Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clearImportance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV)‘Tell the daughter of Tsiyyon/Zion: ⇔ “Look, your king is coming, ⇔ gentle and riding a donkey, ⇔ and on a colt, a donkey’s offspring.” ’ ”
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT“Tell the daughter of Zion, ⇔ ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, ⇔ humble and riding on a donkey, ⇔ and on a colt, a son of a beast of burden.’ ”
UST“Say to the people who live in the city of Jerusalem, ‘Your king will soon be with you! He is gentle. He sits on a donkey, on a colt, which is a donkey’s offspring.’ ”
BSB ⇔ “Say to the Daughter of Zion, ⇔ ‘See, your King comes to you, ⇔ gentle and riding on a donkey, ⇔ on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’ ”[fn]
TCNT ⇔ “Say to the daughter of Zion, ⇔ ‘Behold, yoʋr king is coming to yoʋ, ⇔ humble and mounted on a donkey, ⇔ and [fn]a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
T4TWhen all this happened, what was written by a prophet {what a prophet wrote about} was fulfilled {happened}. The prophet wrote, “Tell the people who live in Jerusalem [SYN], ‘Look! Your king is coming to you! He will come humbly. He will show that he is humble, because he will be riding on a colt, the offspring of a donkey.’ ”
LEB• ‘Behold, your king is coming to you,• humble and mounted on a donkey,• and[fn] on a colt, the foal of a pack animal.’ ”[fn]
Wymth"Tell the Daughter of Zion, `See, thy King is coming to thee, gentle, and yet mounted on an ass, even on a colt the foal of a beast of burden.'"
ASVTell ye the daughter of Zion, ⇔ Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, ⇔ Meek, and riding upon an ass, ⇔ And upon a colt the foal of an ass.
DRATell ye the daughter of Sion: Behold thy king cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of her that is used to the yoke.
YLT'Tell ye the daughter of Zion, Lo, thy king doth come to thee, meek, and mounted on an ass, and a colt, a foal of a beast of burden.'
DrbySay to the daughter of Zion, Behold thy King cometh to thee, meek, and mounted upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
RVTell ye the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, Meek, and riding upon an ass, And upon a colt the foal of an ass.
WbstrTell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh to thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass.
KJB-1769Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. (Tell ye/you_all the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy/your King cometh/comes unto thee/you, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. )
KJB-1611[fn]Tell yee the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy king commeth vnto thee, meeke, and sitting vpon an Asse, and a colt, the foale of an Asse. (Tell ye/you_all the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy/your king cometh/comes unto thee/you, meeke, and sitting upon an Asse, and a colt, the foal of an Asse.)
BshpsTell ye the daughter of Sion: behold, thy kyng commeth vnto thee meke, and syttyng vpon an Asse, & a colt, the foale of the Asse vsed to the yoke. (Tell ye/you_all the daughter of Sion: behold, thy/your king cometh/comes unto thee/you meke, and sitting upon an Asse, and a colt, the foal of the Ass used to the yoke.)
GnvaTell ye the daughter of Sion, Beholde, thy King commeth vnto thee, meeke and sitting vpon an asse, and a colte, the foale of an asse vsed to the yoke. (Tell ye/you_all the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy/your King cometh/comes unto thee/you, meek and sitting upon an ass, and a colte, the foal of an ass used to the yoke. )
CvdlTell the doughter of Sion: beholde, thy kynge commeth vnto ye meke, syttinge vpon an Asse and a foale of ye Asse vsed to the yocke. (Tell the daughter of Sion: behold, thy/your king cometh/comes unto ye/you_all meke, syttinge upon an Ass and a foal of ye/you_all Ass used to the yocke.)
TNTTell ye the doughter of Sion: beholde thy kynge cometh vnto the meke and sittinge vpon an asse and a colte the fole of an asse vsed to the yooke. (Tell ye/you_all the daughter of Sion: behold thy/your king cometh/comes unto the meek and sitting upon an ass and a colte the fole of an ass used to the yooke. )
Wyclthi kyng cometh to thee, meke, sittynge on an asse, and a fole of an asse vnder yok. (thi king cometh/comes to thee/you, meke, sitting on an ass, and a fole of an ass under yok.)
