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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 18:15 Moreover if your brother shall trespass against you,

The context is an updating of several topics the Sermon on the Mount. In this verse, Jesus is talking to an individual.

Spoken to
an individual

Matthew 18:15 Ἐὰν δὲ ἁμαρτήσῃ ὁ ἀδελφός σου, ὕπαγε ἔλεγξον αὐτὸν μεταξὺ σοῦ καὶ αὐτοῦ μόνου. ἐάν σου ἀκούσῃ, ἐκέρδησας τὸν ἀδελφόν σου:

KJV Verse

Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 18:15  If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over.

What His Listeners Heard:

When, however, that brother yours errs, go accuse him separating you and him alone. When he hears you, you win that brother of yours.

Lost In Translation:

There are four keywords here, translated as "trespass/sins," "tell him his fault/point out their fault," "between," and "gain/won them over," that Jesus only uses a few times.  By looking at all his uses of these words--something the biblical translators don't seem to have done--we can get a better sense of how he uses these words: "err," "accuse," "separating,"  and "win."

Of course, the word translated as "trespass/sin" is one of the most interesting, if only because Jesus uses this verb so seldom, only seven times. "Sinning" was clearly not as big a factor in Jesus's teaching as it is in modern Christianity. See this article for more.

The "hear" verb also means "to be silent," which makes it kind of funny.  The "you/to you" is in the form that indicates who is heard from, not what is heard about.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Moreover(CW) if(CW) thy (MW) brother shall(CW) trespass [against thee(OS)], go and(IW) [tell him his fault(CW)] between(CW) thee and him alone: if(CW) he shall(CW) hear thee, thou hast(WT) gained thy (MW) brother.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Do Your Own Research

Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.