OET interlinear MAT 8:20

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: translate-tense

λέγει

/is/_saying

To call attention to a development in the story, Matthew uses the present tense in past narration. If it would not be natural to do that in your language, you could use the past tense in your translation. Alternate translation: “said”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / merism

αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν καὶ τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις

¬The foxes burrows /are/_having and ¬the birds ˱of˲_the sky nests

Here, Jesus is referring to all animals by naming an animal that lives on land and an animal that flies in the air. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “all animals have places to live”

Note 3 topic: translate-unknown

αἱ ἀλώπεκες φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν

¬The foxes burrows /are/_having

The word foxes describes land animals that are similar to small dogs. The word dens refers to how these animals dig holes in the ground as shelters. If your readers would not be familiar with this animal and its habits, you could describe them in general terms. Alternate translation: “Little animals live in holes in the ground”

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis

τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις

¬the birds ˱of˲_the sky nests

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 birds of the sky have nests”

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / possession

τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

¬the birds ˱of˲_the sky

Here, Jesus is using the possessive form to describe birds that fly in the sky. If this is not clear in your language, you could express the idea in another way. Alternate translation: “the birds in the sky” or “the birds flying in the sky”

Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo

τὰ πετεινὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ

¬the birds ˱of˲_the sky

The expression of the sky contains extra information that would be unnatural to express in some languages. If this is true of your language, you could shorten the expression. Alternate translation: “the birds”

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person

ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ

¬the ¬the but /the/_Son ¬the ˱of˲_Man not /is/_having where his head ˱he˲_/may_be/_laying

Here Jesus speaks about himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use the first person. Alternate translation: “but I, the Son of Man, do not have a place where I might lay my head”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ Ἀνθρώπου

¬the ¬the but /the/_Son ¬the ˱of˲_Man

Here Jesus for the first time in Matthew uses the title Son of Man to refer to himself. He is using the title to refer to himself, a human, and also to implicitly identify himself with the important and powerful figure named “the son of man” in the Old Testament book of Daniel (see Daniel 7:13–14). See the book introduction for more information about this title. Consider how you might best translate this title here and throughout the rest of Matthew. Alternate translation: “but the Human One” or “but the one called Son of Man”

Note 9 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ

not /is/_having where his head ˱he˲_/may_be/_laying

Jesus implies that if the scribe were to follow him, he too might not have a home. If it would be helpful in your language, you could make this idea more explicit. Alternate translation: “does not have a place where he might lay his head, so if you become his disciple, expect that you will not have such a place either”

Note 10 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ

not /is/_having where his head ˱he˲_/may_be/_laying

Here, the phrase a place where he might lay his head refers to a place to sleep. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a similar phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: “does not have a place where he might sleep” or “does not have a sleeping place”

Note 11 topic: figures-of-speech / hyperbole

οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλίνῃ

not /is/_having where his head ˱he˲_/may_be/_laying

Jesus actually did find places to sleep wherever he went to teach and heal, but he says that he has no such place at all to emphasize that he has no permanent home. Alternate translation: “does not have a permanent home”