UTN uW Translation Notes:

Matthew 25 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

10. Jesus teaches about the final judgment and salvation (23:1-25:46) * The parable of the ten virgins (25:1–13) * The parable of the talents (25:14–30) * Teaching about the final judgment (25:31–46)

Special Concepts in this Chapter

The “lamps”

The word translated “lamps” throughout 25:1–13 primarily refers to something that burns and gives light. Most likely, Jesus is either referring to oil lamps, which burn oil using a wick to create a relatively small amount of light, or to torches, which are soaked in oil and lit to create a relatively large amount of light. Since most translations express the idea with a word like “lamp,” the ULT and the UST translate the word as “lamp” and “oil lamp.” Consider whether “lamp” or “torch” better fits what the story narrates and then use the term that is more natural. (See: lamp)

Escorting the bridegroom

In 25:1–13, Jesus uses wedding customs to illustrate how to wait for his second coming. Unfortunately, we know very little about Jewish wedding customs during this time period. The story that Jesus tells implies that young women would escort the bridegroom to where the wedding celebration would be held. These young women may have been friends of the bride. It is unclear whether this is the first event in the wedding celebration, and it is also unclear exactly where the young women escort the bridegroom. It could be the bride’s parents’ house, a wedding hall, or some other location. Since Jesus does not include any further explanation, and since we do not know much about weddings in this time period, you should avoid giving explanatory information except for clarifying that the young women escort the bridegroom to wherever the wedding event was going to happen.

Talents

A talent was a unit of weight that, when used for precious metals, was also a unit of money. One talent weighed about 30 kilograms or about 65 pounds. The talent referred to in this chapter was probably worth about 6,000 denarii, that is, about 6,000 days’ wages for a hired worker. The exact amount of money is not important, so you could use a general term in your culture for that amount of money, or you could indicate about how many days’ wages it would be worth. Alternatively, you could spell “talent” how it sounds in your language and then provide a footnote that indicates about how much money this is. (See: translate-bmoney)

The final judgment

In 25:31–46, Jesus describes some of what will happen at the final judgment when he, the Son of Man and the king, judges everyone. He divides people into two groups, and then he explains that this is based on how they have treated the least important believers. Then, he sends the ones who did not do what was right to eternal punishment, and he takes the ones who did what was right to experience eternal life with him. Jesus describes this scene to explain what the final judgment will be like, not to narrate everything about the final judgment exactly as it will happen, so be sure not to include anything beyond what he describes.

Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter

The parable of the ten virgins

In 25:1–13, Jesus tells a story about ten young women who are supposed to escort a bridegroom to his wedding celebration. Five of them brought extra oil for their lamps, and five did not. When the bridegroom was late, the five young women who did not have extra oil had to go and buy some more, and they missed the bridegroom and the wedding celebration. Jesus uses this story to illustrate how his followers need to be prepared at all times for when he returns, since they do not know when that will be, just as the young women did not know when the bridegroom was going to arrive. Your translation should not directly explain the meaning of this parable more than Jesus does, but be sure that your readers understand how to apply the story. (See: figs-parables)

The parable of the talents

In 25:14–30, Jesus tells a story about a rich man who went on a journey. Before he left, he entrusted three of his servants with large sums of money. The first and second servant used the large sums of money to make even more money. The third servant, however, buried the money in the ground to keep it safe and did not make any more money. When the rich man returned, he rewarded the first two servants but punished the third servant. Jesus uses this story to illustrate how his followers should behave during the time before his second coming. They should be like the first two servants, who used what they were given to do useful things. They should not be like the third servant, who did not use what he was given to do anything. Your translation should not directly explain the meaning of this parable more than Jesus does, but be sure that your readers understand how to apply the story. (See: figs-parables)

Other Possible Translation Difficulties in this Chapter

Singular and plural forms of “you”

Most of the forms of “you” in this chapter appear in dialogues in the stories that Jesus tells. Because of this, there are many of both singular and plural forms of “you.” However, there are slightly more plural forms of “you” in this chapter, so you should assume forms of “you” are plural unless a note specifies that the form is singular. (See: figs-yousingular)