Matthew 7

Translator Notes

1. The Greek krinete ('judge') covers a range from simple evaluation to legal condemnation. In context, Jesus prohibits the censorious, condemning judgment that appoints oneself as moral arbiter over others — not the moral discernment he commands in verses 6 and 15-20. The passive krithēte ('be judged') is a divine passive: God will judge you by the same standard you apply to others. The present imperative mē krinete suggests 'stop judging' or 'do not make a habit of judging.'

Translator Notes

1. The principle of reciprocal measure was proverbial in Jewish thought (cf. Mishnah Sotah 1:7, 'By the measure with which a person measures, it is measured to him'). The Greek creates an emphatic sound pattern through the repetition of kri- and metr- roots. The 'measure' (metrō) image may come from the marketplace — the same measuring cup you use for others will be used for you.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek karphos ('speck, splinter, small piece of straw') versus dokos ('beam, log, large piece of timber') creates a comically exaggerated contrast — a person with a construction beam protruding from their eye is attempting delicate surgery on another's minor splinter. The humor carries a serious point: self-awareness must precede correction of others. The verb katanoeis ('notice, consider carefully, perceive') implies that the failure to see one's own faults is a willful blindness.

Translator Notes

1. The rhetorical question exposes the absurdity of the situation. The Greek aphes ekbalō ('allow me to remove') sounds helpful and even caring, but the pretense of assistance while harboring a greater fault is itself a form of hypocrisy. The word idou ('look, see') calls attention to the obvious — everyone can see the log except the one carrying it.

Translator Notes

1. The address hypokrita ('hypocrite, actor') is singular and direct — Jesus confronts the individual. Importantly, Jesus does not prohibit helping the brother with his speck — he insists on proper sequence: self-correction first (prōton), then assistance. The verb diablepseis ('see clearly, see through') implies that removing one's own log restores the clarity needed to genuinely help another. The passage thus teaches not the avoidance of moral evaluation but its proper practice.

Translator Notes

1. This saying is among the most debated in the Sermon. 'Dogs' (kysin) and 'pigs' (choirōn) were both unclean animals in Jewish law and could function as derogatory terms. 'What is holy' (to hagion) may refer to sacred food (meat from the temple sacrifices) and 'pearls' (margaritas) to precious spiritual teaching. The saying recognizes that some truths, when offered to those who despise them, result not in gratitude but in violence against the giver. This qualifies the non-judgmental ethic of 7:1 — discernment about when and with whom to share is necessary.

Translator Notes

1. The three imperatives — aiteite ('ask'), zēteite ('seek'), kroúete ('knock') — are all present tense, indicating continuous action: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. The three verbs may suggest escalating intensity: asking is verbal, seeking involves movement and effort, knocking implies arriving at a specific threshold. Each promise uses a divine passive: it will be given (by God), you will find (because God reveals), it will be opened (by God).

Translator Notes

1. The word pas ('everyone, all') universalizes the promise — it is not restricted to a spiritual elite. The present tense participles (aitōn, zētōn, krouonti) describe ongoing patterns of life, not isolated incidents. The assurance is grounded not in the intensity of human effort but in the character of the Giver, as verses 9-11 will make clear.

Translator Notes

1. The rhetorical question expects the answer 'No one!' The comparison works because round flat bread loaves and certain round stones looked similar — the substitution would be a cruel trick. Jesus argues from common human decency to divine generosity: if even flawed human parents give good things to their children, how much more will God?

Translator Notes

1. The parallel intensifies: a snake (ophin) could visually resemble certain eels or fish, but the substitution would be dangerous rather than merely disappointing. The fish/snake contrast may also carry symbolic weight — fish were a food staple from the Sea of Galilee, while snakes connote danger and deception (cf. Genesis 3).
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Genesis 3 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.

Translator Notes

1. The assumption 'you who are evil' (hymeis ponēroi ontes) is startling in its matter-of-fact assessment of human moral condition. Jesus does not soften it — even as sinful people, you manage to give good gifts. The a fortiori argument (posō mallon, 'how much more') reaches its conclusion: God's generosity infinitely surpasses the best of human parenting. Luke's parallel (11:13) specifies that the Father gives 'the Holy Spirit'; Matthew's broader 'good things' (agatha) encompasses all that the Father knows his children need.

