UTN uW Translation Notes:

Matthew 21 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

9. Jesus ministers in Judea (19:1-22:46) * Jesus enters Jerusalem (21:1–11) * Jesus drives people out of the temple and argues with the leaders (21:12–17) * Jesus curses a fig tree (21:18–22) * Jesus speaks with the chief priests and elders (21:23–46) * Questions about authority (21:23–27) * The parable of the two children (21:28–32) * The parable of the vineyard (21:33–41) * The stone that the builders rejected (21:42–44) * The reaction of the chief priests and elders (21:45–46)Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULT does this with the poetry in 21:5, 21:9, and 21:42, which are mostly quotes from the Old Testament.

Religious and Cultural Concepts in This Chapter

The donkey and the colt

In 21:1–4, Jesus instructs two of his disciples to collect a donkey and a colt for him to use as he enters into Jerusalem. Matthew comments that Jesus did that in fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9, which indicates that a special king of Israel will ride on a donkey and on a colt, which is a poetic way of referring to a donkey that is a colt. In the story in Matthew, Matthew refers to both the donkey and the colt that the disciples collect, but he does not indicate which one Jesus actually rides. Make sure that it is clear that there are two animals that match the way that Zechariah 9:9 was written, but do not indicate which one Jesus rode on.

Hosanna

The word “Hosanna” is a Hebrew word spelled out how it sounds in Matthew’s language. The word means “save us, please.” By the time of Jesus, however, people would use the word to praise or honor God and others. Consider whether to spell the word out as it sounds or state its meaning. See the notes on 21:9 and 21:15 for translation options. (See: translate-transliterate)

Disrupting activity in the temple area

In 21:12–13, Jesus disrupts normal activity in the temple by driving out some people and by overturning the chairs and tables of others. Jesus performed this symbolic action to express a specific message. However, Christians debate exactly what the symbolic action means. Jesus could have been protesting against people who were buying and selling dishonestly. He could have been protesting against all buying and selling in the temple area. He could have been indicating that the temple would be destroyed. Your translation should state what Jesus did while allowing for all of these possible interpretations.

The baptism of John

In 21:25–27, Jesus and the chief priests and elders discuss “the baptism of John.” Here they are referring to how John baptized people for repentance. Jesus asks them whether they think that John’s baptism came from heaven or from people, which means that he performed baptisms by God’s authority or by human authority. The chief priests and elders decide not to answer the question. See the notes on these verses for ways to refer to John’s baptism and to the authority behind it.

Renting out a vineyard

In 21:33–41, Jesus tells a story about a man who built a vineyard and then rented it out to farmers. Jesus is referring to a common arrangement in which a wealthy person who owned property would have poorer people use that property for farming or tending grapes. These poorer people would do the work and then sell the produce, and they would give the person who owned the property a portion of what they made. If your readers would not be familiar with this kind of arrangement, make sure that your translation is clear about what is happening in the story.

Translation Issues in This Chapter

The parable of the two children

In 21:28–32, Jesus tells and explains a story about a man and his two children. The man asks both children to work in his vineyard. The first child says that he will not but later works there anyways. The second child says that he will but later does not work there. Jesus and the chief priest and elders agree that it was the first child who actually did what the father wanted. Jesus then explains that he is illustrating how different groups of people reacted to John the Baptist’s ministry. People who sinned much but then repented when John preached are like the first child who actually did what the father wanted. The Jewish religious leaders who did not repent when John preached are like the second child who did not actually do what the father wanted. While you should not explain the meaning more than Jesus does, make sure that your translation fits with what Jesus is illustrating. (See: figs-parables)

The parable of the vineyard

In 21:33–41, Jesus tells a story about a man who planted a vineyard and rented it out to farmers. When the man sends servants to collect the rent, the farmers refuse and injure or kill the servants. When the man sends his own son, the farmers kill him as well. Jesus and the chief priests and elders agree that the man should destroy the farmers and rent the vineyard to other people. When he applies the parable in 21:42–44, Jesus indicates that the Jewish religious leaders are like those farmers who will be destroyed. He also implies that the vineyard represents the people of Israel, the servants represent God’s messengers, the son represents Jesus himself, and the man who owned the vineyard represents God. While you should not explain the meaning more than Jesus does, make sure that your translation fits with what Jesus is illustrating. (See: figs-parables)

The stone

In 21:42, Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22–23, which refers to a specific “stone.” In the Psalm, this stone most likely represents the king of Israel, or it perhaps represents the Israelite people in general. When Jesus refers to the stone in 21:42 and 21:44, he is implicitly identifying it with himself. Since the stone language comes from a quotation from the Psalms, you should preserve it in some form in your translation. Also, since Jesus does not explicitly claim to be the stone, you should keep that implicit in your translation. See the notes on these verses for translation options. (See: figs-metaphor)

Translation Issues in This Chapter

Singular and plural forms of “you”

Many of the forms of “you” in this chapter appear in speeches that Jesus gives to his disciples or to the Jewish leaders. Because of this, most forms of “you” in this chapter are plural. You should assume forms of “you” are plural unless a note specifies that the form is singular. (See: figs-yousingular)

The quote from Zechariah and Isaiah in 21:5

In 21:5, Matthew quotes from someone whom he calls “the prophet” (21:4). The last three lines of the quotation are from Zechariah 9:9. The first line sounds somewhat like the first line of Zechariah 9:9, but it matches the first line of Isaiah 62:11 exactly. Most likely, Matthew was thinking of both of these verses when he wrote down the quotation. If you must refer to the author of the quotation or book from which the quotation came, it is recommended that you refer to Zechariah, since most of the quotation is from that book. (See: writing-quotations)

Different versions of the parable of the two children

There are two primary versions of the parable of the two children in 21:28–31:1. The first child says that he will not work in the vineyard but later does. Meanwhile, the second child says that he will work in the vineyard but does not. The chief priests and scribes say that the first child did what the father wanted.2. The first child says that he will work in the vineyard but does not. Meanwhile, the second child says that he will not work in the vineyard but later does. The chief priests and scribes say that the second child did what the father wanted.The ULT and the UST are based on the first version listed above. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. If a translation of the Bible does not exist in your region, you may wish to use the reading of the ULT. (See: translate-textvariants)

Textual Issues in This Chapter

A few manuscripts do not include anything for 21:44. Many early manuscripts do include the verse. While it it possible that people added this verse because similar words appear in the same place in Luke 20:18, it is more likely that this verse was accidentally omitted from a few manuscripts. If a translation of the Bible exists in your region, you may wish to use the reading that it uses. Otherwise, since it is likely that 21:44 does belong here, it is recommended that you follow the ULT by including the verse. (See: translate-textvariants)