Matthew 5:48

5:48 So then, be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. ¹ 

Matthew 9:3

9:3 Then ²  some of the experts in the law ³  said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” ⁴ 

Matthew 11:3

11:3 “Are you the one who is to come, ⁵  or should we look for another?”

Matthew 11:9

11:9 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more ⁶  than a prophet.

Matthew 11:17

11:17 ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance; ⁷ 

we wailed in mourning, ⁸  yet you did not weep.’

Matthew 13:10

13:10 Then ⁹  the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?”

Matthew 15:10

True Defilement

15:10 Then he called the crowd to him and said, ¹⁰  “Listen and understand.

Matthew 15:16

15:16 Jesus ¹¹  said, “Even after all this, are you still so foolish?

Matthew 16:5

The Yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees

16:5 When the disciples went to the other side, they forgot to take bread.

Matthew 22:39

22:39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ¹² 

Matthew 23:32

23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors!

Matthew 24:4

24:4 Jesus answered them, ¹³  “Watch out ¹⁴  that no one misleads you.

Matthew 24:20

24:20 Pray ¹⁵  that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.

Matthew 24:42

24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day ¹⁶  your Lord will come.

Matthew 25:12

25:12 But he replied, ¹⁷  ‘I tell you the truth, ¹⁸  I do not know you!’

Matthew 26:46

26:46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer ¹⁹  is approaching!”

Matthew 26:49

26:49 Immediately ²⁰  he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi,” and kissed him. ²¹ 

[5:48]  ¹ sn This remark echoes the more common OT statements like Lev 19:2 or Deut 18:13: “you must be holy as I am holy.”

[9:3]  ² tn Grk “And behold.” 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 “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events in the narrative.

[9:3]  ³ tn Or “some of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[9:3]  ⁴ sn Blaspheming meant to say something that dishonored God. To claim divine prerogatives or claim to speak for God when one really does not would be such an act of offense. The remark raised directly the issue of the nature of Jesus’ ministry.

[11:3]  ³ sn Aspects of Jesus’ ministry may have led John to question whether Jesus was the promised stronger and greater one who is to come that he had preached about in Matt 3:1-12.

[11:9]  ⁴ tn John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The term is neuter, but may be understood as masculine in this context (BDAG 806 s.v. περισσότερος b).

[11:17]  ⁵ sn ‘We played the flute for you, yet you did not dance…’ The children of this generation were making the complaint (see vv. 18-19) that others were not playing the game according to the way they played the music. John and Jesus did not follow “their tune.” Jesus’ complaint was that this generation wanted things their way, not God’s.

[11:17]  ⁶ tn The verb ἐθρηνήσαμεν (eqrhnhsamen) refers to the loud wailing and lamenting used to mourn the dead in public in 1st century Jewish culture.

[13:10]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[15:10]  ⁷ tn Grk “And calling the crowd, he said to them.” The participle προσκαλεσάμενος (proskalesamenos) has been translated as attendant circumstance. The emphasis here is upon Jesus’ speaking to the crowd.

[15:16]  ⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[22:39]  ⁹ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[24:4]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “answering, Jesus said to them.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[24:4]  ¹¹ tn Or “Be on guard.”

[24:20]  ¹¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[24:42]  ¹² tc Most later mss (L 0281 Ï lat) have here ὥρᾳ ({wra, “hour”) instead of ἡμέρα (Jemera, “day”). Although the merits of this reading could be argued either way, in light of the overwhelming and diverse early support for ἡμέρᾳ ({א B C D W Δ Θ Ë¹³ 33 892 1424, as well as several versions and fathers}), the more general term is surely correct.

[25:12]  ¹³ tn Grk “But answering, he said.” This is somewhat redundant and has been simplified in the translation.

[25:12]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[26:46]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the one who betrays me.”

[26:49]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[26:49]  ¹⁶ sn Judas’ act of betrayal when he kissed Jesus is especially sinister when it is realized that it was common in the culture of the times for a disciple to kiss his master when greeting him.