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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 5 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47
OET (OET-LV) Be agreeing with_the opponent of_you quickly, as_long_as which you_are with him on the way, lest the opponent may_give_ you _over to_the judge, and the judge to_the attendant, and you_will_be_being_thrown into prison.
OET (OET-RV) “Resolve things with your opponent as soon as you can, hopefully while you’re still on the way to the court, in case your opponent turns you in to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and then you’ll end up in prison.
For many years, English versions and Christians have commonly referred to Matthew 5–7 as “The Sermon on the Mount.” In some translations, it may be helpful to include a heading for chapters 5–7 that is on a level above the section heading for 5:1–12.
Here are some other possible headings for this section:
The Sermon on the Mountain
The sermon that Jesus preached on a mountain
Jesus taught people on the side of a mountain/hill
In 5:25–26 in the Greek text, the pronouns for “you” or “your” are all singular. But the teaching applies to all of Jesus’ followers. So in some languages, it is more natural to use the plural form of “you” here.
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of the clauses in 5:25a–b. Compare the BSB with the NLT and NCV below.
25aReconcile quickly with your adversary, 25bwhile you are still on the way to court (BSB)
25bWhen you are on the way to court 25awith your adversary, settle your differences quickly. (NLT)
25bIf your enemy is taking you to court, 25abecome friends quickly, 25bbefore you go to court. (NCV)
Reconcile quickly with your adversary,
¶ “Settle a dispute quickly with your(sing) accuser
¶ “If your(sing) enemy is taking you before the judge, resolve the dispute quickly
Reconcile: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as Reconcile means “settle matters” or “make friends.” A believer who has wronged someone must resolve the problem.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
Make friends (RSV)
Settle matters (NIV)
settle the dispute (GNT)
make peace
quickly: The Greek word that the BSB translates as quickly means “at once, without delay.” In this context, it refers to settling matters before court begins.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
while there is time (GNT)
immediately
before you arrive at the court
your adversary: The Greek word that the BSB translates as your adversary refers to the person who is against you. He is the person taking you to court to accuse you before the judge.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
accuser (ESV)
opponent (GW)
enemy (NCV)
the one who has accused you of wrong
while you are still on the way to court.
while you(sing) and he are going to court,
while you(plur) are still on the way there.
while you are still on the way to court: The Greek text that the BSB translates as while you are still on the way to court is literally “while you are with him on the road.” The BSB has added the words to court. By doing this, the BSB makes it clear that “your adversary” is the one who initiated the court case. Your adversary has accused you of doing something wrong. The two of you are going to court so that the judge can hear your case. This clause does not mean that your enemy is literally carrying or dragging you to court.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
while you are on the way to court with him (GW)
as he is taking you to where the judge is
while there is time, before you get to court (GNT)
Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge,
so that he will not bring/give you(sing) to the judge.
If you(sing) do not do that, he will deliver you to the judge.
Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge: The Greek word that the BSB translates as Otherwise can also be translated as “so that not” or “lest.”
This clause and 5:25d indicate what will happen if matters are not settled quickly. You may need to translate this clause somewhat differently in order to make it clear. For example:
so that your opponent will not hand you over to the judge
lest, your accuser hand you over to the judge (ESV)
If you do not settle matters quickly, he will hand you over to the judge
hand you over to the judge: The words hand you over refer to putting someone under the power or authority of another. This accuser will bring you before the judge, and the judge will decide how to punish you.
Here are some other ways to translate these words:
will deliver/take you to the judge
will give/bring you to the judge
will cause you to appear before the judge
and the judge may hand you over to the officer,
And then the judge will bring/give you(sing) to the court officer
And the judge will deliver you(sing) to the policeman/guard
and the judge may hand you over to the officer: In the Greek, this phrase is literally “and the judge to the officer.” There is an ellipsis here. The words may hand you over are implied from 5:25c.
officer: The Greek word that the BSB translates as officer refers to a policeman or similar official who fulfills the judge’s orders. He has the authority to put someone in jail or set him free, as the judge tells him to.