Translator Notes

1. The Golden Rule summarizes the Sermon and, according to Jesus, the entire Hebrew Scriptures ('the Law and the Prophets,' ho nomos kai hoi prophētai, the same phrase from 5:17). The positive formulation ('do for them') goes beyond the negative form attributed to Hillel ('What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor' — Shabbat 31a). The positive form requires active initiative, not merely restraint. The connective oun ('so, therefore') links this to the entire preceding discourse — the Golden Rule is not isolated wisdom but the practical application of everything Jesus has taught.

Translator Notes

1. The image of two paths is deeply rooted in Jewish wisdom tradition (cf. Deuteronomy 30:15-19, Psalm 1, Proverbs 4:18-19, Jeremiah 21:8). The Greek stenēs ('narrow, constricted') and plateia ('wide, broad') describe the gates; eurychōros ('spacious, broad') describes the road. The word apōleian ('destruction, ruin, perdition') does not specify the nature of the destruction but its finality. The 'many' (polloi) who take the wide gate creates urgency — following the majority is not safe.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Deuteronomy 30:15-19 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
3. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalm 1 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
4. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Proverbs 4:18-19 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
5. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Jeremiah 21:8 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The SBLGNT reads ti ('how!') as an exclamation rather than hoti ('because'). The Greek tethlimmenē ('compressed, constricted, pressed, afflicted') is the participle of thlibō, which also means 'to afflict, to oppress' — the narrow road is not merely inconvenient but involves genuine hardship. The destination is zōēn ('life') — not mere survival but the fullness of life in God's kingdom. The word 'find' (heuriskontes) implies that the narrow gate requires searching — it is not self-evident.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek pseudoprophētōn ('false prophets') warns that not all who claim to speak for God actually do. The sheep/wolf image is vivid: the exterior is harmless and community-affirming (sheep among sheep), but the interior is predatory (harpages, 'ravenous, greedy, plundering'). The image assumes that false prophets are not easily identified by outward appearance — they blend in. The test for discernment follows in verses 16-20.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek karpon ('fruit') is the consistent metaphor for the visible results of a person's character and teaching. The verb epignōsesthe ('you will recognize, you will know fully') is a strengthened form of ginōskō — full, clear recognition over time. The rhetorical questions about grapes from thorns (akanthōn) and figs from thistles (tribolōn) expect the answer 'Of course not!' — nature does not deceive; plants produce according to their kind.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek sapron ('rotten, decayed, bad') describes a tree that is diseased at its core — not merely unproductive but fundamentally corrupt. The adjectives agathos ('good') and ponēros ('bad, evil') form a clear moral binary. The principle is straightforward: what you are determines what you produce. Character precedes conduct.

Translator Notes

1. The word ou dynatai ('is not able, cannot') states an impossibility, not merely an improbability. This strengthens the diagnostic power of fruit-inspection: the fruit is a reliable indicator because it is an inevitable product of the tree's nature. The chiastic structure (good tree/bad fruit, bad tree/good fruit) reinforces the point through rhetorical symmetry.

Translator Notes

1. This echoes John the Baptist's warning in 3:10 almost verbatim, creating continuity between the forerunner's message and Jesus's teaching. The present tenses ekkoptetai ('is cut down') and balletai ('is thrown') describe a general, ongoing practice — this is how orchards work, and this is how judgment works. The fire (pyr) carries judgment overtones throughout Matthew.

Translator Notes

1. The concluding ara ge ('so then, therefore indeed') draws the inference from the entire tree/fruit illustration. The repetition of verse 16a forms an inclusio around the teaching. The verb epignōsesthe ('you will fully recognize') promises that patient observation of results — not first impressions, not claims, not appearances — will reveal the truth about any prophet or teacher.

Translator Notes

1. The doubled vocative Kyrie, Kyrie ('Lord, Lord') suggests urgent, fervent address — these are not casual believers but passionate confessors. Yet the criterion for entering the kingdom is not verbal profession but enacted obedience: ho poiōn to thelēma ('the one who does the will'). The phrase 'my Father' (tou patros mou) — Jesus claims a unique filial relationship that distinguishes him from the disciples' 'your Father.' This verse begins the most sobering passage in the Sermon.

