MAT 9:16 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). 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=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) No one patches old clothes with new material because the patch will shrink and the clothes would end up with a worse hole.

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 RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Now no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for its patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear happens.

UST People do not place a piece of unshrunken cloth on old clothing in order to mend a hole. That is because, when they washed the garment, the new piece of cloth would shrink and completely rip out of the clothing. As a result, the hole would become even bigger!

BSB No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result.

BLB But no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on old clothing, for the filling up of it tears away from the garment, and a worse tear emerges.

AICNT “No one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch pulls away from the garment, and a worse tear occurs.

OEB Nobody ever puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for such a patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear is made.

WEBBE No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment; for the patch would tear away from the garment, and a worse hole is made.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, because the patch will pull away from the garment and the tear will be worse.

LSV And no one puts a patch of undressed cloth on an old garment, for its filling up takes from the garment, and a worse split is made.

FBV No one puts a new patch on old clothes, otherwise it will shrink and make the tear worse.

TCNT No one puts a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for the patch would pull away from the garment, and a worse tear would be made.

T4T Jesus wanted to show them that people who desire to live in accordance with his new message should not try to continue to obey the old religious traditions like ◄abstaining from food/fasting► [MET]. So he said to them, “People do not sew a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment to mend a hole. If they did that, when they washed the garment, the patch would shrink and tear the garment, and the hole would become bigger.

LEB But no one puts a patch of unshrunken cloth on an old garment, for its patch pulls away from the garment, and the tear becomes worse.

BBE And no man puts a bit of new cloth on an old coat, for by pulling away from the old, it makes a worse hole.

Moff No one sews a piece of undressed cloth on an old coat,
⇔ for the patch breaks away from it,
⇔ and the tear is made worse:

Wymth No one ever mends an old cloak with a patch of newly woven cloth. Otherwise, the patch put on would tear away some of the old, and a worse hole would be made.

ASV And no man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent is made.

DRA And nobody putteth a piece of raw cloth unto an old garment. For it taketh away the fullness thereof from the garment, and there is made a greater rent.

YLT 'And no one doth put a patch of undressed cloth on an old garment, for its filling up doth take from the garment, and a worse rent is made.

Drby But no one puts a patch of new cloth on an old garment, for its filling up takes from the garment and a worse rent takes place.

RV And no man putteth a piece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh from the garment, and a worse rent is made.
(And no man putteth/puts apiece of undressed cloth upon an old garment; for that which should fill it up taketh/takes from the garment, and a worse rent is made. )

SLT And no one puts on a cover of uncombed fragment upon an old garment, for its filling takes away from the garment, and the division is Worse.

Wbstr No man putteth a piece of new cloth to an old garment: for that which is put in to fill it up, taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.

KJB-1769 No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
( No man putteth/puts apiece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh/takes from the garment, and the rent is made worse. )

KJB-1611 No man putteth a piece of [fn]new cloth vnto an olde garment: for that which is put in to fill it vp, taketh from the garment, & the rent is made worse.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

9:16 Or, raw, or vnwrought cloth.

Bshps No man putteth a peece of newe cloth in an olde garment: for then, the peece taketh away somethyng from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
(No man putteth/puts a piece of new cloth in an old garment: for then, the piece taketh/takes away something from the garment, and the rent is made worse.)

Gnva Moreouer no man pieceth an olde garment with a piece of newe cloth: for that that should fill it vp, taketh away from the garment, and the breach is worse.
(Moreover/What’s_more no man pieceth an old garment with apiece of new cloth: for that that should fill it up, taketh/takes away from the garment, and the breach is worse. )

Cvdl No man peceth an olde garment with a pece of newe clothe. For then taketh he awaye the pece agayne from the garment, & the rent ys made greater.
(No man peceth an old garment with a piece of new clothe. For then taketh/takes he away the piece again from the garment, and the rent is made greater.)

TNT Noo man peceth and olde garment with a pece of newe cloothe. For then taketh he awaye the pece agayne from the garmet and the rent ys made greater.
(Noo man peceth and old garment with a piece of new clothe. For then taketh/takes he away the piece again from the garment and the rent is made greater. )

Wycl And no man putteth a clout of buystous clothe in to an elde clothing; for it doith awey the fulnesse of the cloth, and a wers breking is maad.
(And no man putteth/puts a clout of buystous clothe in to an old clothing; for it doth/does away the fullness of the cloth, and a wers breking is made.)

Luth Niemand flickt ein alt Kleid mit einem Lappen von neuem Tuch; denn der Lappen reißet doch wieder vom Kleid, und der Riß wird ärger.
(Niemand flickt a old garment with on Lappen from newm cloth/fabric; because/than the/of_the Lappen tearet though/but again from_the garment, and the/of_the Riß becomes aggravation.)

