unfoldingWord_en_tn/mat/04/intro.md

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Matthew 04 General Notes

Structure and formatting

Some translations indent each line of poetry to make it easier to read. The ULB does this with the poetry in verses 6, 15 and 16, which is quoted from the OT.

Some translations indent quotations from the Old Testament. The ULB does this with the quoted material in verse 10.

Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter

"The kingdom of heaven is near"

Scholars debate whether the "kingdom of heaven" was present at this time or still coming. English translations frequently use the phrase "at hand," but this can create difficulty in translating. Other versions use the phase "is coming near" and "has come near."

"If you are the Son of God"

In English, the reader can understand this statement in 4:6 as indicating that Satan does not know whether Jesus is the Son of God. Because Satan probably knows that Jesus is the Son of God, it should not be translated in this way. It can be translated as "because you are the Son of God." (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/satan and rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/sonofgod)

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