UTN uW Translation Notes:

Matthew 6 General Notes

Structure and Formatting

2. Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount (5:1-7:28) * Giving alms (6:1–4) * Praying to God (6:5–15) * Fasting (6:16–18) * Storing up treasure (6:19–21) * The eye and the body (6:22–23) * Two masters (6:24) * Being anxious (6:25–34)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 prayer in 6:9–13.Jesus spoke about many different subjects in this sermon, so you may wish to help the reader by putting an empty line into the text whenever Jesus changed the subject.

Special Concepts in this Chapter

Giving alms

Giving alms was an important practice for religious people in Jesus’ culture. To give alms, a person would offer money or possessions to other people who were poor or in need. Sometimes they would give the money or possessions directly to poor people. Other times, they would give it to the priests, who would give to poor people. Make sure that your translation refers to this kind of practice.

“The Lord’s Prayer”

In 6:9–13, Jesus speaks a prayer that he wants his disciples to imitate when they pray. The prayer is very poetic, and it is sometimes called “the Lord’s Prayer.” Many churches use this prayer during their meetings, and the form that churches use is often not the same form that Matthew wrote down. If churches already use a form of this prayer in your language, you could use the same words. However, you should follow the form of the prayer as Mathew wrote it down, and you should not include any extra lines or pieces of the prayer beyond what Matthew included.

Fasting

In 6:16–18, Jesus gives instructions related to fasting. Just as with giving alms, fasting was an important practice for religious people in Jesus’ culture. Fasting usually required avoiding all food and drink, but some kinds of fasting only required avoiding certain kinds of food. Also, some fasts were public (that is, many people fasted on these set days) and some fasts were private (that is, individuals would choose to fast for certain reasons). Many fasts lasted part of a day or a full day. Jesus does not condemn fasting; instead, he gives instructions for how to behave while fasting. Make sure that your translation refers to these kinds of practices.

Storing up treasures

In 6:19–21, Jesus speaks about storing up treasures either on earth or in heaven. He is speaking not only of possessions or money but also of anything that one considers to be valuable. Jesus points out that valuable things in heaven cannot be ruined like valuable things on earth can. Also, he states that a person’s “heart” is where they store their treasures. If possible, use a word for “treasure” that can refer to money, possessions, and any other valuable things.

Important Figures of Speech in this Chapter

The lamp and light metaphor in 6:22–23

In these verses, Jesus speaks about eyes as if they were lamps for the body. This figure of speech has two pieces to it. First, Jesus speaks of how bodies work using the metaphor of lamps and light. Second, Jesus speaks of Christian living using the metaphor of how bodies work. It is important to consider both of these pieces as you translate these verses.First, Jesus speaks of how bodies work using the metaphor of lamps and light. There are two major options for understanding what Jesus means when he refers to an eye as the lamp of the body. First, in Matthew’s culture, some people thought that eyes worked by sending out a form of light that would shine on what they saw. In this case, eyes are like lamps because they have light inside them that shines out. So, the whole body is light or dark inside based on whether the eyes shine properly. Second, the eyes could be like windows that let light into the body. Since they let light into a place, they are like lamps. So, the whole body is light or dark inside based on whether the eyes let light in. Consider how you might best express one of these meanings while maintaining the light and dark language, which is very important for understanding the figure of speech.Second, Jesus speaks of Christian life using the metaphor of how bodies work. Scholars debate what Jesus means when he talks about a “healthy eye” and “light” in contrast to an “evil eye” and “darkness.” He might mean devotion to God in contrast to evil desires. He might mean generosity in contrast to greed and selfishness. He might mean paying attention to what he is saying in contrast to ignoring his instructions. Since Jesus most likely intended this figure of speech to be like a riddle or puzzle, you should retain the body metaphor. If necessary, you could indicate that this is a figure of speech without stating exactly what it means.

Rhetorical questions

In 6:25–28 and 6:30, Jesus uses rhetorical questions. He asks these questions to include the disciples in what he is arguing, not because he is looking for information. If your language does not use questions in this way, you could include answers to the questions or you could express them as statements or exclamations. See the notes on these verses for translation options. (See: figs-rquestion)

Other Possible Translation Difficulties in this Chapter

Singular and plural forms of “you”

In this chapter, Jesus is talking to a large crowd of his followers. Throughout the chapter, Jesus switches between using “you” in the singular and “you” in the plural while he is talking to the same people. When he uses the singular, he is speaking about specific situations that each person in the crowd might experience. When he uses the plural, he is speaking generally to the crowd as a whole. You should assume that Jesus is using plural forms of “you” unless a note specifies that the forms are singular. (See: figs-yousingular)