] 29 tc A few important
[13:35] 30 sn A quotation from Ps 78:2.
[13:37] 30 tn Grk “And answering, he said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in English and has been simplified in the translation. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[13:38] 31 tn Grk “the sons of the kingdom.” This idiom refers to people who should properly be, or were traditionally regarded as, a part of God’s kingdom. L&N 11.13 translates the phrase: “people of God’s kingdom, God’s people.”
[13:38] 32 tn Grk “the sons of the evil one.” See the preceding note on the phrase “people of the kingdom” earlier in this verse, which is the opposite of this phrase. See also L&N 9.4; 11.13; 11.14.
[13:40] 32 tn Grk “Therefore as.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
[13:41] 33 tn Grk “the ones who practice lawlessness.”
[13:42] 34 sn A quotation from Dan 3:6.
[13:43] 35 sn An allusion to Dan 12:3.
[13:43] 36 tn 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 11:15, 13:9; Mark 4:9, 23; Luke 8:8, 14:35).
[13:50] 36 sn An allusion to Dan 3:6.
[13:52] 37 tn Or “every scribe.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4. It is possible that the term translated “expert in the law” (traditionally, “scribe”) here is a self-description used by the author, Matthew, to represent his role in conveying the traditions about Jesus to his intended audience. See David E. Orton, The Understanding Scribe [JSNTSup].
[13:53] 38 tn Grk “Now it happened that when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[13:54] 39 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “Then.”
[13:54] 40 sn Jesus’ hometown (where he spent his childhood years) was Nazareth, about 20 miles (30 km) southwest of Capernaum.
[13:54] 41 tn Grk “them”; the referent (the people) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[13:54] 42 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23. Jesus undoubtedly took the opportunity on this occasion to speak about his person and mission, and the relation of both to OT fulfillment.
[13:54] 43 tn Grk “synagogue, so that they.” Here ὥστε (Jwste) has not been translated. Instead a new sentence was started in the translation.
[13:55] 40 sn The reference to Jesus as the carpenter’s son is probably derogatory, indicating that they knew Jesus only as a common laborer like themselves. The reference to his mother…Mary (even though Jesus’ father was probably dead by this point) appears to be somewhat derogatory, for a man was not regarded as his mother’s son in Jewish usage unless an insult was intended (cf. Judg 11:1-2; John 4:41; 8:41; 9:29).
[13:56] 41 tn Grk “Where did he get these things?”
[19:1] 42 tn Grk “it happened when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
[19:1] 43 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”).
[19:3] 43 tn Grk “And Pharisees.”
[19:3] 44 tc ‡ Most
[19:3] 45 sn The question of the Pharisees was anything but sincere; they were asking it to test him. Jesus was now in the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas (i.e., Judea and beyond the Jordan) and it is likely that the Pharisees were hoping he might answer the question of divorce in a way similar to John the Baptist and so suffer the same fate as John, i.e., death at the hands of Herod (cf. 14:1-12). Jesus answered the question not on the basis of rabbinic custom and the debate over Deut 24:1, but rather from the account of creation and God’s original design.
[19:4] 44 sn A quotation from Gen 1:27; 5:2.
[19:5] 45 sn A quotation from Gen 2:24.
[19:7] 46 tc ‡ Although the majority of witnesses (B C W 078 087 Ë13 33 Ï syp,h) have αὐτήν (authn, “her”) after the infinitive ἀπολῦσαι (apolusai, “to divorce”), a variant lacks the αὐτήν. This shorter reading may be due to assimilation to the Markan parallel, but since it is attested in early and diverse witnesses (א D L Z Θ Ë1 579 700 pc lat) and since the parallel verse (Mark 10:4) already departs at many points, the shorter reading seems more likely to be original. The pronoun has been included in the translation, however, for clarity. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating reservations regarding its authenticity.
[19:8] 47 tc A few important
[19:8] 48 tn Grk “heart” (a collective singular).
[19:10] 48 tc ‡ Some significant witnesses, along with the majority of later
[19:11] 49 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:12] 50 tn Grk “from the womb of the mother” (an idiom).
[19:12] 51 tn The verb εὐνουχίζω occurs twice in this verse, translated the first time as “made eunuchs” and the second time as “became eunuchs.” The term literally refers to castration. The second occurrence of the word in this verse is most likely figurative, though, referring to those who willingly maintain a life of celibacy for the furtherance of the kingdom (see W. D. Davies and D. C. Allison, Matthew [ICC], 3:23).
[19:13] 51 tn Grk “so that he would lay his hands on them and pray.”
[19:13] 52 tn Grk “the disciples scolded them.” In the translation the referent has been specified as “those who brought them,” since otherwise the statement could be understood to mean that the disciples scolded the children rather than their parents who brought them.
[19:14] 52 sn The kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these. Children are a picture of those whose simple trust illustrates what faith is all about. The remark illustrates how everyone is important to God, even those whom others regard as insignificant.
[19:15] 53 tn Grk “went from there.”
[19:16] 54 tn Grk “And behold one came.” 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). Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[19:19] 55 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20.
[19:19] 56 sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.
[19:20] 56 tn Grk “kept.” The implication of this verb is that the man has obeyed the commandments without fail, so the adverb “wholeheartedly” has been added to the translation to bring out this nuance.
[19:20] 57 tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[19:21] 57 tn The words “the money” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
[19:21] 58 sn The call for sacrifice comes with a promise of eternal reward: You will have treasure in heaven. Jesus’ call is a test to see how responsive the man is to God’s direction through him. Will he walk the path God’s agent calls him to walk? For a rich person who got it right, see Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10.
[19:22] 58 tn Grk “he had many possessions.” This term (κτῆμα, kthma) is often used for land as a possession.
[19:23] 59 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[19:24] 60 tn Grk “I say to you.”
[19:24] 61 tc A few late witnesses (579 1424 pc) read κάμιλον (kamilon, “rope”) for κάμηλον (kamhlon, “camel”), either through accidental misreading of the text or intentionally so as to soften Jesus’ words.
[19:24] 62 sn The eye of a needle refers to a sewing needle. (The gate in Jerusalem known as “The Needle’s Eye” was built during the middle ages and was not in existence in Jesus’ day.) Jesus was saying rhetorically that it is impossible for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom, unless God (v. 26) intervenes.
[19:25] 61 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:25] 62 sn The assumption is that the rich are blessed, so if they risk exclusion, who is left to be saved?
[19:26] 62 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:26] 63 tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men, but for God all things are possible”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation. There may also be a slight wordplay with “the Son of Man” in v. 28.
[19:27] 63 tn Grk “Then answering, Peter said.” This construction is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
[19:27] 64 sn Peter wants reassurance that the disciples’ response and sacrifice have been noticed.
[19:27] 65 tn Grk “We have left everything and followed you.” Koine Greek often used paratactic structure when hypotactic was implied.
[19:28] 64 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.
[19:28] 65 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[19:28] 66 sn The Greek term translated the age when all things are renewed (παλιγγενεσία, palingenesia) is understood as a reference to the Messianic age, the time when all things are renewed and restored (cf. Rev 21:5).
[19:28] 67 sn The statement you…will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel looks at the future authority the Twelve will have when Jesus returns. They will share in Israel’s judgment.
[19:29] 65 sn Jesus reassures his disciples with a promise that (1) much benefit in this life (a hundred times as much) and (2) eternal life will be given.
