OET interlinear MAT 25:40

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ὁ Βασιλεὺς

the King

Here Jesus continues to speak about himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the first person. Alternate translation: “I, who am the King,”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes

αὐτοῖς, ἀμὴν, λέγω ὑμῖν, ἐφ’ ὅσον ἐποιήσατε ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε

˱to˲_them truly ˱I˲_/am/_saying ˱to˲_you_all for as_much_as ˱you_all˲_did_‹it› ˱to˲_one ˱of˲_these ¬the brothers ˱of˲_me the least ˱to˲_me ˱you_all˲_did_‹it›

If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “to them that he was speaking truly and that as much as they did for one of the least of these brothers of his, they did for him”

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

τῶν ἐλαχίστων

¬the the least

Here, the word least identifies someone who is not very important. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: “of the least important”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

τούτων τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου

˱of˲_these ¬the brothers ˱of˲_me

Here the king, Jesus, speaks of his disciples as if they were his brothers. He means that he considers them to be part of his family. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use simile form or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “of those whom I call my brothers” or “of the people I love as if they were my brothers”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations

τῶν ἀδελφῶν

¬the brothers

Although the term brothers is masculine, the king is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If you retain the metaphor in your translation, and if it would be helpful in your language, you could say “brothers and sisters” to indicate this.

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἐμοὶ ἐποιήσατε

˱to˲_me ˱you_all˲_did_‹it›

Here the king speaks as if anything that people did for one of the least of these brothers of mine was actually done for him. He means that he considers any help given to these brothers of mine to be as important to him as if it had been given directly to him. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the idea in simile form or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “I consider that you did it for me” or “it is just like you did it for me”