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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 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47
OET (OET-LV) Truly I_am_saying to_you, by_no_means you_may_ not _come_out from_there, until wishfully you_may_give_back the last quadran.
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.
Truly I tell you,
I assure you(sing) that
Listen(sing) to this:
Truly I tell you: The clause Truly I tell you is the same clause as in 5:18a except here the pronoun you is singular.
you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
you(sing) will not leave prison until you have paid the last coin that you owe!
you(sing) will not be freed from jail until you have paid everything you owe!
you will not get out: This clause refers to leaving prison.
Here are some other ways to translate these words:
you will not leave there (NCV)
you surely won’t be free again (NLT)
There you will stay (GNT)
until you have paid the last penny: The word until indicates that before you can leave jail, you will be required to pay the whole amount. The money may either be a debt owed to the adversary of 5:25 or a fine by the judge for the wrong you have done to the adversary. If possible, you should translate this phrase in a general way that can refer to both.
the last penny: The Greek word that the BSB translates as penny refers to a coin that was one of the least valuable coins used at that time. The words the last penny indicate that the whole amount must be paid.
Here are some other ways to translate this:
Use a general term for the smallest amount of money. For example:
the smallest coin
the least valuable bill
Use the term for the smallest amount of money in your language, as the BSB does.
Translate without using a term for money. For example:
until you have paid everything you owe (NCV)
until you have paid every last bit you owe
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / youcrowd
σοι, οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς & ἀποδῷς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀμήν λέγω σοί οὒ μή ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἄν ἀποδῷς τόν ἔσχατον κοδράντην)
Even though Jesus is speaking to many disciples, he is addressing an individual situation, so you is 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 form of you in your translation.
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives
οὐ μὴ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀμήν λέγω σοί οὒ μή ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἄν ἀποδῷς τόν ἔσχατον κοδράντην)
The words translated as certainly not are two negative words. In this construction, the second negative does not cancel the first to create a positive meaning. Instead, it gives greater emphasis to the negative. If your language can use two negatives that do not cancel one another to create a positive meaning, you could use a double negative here. If your language does not use two negatives in that way, you could translate with one strong negative, as the ULT does. Alternate translation: [by no means]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / go
οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀμήν λέγω σοί οὒ μή ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἄν ἀποδῷς τόν ἔσχατον κοδράντην)
In a context such as this, your language might say “go” instead of come. Alternate translation: [you will certainly not go out]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷς τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην
until (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀμήν λέγω σοί οὒ μή ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἄν ἀποδῷς τόν ἔσχατον κοδράντην)
Here Jesus implies that the “judge” required the person to pay a fine or give money to the person who accused him or her. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [until you have paid the last quadrans that the judge required]
Note 5 topic: translate-bmoney
τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ἀμήν λέγω σοί οὒ μή ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἄν ἀποδῷς τόν ἔσχατον κοδράντην)
A quadrans was one of the smallest and least valuable coins in circulation in this place and time. It was equivalent to about an eighth of an hour’s wage. You could try to express this amount in terms of current monetary values, but that might cause your Bible translation to become outdated and inaccurate, since those values can change over time. So instead you might use the name of the least valuable coin in your culture, or a general expression. Alternate translation: [the last penny] or [every bit of money that your creditor demands]
5:21-47 You have heard. . . . But I say: Jesus contrasts his own teaching to six misinterpretations of the law. Each antithesis provides an example of the surpassing righteousness of Jesus. Jesus reveals the will of God as it contrasts with traditions.
OET (OET-LV) Truly I_am_saying to_you, by_no_means you_may_ not _come_out from_there, until wishfully you_may_give_back the last quadran.
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.