Translator Notes

1. The phrase 'on that day' (en ekeinē tē hēmera) refers to the day of final judgment. The three activities listed — prophesying, exorcism, and mighty works (dynameis, 'miracles, powerful deeds') — are among the most impressive spiritual accomplishments imaginable. All three are done 'in your name' (tō sō onomati), repeated three times for emphasis. The shock of the passage is that genuine supernatural activity can coexist with spiritual failure. Jesus here implicitly claims the role of final judge — a divine prerogative.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The verb homologēsō ('I will declare, confess, acknowledge publicly') is the same word used elsewhere for public confession of faith — here it is turned to public condemnation. 'I never knew you' (oudepote egnōn hymas) uses ginōskō in the relational sense — not 'I never had information about you' but 'I never had a covenant relationship with you.' This echoes the Hebrew yada, intimate knowing. The Greek anomian ('lawlessness') is literally 'without law' (a-nomia) — a devastating charge in a sermon that has affirmed the Law's permanent validity (5:17-19). The quotation echoes Psalm 6:8.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Psalm 6:8 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.

Translator Notes

1. The final parable draws the Sermon's decisive line: hearing (akouei) plus doing (poiei) defines wisdom. 'These words of mine' (mou tous logous toutous) refers to the entire Sermon on the Mount. The Greek phronimō ('wise, prudent, sensible') describes practical wisdom — the ability to make sound decisions. Building on rock (petran) provides a foundation that endures under stress. In the geography of Palestine, sudden flash floods in dry valleys (wadis) are a real and lethal danger.

Translator Notes

1. The triple assault — rain (brochē), floods (potamoi, 'rivers, torrents'), and wind (anemoi) — represents comprehensive testing. Every direction of attack is covered: above (rain), below (floods), and sideways (wind). The pluperfect tethemeliōto ('it had been founded, its foundation had been laid') indicates that the foundation was already in place before the storm arrived — preparation precedes crisis. The storm tests what already exists; it does not create the foundation.

Translator Notes

1. The Greek mōrō ('foolish, stupid') is the root of English 'moron' — but in biblical wisdom tradition, foolishness is not intellectual deficiency but moral failure, the refusal to live according to reality (cf. Psalm 14:1). The foolish builder hears the same words as the wise builder — the difference is not in access to truth but in response to it. Building on sand (ammon) is building on what shifts and gives way under pressure.
2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Psalm 14:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.

Translator Notes

1. The storm is identical to verse 25 — both houses face the same test. The difference is entirely in the foundation. The Greek ptōsis ('fall, collapse, ruin') echoes the word used for the moral 'fall' of individuals in the Septuagint. The final phrase kai ēn hē ptōsis autēs megalē ('and great was its collapse') is emphatic in its placement — the sentence ends with the devastating result ringing in the listener's ears. The parable's force is eschatological: the storm represents the final judgment, when every life will be tested.

Translator Notes

1. The formula kai egeneto hote etelesen ho Iēsous ('and it happened when Jesus had finished') is Matthew's standard transition at the end of each of his five major discourses (7:28, 11:1, 13:53, 19:1, 26:1). The Greek exeplēssonto ('were astonished, were struck with amazement') is a strong word — literally 'struck out of their senses.' The imperfect tense indicates a continued, lingering amazement rather than a momentary reaction.

Key Terms

Translator Notes

1. The Greek exousian ('authority, power, right') distinguishes Jesus from the scribes (grammateis), who taught by citing earlier authorities ('Rabbi Hillel says... Rabbi Shammai says...'). Jesus cited no human authority — his recurring formula 'But I say to you' (5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39, 44) placed his own word alongside and above the Torah itself. The periphrastic construction ēn didaskōn ('he was teaching,' literally 'he was, teaching') emphasizes the ongoing quality and manner of his instruction. The phrase 'their scribes' (hoi grammateis autōn) subtly distances the crowd from the religious establishment.