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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Mat C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24 C25 C26 C27 C28
Mat 11 V1 V2 V3 V4 V6 V7 V8 V9 V10 V11 V12 V13 V14 V15 V16 V17 V18 V19 V20 V21 V22 V23 V24 V25 V26 V27 V28 V29 V30
OET (OET-LV) blind are_receiving_sight, and lame are_walking, lepers are_being_cleansed, and deaf are_hearing, and dead are_being_raised, and poor are_being_good_message_preached.
OET (OET-RV) those who were blind can see now, lame people are now walking, people will leprosy are ‘clean’, deaf people can now hear, dead people have been brought back to life, and the good message is being preached to the poor.
Long before Jesus was born, God spoke of a messenger who would prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah (Malachi 3:1). John the Baptist was that messenger. When John’s ministry was ending, he began to doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. So John sent some of his disciples to verify that Jesus was the Messiah (11:3). Jesus indicated that his miracles and preaching were proof that he was the expected Messiah whom God spoke of (11:4–5).
Jesus then showed that John was very important in God’s eyes (11:7–14).
Jesus and John did God’s work in very different ways, but most people refused to listen to either person (11:16–19).
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The question of John the Baptist
Jesus talked about John the Baptizer
Messengers from John the Baptist (NRSV)
Jesus and John the Baptizer’s actions prove who they are
There is a parallel passage for this section in Luke 7:18–35.
In 11:5 Jesus referred to the prophecies in Isaiah 35:5–6 and 61:1. These verses in Isaiah tell about things that would happen when the Christ, the Messiah, came. Jesus was doing these things. So he mentioned them to answer the disciples of John and to show them that he was the Christ.
The blind receive sight, the lame walk,
people who were blind now see. Those who were lame now walk,
the blind are healed by me. The lame are healed by me.
I am healing the blind, the lame,
The blind receive sight: This clause refers to blind people whom Jesus healed and so they began seeing.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
The blind are seeing
People who were blind can now see
I heal the blind and so now they are able to see
the lame walk: The word lame refers to those who could not walk or use their legs properly.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
the crippled are walking
people who had crippled legs can now walk
I heal those with bad legs and so now they are able to walk
the lepers are cleansed,
and people who had leprosy have been healed.
The lepers are being healed by me.
those with dreaded/serious skin diseases,
the lepers are cleansed: The Greek word that the BSB translates literally as cleansed means “healed” in this context. For example:
People with leprosy are being healed (CEV)
This clause is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:
Use a passive verb. For example:
the lepers are cured (NLT)
Use another type of verb. For example:
I heal people who have leprosy
People with leprosy are well again
the lepers: The Greek word that the BSB translates as the lepers refers to people who have various kinds of infectious skin diseases. It probably included the disease that we call leprosy today. Leprosy turns the skin white and the affected skin eventually dies.
Here is another way to translate this word:
those who have leprosy (NIV)
If you are in an area where leprosy is not known, you can:
Use a general term for a skin disease. For example:
dreaded/serious skin disease
Use a term for another specific type of serious skin disease. For example:
skin fungus
the deaf hear, the dead are raised,
Those who were deaf now hear. People who were dead have been made alive again,
The deaf are being healed by me. The dead are being made alive again by me.
and the deaf. I am bringing back to life some people who have died.
the deaf hear: This clause refers to deaf people whom Jesus healed and so they began hearing.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
the deaf are hearing
I heal deaf people and so now they are able to hear
the dead are raised: In this context, the word raised refers to causing a dead person to “live again.”
This clause is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:
Use a passive verb. For example:
dead people are brought back to life (GW)
Use a verb that is not passive. For example:
Dead people are living again
I make dead people alive again
The healing in 11:5a–c refers to miracles of healing. These clauses do not refer to healing as a doctor heals people through medicine or surgery.
If people in your area will think that the healing refers to the way a doctor heals, you may want to:
Include some implied information. For example:
The blind miraculously receive sight, the lame are miraculously cured and walk, those who have leprosy are miraculously cured, the deaf are miraculously cured and hear, the dead are miraculously raised and live again.
Include a footnote. For example:
All these healings are miracles that Jesus did.
and the good news is preached to the poor.
and poor people are hearing good news.
The poor are being told God’s good news by me.
And I am also preaching good news to poor people.
the good news is preached to the poor: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as good news is preached refers to the gospel. This is the good news that God has made a way to save sinful people through Jesus.
