Matthew 12:30-37

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Matthew 12:30 sn Whoever is not with me is against me. The call here is to join the victor. Failure to do so means that one is being destructive. Responding to Jesus is the issue.
2. Matthew 12:30 sn For the image of scattering, see Pss. Sol. 17:18.
3. Matthew 12:31 tn Grk “every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men.”
4. Matthew 12:32 tn Grk “it will be forgiven him.”
5. Matthew 12:32 tn Grk “it will not be forgiven him.”sn Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. This passage has troubled many people, who have wondered whether or not they have committed this sin. Three things must be kept in mind: (1) the nature of the sin is to ascribe what is the obvious work of the Holy Spirit (e.g., releasing people from Satan’s power) to Satan himself; (2) it is not simply a momentary doubt or sinful attitude, but is indeed a settled condition which opposes the Spirit’s work, as typified by the religious leaders who opposed Jesus; and (3) a person who is concerned about it has probably never committed this sin, for those who commit it here (i.e., the religious leaders) are not in the least concerned about Jesus’ warning.
6. Matthew 12:33 tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying both “tree” and “fruit,” can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).
7. Matthew 12:35 tn The Greek text reads here ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos). The term is generic referring to any person.
8. Matthew 12:35 tn Grk “the”; the Greek article has been translated here and in the following clause (“his evil treasury”) as a possessive pronoun (ExSyn 215).
9. Matthew 12:35 sn The treasury here is a metaphorical reference to a person’s heart (cf. BDAG 456 s.v. θησαυρός 1.b and the parallel passage in Luke 6:45).
10. Matthew 12:36 tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.