LuthSaget der Tochter Zion: Siehe, dein König kommt zu dir sanftmütig und reitet auf einem Esel und auf einem Füllen der lastbaren Eselin. (Saget the/of_the Tochter Zion: See, your king comes to you/to_you sanftmütig and reitet on one donkey and on one Füllen the/of_the lastbaren Eselin.)
ClVg[Dicite filiæ Sion: Ecce rex tuus venit tibi mansuetus, sedens super asinam, et pullum filium subjugalis.][fn] ([Dicite daughters Sion: Behold king tuus he_came to_you mansuetus, sitting over asinam, and pullum son subyugalis.] )
21.5Dicite filiæ Sion. Filia Sion, est Jerusalem sita in monte Sion. Mystice. Ecclesia pertinens ad supernam Jerusalem quæ est mater omnium nostrum, cujus non minima pars tunc erat in populo Isræl. Rex. Ne dicatis: Non habemus regem, nisi Cæsarem Joan. 19.. Tibi. Si credis; contra te si non credis. Super asinam, etc. Non ad litteram super utrumque sedit, sed in præcordiis utriusque populi. Potuit Dominus super utrumque ascendere, descendens de uno, et ascendens super alium.
21.5Dicite daughters Sion. Filia Sion, it_is Yerusalem sita in mountain Sion. Mystice. Ecclesia pertinens to supernam Yerusalem which it_is mater omnium nostrum, cuyus not/no minima pars tunc was in to_the_people Isræl. Rex. Ne let_him_sayis: Non habemus regem, nisi Cæsarem Yoan. 19.. Tibi. When/But_if credis; on_the_contrary you(sg) when/but_if not/no credis. Super asinam, etc. Non to litteram over utrumque sedit, but in præcordiis utriusque of_the_people. Potuit Master over utrumque ascendere, descendens about uno, and ascendens over alium.
UGNTεἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών, ἰδοὺ, ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι, πραῢς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὄνον καὶ ἐπὶ πῶλον, υἱὸν ὑποζυγίου. (eipate taʸ thugatri Siōn, idou, ho basileus sou erⱪetai soi, praus kai epibebaʸkōs epi onon kai epi pōlon, huion hupozugiou.)
SBL-GNTΕἴπατε τῇ θυγατρὶ Σιών· Ἰδοὺ ὁ βασιλεύς σου ἔρχεταί σοι πραῢς καὶ ἐπιβεβηκὼς ἐπὶ ὄνον καὶ ⸀ἐπὶ πῶλον υἱὸν ὑποζυγίου. (Eipate taʸ thugatri Siōn; Idou ho basileus sou erⱪetai soi praus kai epibebaʸkōs epi onon kai ⸀epi pōlon huion hupozugiou.)
say ˱to˲_the daughter ˱of˲_Zion behold the king ˱of˲_you /is/_coming ˱to˲_you gentle and /having/_mounted on /a/_donkey and on /a/_colt /the/_son ˱of˲_/a/_donkey
If it would be clearer in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: [Tell the daughter of Zion that her King is coming to her, humble and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, a son of a beast of burden.]