ClVg Nemo autem immittit commissuram panni rudis in vestimentum vetus: tollit enim plenitudinem ejus a vestimento, et pejor scissura fit.[fn]
(Nobody however immittit commissuram panni rudis in/into/on clothing old/aged: takes_away because fullnessm his from clothing, and peyor scissura fit. )

9.16 Nemo autem. Quasi dicat: Carnales nondum fide passionis et resurrectionis solidati, etc., usque ad ipsi vetustati non convenit. Tollit enim. Id est perfectio novæ vitæ quæ una est dividitur, et veteri fides quam habet aufertur, cui perfectio novæ debebatur.

9.16 Nobody however. As_if let_him_say: Carnales not_yet with_faith passion and resurrection solidati, etc., until to themselves old/agedtati not/no agreed. Tollit because. That it_is perfection novæ of_life which together it_is is_divided, and old faith how has takes_awayur, to_whom perfection novæ debebatur.

UGNT οὐδεὶς δὲ ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπὶ ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ; αἴρει γὰρ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματίου, καὶ χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται.
(oudeis de epiballei epiblaʸma ɽakous agnafou epi himatiōi palaiōi; airei gar to plaʸrōma autou apo tou himatiou, kai ⱪeiron sⱪisma ginetai.)

SBL-GNT οὐδεὶς δὲ ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπὶ ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ· αἴρει γὰρ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματίου, καὶ χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται.
(oudeis de epiballei epiblaʸma ɽakous agnafou epi himatiōi palaiōi; airei gar to plaʸrōma autou apo tou himatiou, kai ⱪeiron sⱪisma ginetai.)

RP-GNT Οὐδεὶς δὲ ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπὶ ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ· αἴρει γὰρ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματίου, καὶ χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται.
(Oudeis de epiballei epiblaʸma ɽakous agnafou epi himatiōi palaiōi; airei gar to plaʸrōma autou apo tou himatiou, kai ⱪeiron sⱪisma ginetai.)

TC-GNT Οὐδεὶς δὲ ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπὶ ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ· αἴρει γὰρ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματίου, καὶ χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται.
(Oudeis de epiballei epiblaʸma ɽakous agnafou epi himatiōi palaiōi; airei gar to plaʸrōma autou apo tou himatiou, kai ⱪeiron sⱪisma ginetai. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:14–17: Jesus’ new teachings are better than the old customs

In this section, a third group of people, John’s disciples, criticized Jesus. (The first group was the scribes in 9:3. The second group was the Pharisees in 9:11.) They criticized Jesus and his disciples for not fasting. Jesus explained that there is a time for fasting and a time for not fasting. He explained that one day his followers would fast, but they would not fast while he was with them. This was different than the custom of always fasting twice a week like the Pharisees (and probably also the disciples of John) did.

So Jesus again showed that his new teachings were different than the old customs that the Jewish religious leaders had adopted. (He had started showing this in 6:16–18, where he taught his followers how to fast. They should fast in a way that other people do not notice that they are fasting. This was different from the Jewish practice of fasting with a sad face so other people would notice.)

Then Jesus told two parables to continue to explain that his new teachings are different than old Jewish religious customs. These parables indicate that his new teachings cannot be mixed with the old customs. They cannot be added to the old customs.

Many English translations begin this section with a heading like “Jesus Questioned About Fasting” (NIV) or “The Question about Fasting” (GNT). However, since 9:16–17 includes more than fasting, you should follow the heading above or one of the examples below:

The Superiority of the New (NET)

The new ways of Jesus are better than the old ways

Concerning the new ways that Jesus taught

There are parallel passages for this section in Mark 2:18–22 and Luke 5:33–39.

Paragraph 9:16–17

In this paragraph, Jesus told two other parables or extended metaphors to illustrate that his way cannot just be added to the old Jewish ways. If it is, both ways are destroyed. You may want to begin with some words to remind people that Jesus continues to speak. For example:

Jesus also said,

Jesus continued with two stories/parables,

9:16a–d

No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. For the patch will pull away from the garment, and a worse tear will result: This is an extended metaphor. In this metaphor, Jesus compared his teaching to cloth that has not yet shrunk. This is a new cloth. He compared the traditions of the Jews to an old garment. No one uses a piece of unshrunk (new) cloth to patch an old garment. In the same way, people should not simply add his teaching to their traditions.

Here are some other ways to translate this extended metaphor:

Keep the metaphor and add a footnote to explain the meaning. Here is a sample footnote:
In this parable, Jesus compared his teaching to new cloth that no one has washed yet. He compared the traditions of the Jews to an old garment. No one uses a piece of new cloth to patch an old cloth. In the same way, people should not add his teaching to their old customs.
Add some words of introduction before the metaphor to explain it. For example:
Then Jesus told a parable to explain that his new teachings cannot fit into the old teachings. He said, “No one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment….”
Make explicit some of the meaning within the metaphor. For example:
If my teaching is mixed with the old traditions, it will be like putting a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment. No one does that, because the new piece will shrink and tear the old cloth. My teaching will become unusable just like the cloth.

