Matthew 7:13-29

[wildboar]

Here is my translation of Matthew 7:13-29. Please critique.

13 "Enter through the narrow gate; for broad is the gate and spacious is the way that is leading into the destruction, and many are those entering through it. 14 How narrow is the gate and how constricted is the way that is leading into the life, and few are those who are finding it!

15 "But beware of the false prophets, who are coming to y o u in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 By their fruits y o u will know them truly. People do not gather clusters of grapes from thorn-plants or figs from thistles, do they? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruits, but a diseased tree bears bad fruits. 18 A healthy tree is not able to bear bad fruits, nor is a diseased tree able to bear good fruits. 19 Every tree that is not bearing good fruit is being cut down and being thrown into the fire. 20 So then, by their fruits y o u will know them truly.

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the reign of the heavens, rather the one who does the will of My Father in the heavens. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, by Your name we prophesied, and by Your name we cast out demons, and by Your name we did many deeds of power, didn't we?' 23 And then I will acknowledge to them, 'I never knew y o u; depart from Me, y o u who work lawlessness!'

24 "Therefore, everyone who is hearing these words of Mine and doing them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house upon the rock; 25 and the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and they struck that house, and it did not fall; because it had been founded upon the rock. 26 And everyone who is hearing these words of Mine and is not doing them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand; 27 and the rain came down and the rivers came and the winds blew and they beat against that house, and it fell, and its fall was great."

28 And it happened, when Jesus completed these words, the crowds were being astonished at His teaching; 29 for He was teaching them with the conviction that he had authority, and not as the scribes.

 

[cyberlizard]

why have you rendered v.29 the way you have.... it kind of implies that jesus believed his own teachings were authoritive by virtue of his own belief in his teachings....

would you say you have a literal rendering here, or a little 'artistic license'.


Steve

 

[wildboar]

why have you rendered v.29 the way you have.... it kind of implies that jesus believed his own teachings were authoritive by virtue of his own belief in his teachings....

would you say you have a literal rendering here, or a little 'artistic license'.

It's not a matter of artistic license it's a question of how 'ws' plus a participle should be understood. According to article 2086 of Smyth's Greek Grammar ws plus a participle "sets forth the ground of belief on which the agent acts, and denotes the thought, assertion, real or presumed intention, in the mind of the subject of the principal verb or of some other person mentioned prominently in the sentence, without implicating the speaker or writer." So what astonishes the crowds is Jesus' attitude. So in my translation I'm trying to bring this out. If you just translate this as "he was teaching them with authority" it sounds as if the crowds are in agreement that Jesus has authority. But the Greek construction does not mean this. It means that the crowds observe that Jesus is speaking as someone who thinks he has authority without stating whether or not the crowds think he has authority.

 

[cyberlizard]

i agree with the grammar... I just wanted to see it spelled out for other to see.

Falling back on the rabbi's, most of them did not claim much of their own authority... it was not uncommon to see R. Suchandsuch says in the name of R. anotherone, whatever they said...

Jesus did not do this, as his own words carried the authority he had.


Steve

 

[wildboar]

Jesus did not do this, as his own words carried the authority he had.

Right. Jesus doesn't do this at all. Sometimes he contradicts commonly held teachings of His day. He's not even quoting Scripture most of the time in the Sermon on the Mount which I would imagine is what most of the Scribes would (at least good ones)--either make reference to Scripture or some tradition handed down. But because He is God Himself He tells the people to obey Him without quoting anyone else.