The prophet is using the phrase daughter of Zion to mean the people who live in the city of Zion, which is Jerusalem. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state the meaning plainly. If you do, make sure that you use plural forms of “you” throughout this verse. Alternate translation: [the people of Zion]
Here, the word Behold draws the attention of the audience and asks them to listen carefully. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express Behold with a word or phrase that asks the audience to listen, or you could draw the audience’s attention in another way. Alternate translation: [See] or [Pay attention:]
on /a/_donkey and on /a/_colt /the/_son ˱of˲_/a/_donkey
Here, the author of the quotation refers to one animal both as a donkey and as a colt, which is a son of a beast of burden. This was poetic in his culture. Matthew knows that this is a poetic form, but his story refers to two animals, both a donkey and a colt. If possible, express the idea in such a way that this quotation could be referring to either one or two animals. Alternate translation: [on a donkey, riding on a colt, a son of a beast of burden]
A colt is a young donkey that is no longer a baby but is not yet full grown. See how you translated this word in 21:2. Alternate translation: [a young donkey]
Here the author of the quotation refers to the direct offspring of a beast of burden as if it were its son. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a comparable phrase or state the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [a foal of a beast of burden]
A beast of burden is an animal that is used to perform jobs that require strength, such as carrying or pulling heavy objects. In Jesus’ culture, the phrase almost always referred to a donkey. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could make some of those ideas more explicit. Alternate translation: [of a work animal] or [of a draft animal]
By the time of the New Testament, the ancient city of Jerusalem had been transformed from the relatively small fortress of David’s day (2 Samuel 5:6-10; 1 Chronicles 11:4-9) into a major city with a Temple that rivaled the greatest temples in the Roman world. Just prior to Jesus’ birth, Herod the Great completely renovated and expanded the Temple of the Lord, and he also built a lavish palace for himself, various pools (where Jesus occasionally performed healings), public buildings, and military citadels, including the Antonia Fortress, which overlooked the Temple. Wealthy residents, including the high priest, occupied extravagant houses in the Upper City, while the poorer residents were relegated to less desirable areas like the Lower City. The Essene Quarter was so named because many of its residents belonged to the Essenes, a strict religious sect that was known for its careful attention to the law of Moses. Across the Kidron Valley lay the Garden of Gethsemane, where Jesus often met with his disciples (Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-53; John 18:1-14). Further east was the Mount of Olives, where Jesus began his triumphal entry one week before his crucifixion (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-40; John 12:12-19), taught his disciples about the last days (Matthew 24-25; Mark 13), and eventually ascended to heaven after his resurrection (Luke 24:50-53; Acts 1:1-11).
Jesus’ Final Journey to Jerusalem
Much like the difficulties of discerning the Israelites’ journey to the Promised Land (see here), the task of reconciling the four Gospel accounts of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem into one coherent itinerary has proven very challenging for Bible scholars. As with many other events during Jesus’ ministry, the accounts of Matthew, Mark, and Luke (often referred to as the Synoptic Gospels) present a noticeably similar account of Jesus’ final travels, while John’s Gospel presents an itinerary that is markedly different from the others. In general, the Synoptic Gospels present Jesus as making a single journey to Jerusalem, beginning in Capernaum (Luke 9:51), passing through Perea (Matthew 19:1-2; Mark 10:1) and Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-19:10), and ending at Bethany and Bethphage, where he enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44). John, on the other hand, mentions several trips to Jerusalem by Jesus (John 2:13-17; 5:1-15; 7:1-13; 10:22-23), followed by a trip to Perea across the Jordan River (John 10:40-42), a return to Bethany where he raises Lazarus from the dead (John 11), a withdrawal to the village of Ephraim for a few months (John 11:54), and a return trip to Bethany, where he then enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey (John 12:1-19). The differences between the Synoptics’ and John’s accounts are noteworthy, but they are not irreconcilable. The Synoptics, after noting that Jesus began his trip at Capernaum, likely condensed their accounts (as occurs elsewhere in the Gospels) to omit Jesus’ initial arrival in Jerusalem and appearance at the Festival of Dedication, thus picking up with Jesus in Perea (stage 2 of John’s itinerary). Then all the Gospels recount Jesus’ trip (back) to Bethany and Jerusalem, passing through Jericho along the way. Likewise, the Synoptics must have simply omitted the few months Jesus spent in Ephraim to escape the Jewish leaders (stage 4 of John’s itinerary) and rejoined John’s account where Jesus is preparing to enter Jerusalem on a donkey.
Bethany and Bethphage
Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-48; John 12:1-19; see also Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9
At the start of Passover one week before he was crucified, Jesus and his disciples traveled to Jerusalem, approaching the city from the east. When they arrived at the village of Bethphage, Jesus mounted a donkey and rode down the Mount of Olives as a humble king entering his capital city. Along the way, many people laid branches and cloaks in his path to welcome him. After Jesus entered the city, he immediately went up to the Temple and drove out the moneychangers and merchants there, and he healed the blind and the lame. Then he traveled nearly two miles outside the city to the village of Bethany to spend the night, which appears to have been where he typically lodged each night while visiting Jerusalem during the crowded Passover festival. Bethany is also where Jesus’ close friends Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. One evening while Jesus was there at a large dinner party given in his honor, Martha served the food, and Mary poured expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair.