Whichever method you choose, you should also indicate some of the meaning in the section heading. See the examples listed above under the section heading.

9:16a

No one sews

¶ No one stiches
¶ Then Jesus told some parables to explain that his new teachings cannot fit into the old teachings. He said, People do not patch
¶ If my teaching is mixed with the old traditions, it is as if someone mends/repairs

No one: The phrase No one introduces a general statement. It says something that is true of everyone. In some languages, it may be natural to introduce this statement with a general word like “people” or with a pronoun like “you” or “they.” For example:

People do not put a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

You do not put a piece of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

sews: The Greek word that the BSB translates as sews also means “lays on.” The parable clearly indicates that the piece of new cloth is attached to the old garment. So a more specific word for this is something like “sew.”

Here are some other ways to translate this:

patches up (GNT)

puts (ESV)

attaches

9:16b

a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.

an unshrunk/new piece of cloth on an old piece of clothing,
a tear in old clothes with a new piece of cloth that will shrink.
a hole in an old coat with a piece of new cloth that will shrink. No one does that.

a patch of unshrunk cloth: This phrase refers to a piece of cloth that is new and has not yet been washed. Some types of cloth shrink (that is, get a little smaller) when they are washed for the first time. Before being washed, such cloth is unshrunk.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

a piece of new cloth (GNT)

a new piece of cloth that will shrink (GW)

an old garment: This phrase refers to any kind of old clothing.

The piece of new cloth is sewed over a hole or tear in the old clothing. You may want to make some of this information explicit. For example:

over a hole in an old coat (NCV)

a tear in an old piece of clothing

9:16c

For the patch will pull away from the garment,

because the new patch will pull/rip away from the cloth
If they do, the new piece of cloth will shrink and tear away from that part of the old cloth,

For: The conjunction For introduces the reason why “no one sews a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.” It is because the new unshrunk cloth would shrink when the garment was washed, but the old part of the garment would not. This then would create a tear in the garment.

Here are some other ways to translate this conjunction:

because

The reason is that

There is some information in 9:16b that is not stated but implied. It is “if someone were to sew a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment.” It may be more natural in your language to include this implied information in the translation. For example:

because if someone were to sew a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment

If he does (NCV)

the patch will pull away from the garment: This clause indicates that the patch of new cloth shrinks and pulls away from the part of the old garment it was sewn to.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

the new patch will shrink (GNT)

the new patch would shrink and rip away from the old cloth (NLT)

9:16d

and a worse tear will result.

and make the tear bigger/longer.
and the hole will become bigger.

and a worse tear will result: This clause means that the tear/hole in the cloth will become bigger.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

and the tear will become worse (GW)

and the hole will become bigger

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὐδείς Δέ ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπί ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ αἴρει γάρ τό πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπό τοῦ ἱματίου καί χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται)

Here, the word Now introduces another example that Jesus uses to explain why his disciples do not fast. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces another example, or you could leave Now untranslated. Alternate translation: [Further,] or [Again,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parables

οὐδεὶς & ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπὶ ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ; αἴρει γὰρ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματίου, καὶ χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται

To help John’s disciples understand why his own disciples do not fast, Jesus offers another brief illustration. He wants John’s disciples to think of the new things that he teaches and does as a patch of unshrunk cloth and of the current ways of doing things as if they were an old garment. You should preserve the form of the parable, but if it would be helpful in your language, you could state explicitly that what Jesus does and teaches is like the patch of unshrunk cloth, and the normal way of doing things is like an old garment. Alternate translation: [no one puts a patch of unshrunk cloth on an old garment, for its patch tears away from the garment, and a worse tear happens. What I say and do is like the unshrunk cloth, and the normal way of doing things is like an old garment]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

οὐδεὶς & ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπὶ ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ

Here Jesus refers to the practice of patching a hole or tear in a garment by sewing or attaching a patch to the garment to cover the hole or tear. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [no one patches an old garment with a patch of unshrunk cloth]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

αἴρει & τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱματίου

˓is˒_tearing_away & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: οὐδείς Δέ ἐπιβάλλει ἐπίβλημα ῥάκους ἀγνάφου ἐπί ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ αἴρει γάρ τό πλήρωμα αὐτοῦ ἀπό τοῦ ἱματίου καί χεῖρον σχίσμα γίνεται)

Here Jesus implies that the patch will tear away when the garment is washed, because the patch will shrink and rip the old garment. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [when the garment is washed, its patch will shrink and tear away from the garment]