Lectionary Year A
February 17, 2002
Matthew 4:1-11
Initial Acquaintance/Rough Translation
A. Comparing Translations
(JFC) The New American Bible, the New King James Version and the Revised
Standard Version differ slightly as herein noted:
6 He will command his angels concerning you - NAB
He will give his angels charge of you - NKJV and RSV
10 "Get away, Satan! - NAB
"Away with you, Satan! - NKJV
"Begone, Satan! - RSV
B. Textual Criticism
(JFC) 3 Some of the Alexandrian family of witnesses rearrange the words o` peira,zwn
ei=pen auvtw/, while some others retain the order as printed. The alternate versions put the indirect object, auvtw, at the beginning of the phrase, probably for emphasis. Such an order might seem a little more difficult to read, hear and/or speak, but since there are only the two figures in this story, the emphasis is obvious with the order as received.
5 A couple of the Alexandrian versions change esthsen, to be isthsin, a present tense for an aorist, while others keep the former. Well, the paralamba,nei, in verses 5 and 8, are in the present tense, so, is that reason enough to want parallelism here?
9 A couple of the Alexandrian editions have legei for ei=pen, while a few more preserve the text as printed. Both words are used in this text, though the latter more than the former. The meanings are too similar to find one reading over the other as original.
11 After Upage, several reliable editors add opisw mou, as in Matthew 16:23's Jesus' words to Peter. Metzger, in TCGNT, observes, "If the words opisw mou were originally in the text no satisfactory reason can be found to account for their omission. On the other hand, if they were originally absent, copyists who recalled the words of Jesus to Peter, upage( opisw mou Satana/ (Matthew 16:23, where there is no variation of reading), would have been likely to have supplied them there." Such likelihood would lead us to call the addition less than original.
C. Rough Translation
(JFC) 1 Then the Jesus was led into the wilderness by the spirit to be tested (aorist,
passive, infinitive) by the Devil. 2 And He was fasting (aorist, active, participle) days forty and nights forty, later He was hungry (aorist, active, indicative). 3 And was approaching the testing one said to Him, "If son you are of the God, say to the stones these bread they should become (aorist, middle, subjunctive)." 4 But responding (aorist, active, participle) He said, "It is written, 'Not by bread alone shall live the man, but by every word coming from the utterance/mouth of God'."
5 Then takes (present, active, indicative) Him the Devil to the holy city and set/put (aorist, active, indicative) Him on the highest point/parapet of the Temple, 6 and says to Him, "If the son you are of the God, throw down yourself from top to bottom; for it is written that
'The angels of Him He will order according to/for You
and upon the hands/power they will carry you,
lest you should stumble upon the foot of yours.
7 He said to him the Jesus, "Again it is written, 'Not shall you tempt the Lord the God of yours'."
8 Again takes (present, active, indicative) Him the Devil up to mountain high great/very and shows (present, active, indicative) Him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them. 9 And he said to Him, "These to you all I shall give, if you falling down (aorist, active, participle) should worship (aorist, active, subjunctive) me." 10 Then He says to him the Jesus, "Get away, Satan; for it is written, 'the Lord the God of yours shall you worship and Him only/alone shall you serve'." 11 Then leaves (present, active, indicative) Him the Devil, and behold angels come and provide for/take care of Him.
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