Here are some other ways to translate officer:
guard (ESV)
warden (NET)
person in charge of prisoners
and you may be thrown into prison.
and then you(sing) will be put in prison.
who will put you(sing) in jail.
you may be thrown into prison: The verb be thrown is passive. The guard in 5:25d obeys the order of the judge and puts the believer in prison. Some ways to translate this clause are:
Use a passive verb. For example:
you will be put in jail (GNT)
you will be locked up
Use an active verb. For example:
he will put you in prison
who will put you in jail (CEV)
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns
ἴσθι εὐνοῶν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σοῦ ταχύ ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μήποτε σέ παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καί ὁ κριτής τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ καί εἰς φυλακήν βληθήσῃ)
If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of agreement, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [Agree]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / youcrowd
ἴσθι & σου & εἶ & σε & ὁ & βληθήσῃ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σοῦ ταχύ ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μήποτε σέ παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καί ὁ κριτής τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ καί εἰς φυλακήν βληθήσῃ)
Even though Jesus is speaking to many disciples, he is addressing an individual situation, so you and your are singular throughout this verse. But if the singular form would not be natural in your language for someone who is speaking to a group of people, you could use the plural forms of you and your in your translation.
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σου & ὁ ἀντίδικος
˱with˲_the opponent ˱to˲_the ˱to˲_the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σοῦ ταχύ ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μήποτε σέ παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καί ὁ κριτής τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ καί εἰς φυλακήν βληθήσῃ)
Here, Jesus is using the possessive form to describe someone who accuses another person (“you”). If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: [with the one who is accusing you … the one who is accusing you]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
εἶ μετ’ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ
˱you˲_are with him on the way
Here, on the way is referring to the time when the person and the person’s accuser are walking to the place where the judge is. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [you are walking with him on the road to the law court]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / gendernotations
αὐτοῦ
him
Although the term him is masculine, Jesus is using the word in a generic sense that includes both men and women. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a phrase that makes this clear. Alternate translation: [him or her]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
σε παραδῷ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σοῦ ταχύ ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μήποτε σέ παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καί ὁ κριτής τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ καί εἰς φυλακήν βληθήσῃ)
Here, the phrase hand you over refers to putting someone under the authority and control of another person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [might transfer you] or [might entrust you]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
ὁ κριτὴς τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ
the the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σοῦ ταχύ ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μήποτε σέ παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καί ὁ κριτής τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ καί εἰς φυλακήν βληθήσῃ)
Jesus is leaving out some of the words that in many languages a sentence would need in order to be complete. You could supply these words from earlier in the sentence if it would be clearer in your language. Alternate translation: [the judge might hand you over to the officer]
Note 8 topic: translate-unknown
τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ
˱with˲_the ˱to˲_the ˱to˲_the attendant
Here, the officer is a person who has authority to carry out the decisions of a judge. Usually this involves bringing people to jail if they have been declared guilty by the judge. Alternate translation: [to the one who carries out the judge’s orders]
Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
εἰς φυλακὴν βληθήσῃ
into (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σοῦ ταχύ ἕως ὅτου εἶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μήποτε σέ παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καί ὁ κριτής τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ καί εἰς φυλακήν βληθήσῃ)
Here, the phrase thrown into prison refers to someone being locked up in prison. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [you will be put into prison] or [you will be locked up in prison]
Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
βληθήσῃ
˱you˲_˓will_be_being˒_cast
If your language does not use the passive form, you can state this in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. Alternate translation: [the officer will throw you]
OET (OET-LV) Be agreeing with_the opponent of_you quickly, as_long_as which you_are with him on the way, lest the opponent may_give_ you _over to_the judge, and the judge to_the attendant, and you_will_be_being_thrown into prison.
OET (OET-RV) “Resolve things with your opponent as soon as you can, hopefully while you’re still on the way to the court, in case your opponent turns you in to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and then you’ll end up in prison.
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.