Matthew 11:29

11:29 Take my yoke ¹  on you and learn from me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

Matthew 21:5-7

21:5 “Tell the people of Zion, ² 

‘Look, your king is coming to you,

unassuming and seated on a donkey,

and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’” ³ 

21:6 So ⁴  the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. 21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks ⁵  on them, and he sat on them.

Mark 11:7

11:7 Then ⁶  they brought the colt to Jesus, threw their cloaks ⁷  on it, and he sat on it. ⁸ 

Luke 19:30-35

19:30 telling them, ⁹  “Go to the village ahead of you. ¹⁰  When ¹¹  you enter it, you will find a colt tied there that has never been ridden. ¹²  Untie it and bring it here. 19:31 If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs ¹³  it.’” 19:32 So those who were sent ahead found ¹⁴  it exactly ¹⁵  as he had told them. 19:33 As ¹⁶  they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, ¹⁷  “Why are you untying that colt?” 19:34 They replied, “The Lord needs it.” 19:35 Then ¹⁸  they brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks ¹⁹  on the colt, ²⁰  and had Jesus get on ²¹  it.

John 12:14-16

12:14 Jesus found a young donkey ²²  and sat on it, just as it is written, 12:15 “Do not be afraid, people of Zion; ²³  look, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt!” ²⁴  12:16 (His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened, ²⁵  but when Jesus was glorified, ²⁶  then they remembered that these things were written about him and that these things had happened ²⁷  to him.) ²⁸ 

[11:29]  ¹ sn A yoke is a wooden bar or frame that joins two animals like oxen or horses so that they can pull a wagon, plow, etc. together. Here it is used figuratively of the restrictions that a teacher or rabbi would place on his followers.

[21:5]  ² tn Grk “Tell the daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.

[21:5]  ³ tn Grk “the foal of an animal under the yoke,” i.e., a hard-working animal. This is a quotation from Zech 9:9.

[21:6]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of Jesus’ instructions in vv. 2-3.

[21:7]  ⁵ tn Grk “garments”; but this refers in context to their outer cloaks. The action is like 2 Kgs 9:13.

[11:7]  ⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[11:7]  ⁷ tn Grk “garments”; but this refers in context to their outer cloaks. The action is like 2 Kgs 9:13.

[11:7]  ⁸ sn See Zech 9:9, a prophecy fulfilled here (cf. Matt 21:5; John 12:15.

[19:30]  ⁹ tn Grk “saying.”

[19:30]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the village lying before [you]” (BDAG 530 s.v. κατέναντι 2.a).

[19:30]  ¹¹ tn Grk “in which entering.” This is a continuation of the previous sentence in Greek, but because of the length and complexity of the construction a new sentence was started here in the translation.

[19:30]  ¹² tn Grk “a colt tied there on which no one of men has ever sat.”

[19:31]  ¹³ sn The custom called angaria allowed the impressment of animals for service to a significant figure.

[19:32]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “sent ahead and went and found.”

[19:32]  ¹⁵ sn Exactly as he had told them. Nothing in Luke 19-23 catches Jesus by surprise. Often he directs the action.

[19:33]  ¹⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[19:33]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “said to them.”

[19:35]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[19:35]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “garments”; but this refers in context to their outer cloaks. The action is like 2 Kgs 9:13.

[19:35]  ²⁰ sn See Zech 9:9.

[19:35]  ²¹ tn Although ἐπεβίβασαν (epebibasan) is frequently translated “set [Jesus] on it” or “put [Jesus] on it,” when used of a riding animal the verb can mean “to cause to mount” (L&N 15.98); thus here “had Jesus get on it.” The degree of assistance is not specified.

[12:14]  ²² sn The author does not repeat the detailed accounts of the finding of the donkey recorded in the synoptic gospels. He does, however, see the event as a fulfillment of scripture, which he indicates by quoting Zech 9:9.

[12:15]  ²³ tn Grk “Do not be afraid, daughter of Zion” (the phrase “daughter of Zion” is an idiom for the inhabitants of Jerusalem: “people of Zion”). The idiom “daughter of Zion” has been translated as “people of Zion” because the original idiom, while firmly embedded in the Christian tradition, is not understandable to most modern English readers.

[12:15]  ²⁴ sn A quotation from Zech 9:9.

[12:16]  ²⁵ tn Or “did not understand these things at first”; Grk “formerly.”

[12:16]  ²⁶ sn When Jesus was glorified, that is, glorified through his resurrection, exaltation, and return to the Father. Jesus’ glorification is consistently portrayed this way in the Gospel of John.

[12:16]  ²⁷ tn Grk “and that they had done these things,” though the referent is probably indefinite and not referring to the disciples; as such, the best rendering is as a passive (see ExSyn 402-3; R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:458).

[12:16]  ²⁸ sn The comment His disciples did not understand these things when they first happened (a parenthetical note by the author) informs the reader that Jesus’ disciples did not at first associate the prophecy from Zechariah with the events as they happened. This came with the later (postresurrection) insight which the Holy Spirit would provide after Jesus’ resurrection and return to the Father. Note the similarity with John 2:22, which follows another allusion to a prophecy in Zechariah (14:21).