This verb is passive. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
Use a passive verb. For example:
the Good News is being preached to the poor (NLT)
Use an active verb. For example:
and poor people hear the Good News (GW)
I am preaching the Good News to the poor
the poor: This phrase refers to people who are in poverty. They have little money and other physical things. Here this phrase does not refer to those who are “poor in spirit.”
Here is another way to translate this phrase:
poor people (GW)
If it is not clear in your language that Jesus’ answer showed that he was the one who was to come (11:3), you may want to explain it in a footnote at the end of 11:5. Here is a sample footnote:
The deeds spoken of in 11:5 are deeds that Jesus had been doing. These deeds matched the prophecies in the Old Testament about the Christ/Messiah. The Christ/Messiah was the special person whom the Jews were expecting to come from God to save them. These deeds showed that Jesus was this special person.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τυφλοὶ ἀναβλέπουσιν, καὶ χωλοὶ περιπατοῦσιν, λεπροὶ καθαρίζονται, καὶ κωφοὶ ἀκούουσιν, καὶ νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται, καὶ πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τυφλοί ἀναβλέπουσιν καί χωλοί περιπατοῦσιν λεπροί καθαρίζονται καί κωφοί ἀκούουσιν καί νεκροί ἐγείρονται καί Πτωχοί εὐαγγελίζονται)
When he answers John’s disciples, Jesus lists many things that he has done. John’s disciples would have known that this list is similar to the lists found in [Isaiah 35:5–6](../isa/35/05.md) and [Isaiah 61:1](../isa/61/01.md) that describe what will happen when God acts to help his people. Jesus does not directly quote either of these lists, but he wants John’s disciples to know that what he has done is what God promised would happen when the Messiah came. If it would be helpful in your language, you could include a footnote that refers to the lists in Isaiah, or you could include a small amount of explanatory information. Alternate translation: [Just as God promised, the blind are seeing again, and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised, and the poor are being told the gospel]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / nominaladj
τυφλοὶ & χωλοὶ & κωφοὶ & νεκροὶ & πτωχοὶ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τυφλοί ἀναβλέπουσιν καί χωλοί περιπατοῦσιν λεπροί καθαρίζονται καί κωφοί ἀκούουσιν καί νεκροί ἐγείρονται καί Πτωχοί εὐαγγελίζονται)
Jesus is using the adjectives blind, lame, deaf, dead, and poor as nouns in order to describe groups of people. Your language may use adjectives in the same way. If not, you could translate these words with equivalent phrases. Alternate translation: [Blind people … lame people … deaf people … dead people … poor people]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
λεπροὶ καθαρίζονται & νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται, καὶ πτωχοὶ εὐαγγελίζονται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τυφλοί ἀναβλέπουσιν καί χωλοί περιπατοῦσιν λεπροί καθαρίζονται καί κωφοί ἀκούουσιν καί νεκροί ἐγείρονται καί Πτωχοί εὐαγγελίζονται)
If your language does not use these passive forms, you could express the ideas in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [lepers become clean … the dead come back to life, and the poor hear the gospel]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
λεπροὶ καθαρίζονται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τυφλοί ἀναβλέπουσιν καί χωλοί περιπατοῦσιν λεπροί καθαρίζονται καί κωφοί ἀκούουσιν καί νεκροί ἐγείρονται καί Πτωχοί εὐαγγελίζονται)
Much as in [10:8](../10/08.md), Jesus speaks of ceremonially cleansing lepers, but he implies that the lepers are healed of their skin diseases, since these are what make lepers unclean. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [lepers are healed from their unclean diseases]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τυφλοί ἀναβλέπουσιν καί χωλοί περιπατοῦσιν λεπροί καθαρίζονται καί κωφοί ἀκούουσιν καί νεκροί ἐγείρονται καί Πτωχοί εὐαγγελίζονται)
The phrase the dead are raised refers to people who have died becoming alive again. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [the dead live again]
OET (OET-LV) blind are_receiving_sight, and lame are_walking, lepers are_being_cleansed, and deaf are_hearing, and dead are_being_raised, and poor are_being_good_message_preached.
OET (OET-RV) those who were blind can see now, lame people are now walking, people will leprosy are ‘clean’, deaf people can now hear, dead people have been brought back to life, and the good message is being preached to the poor.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.