Matthew 18:15-17

Context

Restoring Christian Relationships

18:15 “If¹ your brother² sins,³ go and show him his fault⁴ when the two of you are alone. If he listens to you, you have regained your brother. 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.⁵ 18:17 If⁶ he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. If⁷ he refuses to listen to the church, treat him like⁸ a Gentile⁹ or a tax collector.¹⁰

Acts 18:14-15

Context
18:14 But just as Paul was about to speak,¹¹ Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or serious piece of villainy,¹² I would have been justified in accepting the complaint¹³ of you Jews,¹⁴ 18:15 but since it concerns points of disagreement¹⁵ about words and names and your own law, settle¹⁶ it yourselves. I will not be¹⁷ a judge of these things!”

Acts 19:38

Context
19:38 If then Demetrius and the craftsmen who are with him have a complaint¹⁸ against someone, the courts are open¹⁹ and there are proconsuls; let them bring charges against one another there.²⁰

[18:15] ¹tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated. All the “if” clauses in this paragraph are third class conditions in Greek.

[18:15] ²tn The Greek term “brother” can mean “fellow believer” or “fellow Christian” (cf. BDAG 18 s.v. ἀδελφός 2.a) whether male or female. It can also refer to siblings, though here it is used in a broader sense to connote familial relationships within the family of God. Therefore, because of the familial connotations, “brother” has been retained in the translation here in preference to the more generic “fellow believer” (“fellow Christian” would be anachronistic in this context).

[18:15] ³tc ‡ The earliest and best witnesses lack “against you” after “if your brother sins.” It is quite possible that the shorter reading in these witnesses (א B, as well as 0281 Ë¹ 579 pc sa) occurred when scribes either intentionally changed the text (to make it more universal in application) or unintentionally changed the text (owing to the similar sound of the end of the verb ἁμαρτήσῃ [Jamarthsh] and the prepositional phrase εἰς σέ [eis se]). However, if the mss were normally copied by sight rather than by sound, especially in the early centuries of Christianity, such an unintentional change is not as likely for these mss. And since scribes normally added material rather than deleted it for intentional changes, on balance, the shorter reading appears to be original. NA²⁷ includes the words in brackets, indicating doubts as to their authenticity.

[18:15] ⁴tn Grk “go reprove him.”

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

[18:17] ⁶tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:17] ⁷tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[18:17] ⁸tn Grk “let him be to you as.”

[18:17] ⁹tn Or “a pagan.”

[18:17] ¹⁰sn To treat him like a Gentile or a tax collector means not to associate with such a person. See the note on tax collectors in 5:46.

[18:14] ¹¹tn Grk “about to open his mouth” (an idiom).

[18:14] ¹²tn BDAG 902 s.v. ῥᾳδιούργημα states, “From the sense ‘prank, knavery, roguish trick, slick deed’ it is but a short step to that of a serious misdeed, crime, villainy…a serious piece of villainy Ac 18:14 (w. ἀδίκημα).”

[18:14] ¹³tn According to BDAG 78 s.v. ἀνέχω 3 this is a legal technical term: “Legal t.t. κατὰ λόγον ἂν ἀνεσχόμην ὑμῶν I would have been justified in accepting your complaint Ac 18:14.”

[18:14] ¹⁴tn Grk “accepting your complaint, O Jews.”

[18:15] ¹⁵tn Or “dispute.”

[18:15] ¹⁶tn Grk “see to it” (an idiom).

[18:15] ¹⁷tn Or “I am not willing to be.” Gallio would not adjudicate their religious dispute.

[19:38] ¹⁸tn BDAG 600 s.v. λόγος 1.a.ε has “ἔχειν πρός τινα λόγον have a complaint against someone…19:38.”

[19:38] ¹⁹tn L&N 56.1 has ‘if Demetrius and his workers have an accusation against someone, the courts are open’ Ac 19:38.”

[19:38] ²⁰tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text but is implied. The official’s request is that the legal system be respected.