Matthew 19:20

19:20 The young man said to him, “I have wholeheartedly obeyed ¹  all these laws. ²  What do I still lack?”

Matthew 27:63

27:63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’

Matthew 12:46

Jesus’ True Family

12:46 While Jesus ³  was still speaking to the crowds, ⁴  his mother and brothers ⁵  came and ⁶  stood outside, asking ⁷  to speak to him.

Matthew 18:16

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. ⁸ 

Matthew 26:65

26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared, ⁹  “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Now ¹⁰  you have heard the blasphemy!

Matthew 5:13

Salt and Light

5:13 “You are the salt ¹¹  of the earth. But if salt loses its flavor, ¹²  how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled on by people.

Matthew 17:5

17:5 While he was still speaking, a ¹³  bright cloud ¹⁴  overshadowed ¹⁵  them, and a voice from the cloud said, ¹⁶  “This is my one dear Son, ¹⁷  in whom I take great delight. Listen to him!” ¹⁸ 

Matthew 26:47

Betrayal and Arrest

26:47 While he was still speaking, Judas, ¹⁹  one of the twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.

[19:20]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Grk “these things.” The referent of the pronoun (the laws mentioned by Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:46]  ³ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[12:46]  ⁴ tn Grk “crowds, behold, his mother.” 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).

[12:46]  ⁵ sn The issue of whether Jesus had brothers (siblings) has had a long history in the church. Epiphanius, in the 4th century, argued that Mary was a perpetual virgin and had no offspring other than Jesus. Others argued that these brothers were really cousins. Nothing in the text suggests any of this. See also John 7:3.

[12:46]  ⁶ tn “His mother and brothers came and” is a translation of “behold, his mother and brothers came.”

[12:46]  ⁷ tn Grk “seeking.”

[18:16]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Deut 19:15.

[26:65]  ⁷ tn Grk “the high priest tore his clothes, saying.”

[26:65]  ⁸ tn Grk “Behold now.” 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).

[5:13]  ⁹ sn Salt was used as seasoning or fertilizer (BDAG 41 s.v. ἅλας a), or as a preservative. If salt ceased to be useful, it was thrown away. With this illustration Jesus warned about a disciple who ceased to follow him.

[5:13]  ¹⁰ sn The difficulty of this saying is understanding how salt could lose its flavor since its chemical properties cannot change. It is thus often assumed that Jesus was referring to chemically impure salt, perhaps a natural salt which, when exposed to the elements, had all the genuine salt leached out, leaving only the sediment or impurities behind. Others have suggested that the background of the saying is the use of salt blocks by Arab bakers to line the floor of their ovens; under the intense heat these blocks would eventually crystallize and undergo a change in chemical composition, finally being thrown out as unserviceable. A saying in the Talmud (b. Bekhorot 8b) attributed to R. Joshua ben Chananja (ca. a.d. 90), when asked the question “When salt loses its flavor, how can it be made salty again?” is said to have replied, “By salting it with the afterbirth of a mule.” He was then asked, “Then does the mule (being sterile) bear young?” to which he replied: “Can salt lose its flavor?” The point appears to be that both are impossible. The saying, while admittedly late, suggests that culturally the loss of flavor by salt was regarded as an impossibility. Genuine salt can never lose its flavor. In this case the saying by Jesus here may be similar to Matt 19:24, where it is likewise impossible for the camel to go through the eye of a sewing needle.

[17:5]  ¹¹ 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).

[17:5]  ¹² sn This cloud is the cloud of God’s presence and the voice is his as well.

[17:5]  ¹³ tn Or “surrounded.”

[17:5]  ¹⁴ 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.

[17:5]  ¹⁵ 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).

[17:5]  ¹⁶ 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.

[26:47]  ¹³ tn Grk “behold, Judas.” 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).