OET interlinear MAT 13:15

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

γὰρ

for

Here, the word For introduces a reason why the people hear but do not understand and see but do not perceive. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a reason or basis for a claim, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: “That is because” or “That happens since”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ἐπαχύνθη & ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν; μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν, καὶ ἐπιστρέψωσιν καὶ ἰάσομαι αὐτούς

/was/_become_dull & the heart ¬the ˱of˲_people this and ˱with˲_the ears hardly ˱they˲_heard and the eyes ˱of˲_them ˱they˲_shut lest ˱they˲_/may/_see ˱with˲_the eyes and ˱with˲_the ears ˱they˲_/may/_hear and ˱with˲_the heart ˱they˲_/may/_understand and ˱they˲_/may/_return and ˱I˲_/will_be/_healing them

The author of the quotation switches from speaking to the Israelite people in the second person (see 13:14) to speaking about them in the third person. If this would not be natural in your language, you could use second person forms in this verse. Alternate translation: “the heart of you people has been thickened, and with your ears you have hardly heard, and you have shut your eyes, lest you might see with your eyes, and you might hear with your ears, and you might understand with your heart and turn back, and I would heal you”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

ἐπαχύνθη & ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν

/was/_become_dull & the heart ¬the ˱of˲_people this and ˱with˲_the ears hardly ˱they˲_heard and the eyes ˱of˲_them ˱they˲_shut

These three clauses mean basically the same thing. The second and third emphasize the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word other than and in order to show that the second and third phrase are repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternatively, you could express the idea with just one or two clauses. Alternate translation: “the heart of this people has been thickened; yes, with their ears they have hardly heard; indeed, they have shut their eyes” or “the heart of this people has been thickened, and they barely use their ears and eyes”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐπαχύνθη & ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου

/was/_become_dull & the heart ¬the ˱of˲_people this

Here the author of the quotation is speaking as if the heart of the people of Israel has literally been thickened. He means that they are resisting God stubbornly. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “this people has been made stubborn”

Note 5 topic: grammar-collectivenouns

ἐπαχύνθη & ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου & τῇ καρδίᾳ

/was/_become_dull & the heart ¬the ˱of˲_people this & ˱with˲_the heart

If it would not be natural in your language to speak as if a group of people had only one heart, you could use the plural form of that word in your translation. Alternate translation: “the hearts of these people have been thickened … with their hearts”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ἐπαχύνθη & ἡ καρδία τοῦ λαοῦ τούτου & τῇ καρδίᾳ

/was/_become_dull & the heart ¬the ˱of˲_people this & ˱with˲_the heart

In the author’s culture, the heart is the place where humans think and feel. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate heart by referring to the place where humans think and feel in your culture or by expressing the idea plainly. Alternate translation: “the mind of this people was made dull … with their mind” or “the thoughts of this people were made dull … in their thoughts”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

ἐπαχύνθη

/was/_become_dull

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: “has become thick”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo

τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν; μήποτε ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν

˱with˲_the ears hardly ˱they˲_heard and the eyes ˱of˲_them ˱they˲_shut lest ˱they˲_/may/_see ˱with˲_the eyes and ˱with˲_the ears ˱they˲_/may/_hear

It may be that these expressions contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in your language. If so, you could shorten them. Alternate translation: “and they have hardly heard anything, and they have shut their eyes, lest they might see clearly, and they might hear clearly”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν βαρέως ἤκουσαν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτῶν ἐκάμμυσαν

and ˱with˲_the ears hardly ˱they˲_heard and the eyes ˱of˲_them ˱they˲_shut

The author of the quotation is speaking as if the people of Israel have become unable to hear and have shut their eyes so that they will not see. He means that they are refusing to consider what God wants to tell them. If it would be clearer in your language, you could express the idea in simile form or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “and they are refusing to pay attention to God, as if they were closing their ears and eyes” or “and they are refusing to consider what God wants to tell them”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

ἴδωσιν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, καὶ τοῖς ὠσὶν ἀκούσωσιν, καὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ συνῶσιν

˱they˲_/may/_see ˱with˲_the eyes and ˱with˲_the ears ˱they˲_/may/_hear and ˱with˲_the heart ˱they˲_/may/_understand

These three clauses mean basically the same thing. The second and third emphasize the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word other than and in order to show that the second and third phrase are repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternatively, you could express the idea with just one or two clauses. Alternate translation: “they might see with their eyes; yes, they might hear with their ears; indeed, they might understand with their heart” or “they might use their eyes and ears, and they might understand with their heart”

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐπιστρέψωσιν

˱they˲_/may/_return

The author of the quotation is speaking of the people of Israel as if they had been traveling somewhere and had taken the wrong way and needed to turn back onto the right way. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable figure of speech or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “start obeying the Lord again”

Note 12 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἰάσομαι αὐτούς

˱I˲_/will_be/_healing them

Here the author of the quotation does not mean God would only heal the people physically. He would also heal them spiritually by forgiving their sins. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: “I would heal them and forgive them”