Discovery BoxMatthew 15:32--16:12
Context15:32 Then Jesus called the 1 disciples and said, “I have compassion on the crowd, because they have already been here with me three days and they have nothing to eat. I don’t want to send them away hungry since they may faint on the way.” 15:33 The disciples said to him, “Where can we get enough bread in this desolate place to satisfy so great a crowd?” 15:34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” They replied, “Seven – and a few small fish.” 15:35 After instructing the crowd to sit down on the ground, 15:36 he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks, he broke them and began giving them to the disciples, who then gave them to the crowds. 2 15:37 They 3 all ate and were satisfied, and they picked up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. 15:38 Not counting children and women, 4 there were four thousand men who ate. 5 15:39 After sending away the crowd, he got into the boat and went to the region of Magadan. 6
16:1 Now when the Pharisees 7 and Sadducees 8 came to test Jesus, 9 they asked him to show them a sign from heaven. 10 16:2 He 11 said, “When evening comes you say, ‘It will be fair weather, because the sky is red,’ 16:3 and in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, because the sky is red and darkening.’ 12 You know how to judge correctly the appearance of the sky, 13 but you cannot evaluate the signs of the times. 16:4 A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” Then 14 he left them and went away.
16:5 When the disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread. 16:6 “Watch out,” Jesus said to them, “beware of the yeast of the Pharisees 15 and Sadducees.” 16 16:7 So 17 they began to discuss this among themselves, saying, “It is because we brought no bread.” 16:8 When Jesus learned of this, 18 he said, “You who have such little faith! 19 Why are you arguing 20 among yourselves about having no bread? 16:9 Do you still not understand? Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and how many baskets you took up? 16:10 Or the seven loaves for the four thousand and how many baskets you took up? 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!” 16:12 Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
[15:32] 1 tc ‡ Although the external evidence is not great (א W Θ 700 pc), the internal evidence for the omission of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”) after “disciples” is fairly strong. The pronoun may have been added by way of clarification. NA27, however, includes the pronoun, on the basis of the much stronger external evidence.
[15:36] 2 tn Grk “was giving them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowd.”
[15:37] 3 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.
[15:38] 4 tc ‡ Although most witnesses (B C L W Ë13 33 Ï f sys,p,h mae) read “women and children” instead of “children and women,” it is likely that the majority’s reading is a harmonization to Matt 14:21. “Children and women” is found in early and geographically widespread witnesses (e.g., א D [Θ Ë1] 579 lat syc sa bo), and has more compelling internal arguments on its side, suggesting that this is the original reading. NA27, however, agrees with the majority of witnesses.
[15:38] 5 tn Grk “And those eating were four thousand men, apart from children and women.”
[15:39] 5 sn Magadan was a place along the Sea of Galilee, the exact location of which is uncertain.
[16:1] 6 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[16:1] 7 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[16:1] 8 tn The object of the participle πειράζοντες (peirazontes) is not given in the Greek text but has been supplied here for clarity.
[16:1] 9 sn What exactly this sign would have been, given what Jesus was already doing, is not clear. But here is where the fence-sitters reside, refusing to commit to him.
[16:2] 7 tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.” The construction has been simplified in the translation and δέ (de) has not been translated.
[16:3] 8 tn Or “red and gloomy” (L&N 14.56).
[16:3] 9 tn Grk “The face of the sky you know how to discern.”
[16:4] 9 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
[16:6] 10 sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.
[16:6] 11 sn See the note on Sadducees in 3:7.
[16:7] 11 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ saying about the Pharisees and Sadducees.
[16:8] 12 tn Or “becoming aware of it.”
