Matthew 9:30 See that no man know it.

Spoken to
group

After curing two blind men.

KJV

Matthew 9:30 See that no man know it.

NIV

Matthew 9:30 See that no one knows about this.

LISTENERS HEARD

Look out! No one must see!

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The verse is two statements, "Look out!" and "No on must see." Both are a play on the blind men's ability to see. The two verbs here, translated as "see" and "knows" both have the sense of "observing." Both of these words also mean "perceive."

The "no one/no man" is also not the common word, but one that Jesus uses much more rarely that has the sense of not wanting, thinking, or seeming. The "know" is in the form of a third-person command, which in English is like saying the someone or something must do something.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page)
# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4

CW - Confusing Word -- The "see" is not the common words usually translated as "see."

IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.

MW - Missing Word -- The word "it must" or "let" is not shown in the English translation.

IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4

CW - Confusing Word -- The "see" is not the common words usually translated as "see."

IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.

MW - Missing Word -- The word "it must" or "let" is not shown in the English translation.

IP - Inserted Phrase -- The word "about this" doesn't exist in the source.

EACH WORD of KJV

See -- (CW) "See" is from a Greek verb, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," and "to observe." It is a metaphor for mental seeing, that is, perceiving. However, it is one of the many words that Christ uses to mean "see," but it is not one of the most common ones. He seems to use this word more in the sense of "observe," in the sense of watching closely.

that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source.

no man   - The Greek word translated as "no man" here means "no one" and "nothing." In Mar 1:44, the parallel to this one, this word is used twice being translated as "nothing" the second time.

missing "must"  -- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the  following verb is a third-person command, which is a verb that demands that something acts or happens in a certain way.

know -- "knows" is a verb that means "to know," "to recognize," "make known," "to know carnally," and "to learn.

it. -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "it" in the Greek source.

EACH WORD of NIV

See --  (CW) "See" is from a Greek verb, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," and "to observe." It is a metaphor for mental seeing, that is, perceiving. However, it is one of the many words that Christ uses to mean "see." He seems to use this word more in the sense of "observe," in the sense of watching closely.

that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source.

no one - The Greek word translated as "no one" here means "no one" and "nothing." In Mar 1:44, the parallel to this one, this word is used twice being translated as "nothing" the second time.

missing "must" -- (MW) A helping verb is necessary because the  following verb is a third-person command, which is a verb that demands that something acts or happens in a certain way.

know -- "knows" is a verb that means "to know," "to recognize," "make known," "to know carnally," and "to learn.

about this. -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as "about this" in the Greek source.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Ὁρᾶτε (verb 2nd pl pres imperat act) "Take heed" is from horao, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," "to observe," "see," "aim," "have sight," "behold," "keep in sight," and as a metaphor of mental sight, "discern," and "perceive."

μηδεὶς [7 verses](adj sg masc nom) "No man" is from medeis, which means "nobody," "no one," "not even one," "naught," "good for naught," and "nothing."

γινωσκέτω: (verb 3rd sg pres imperat act)  "knows," is ginosko which means "to learn to know," "to know by reflection or observation," and "to perceive."

Wordplay

The two verbs are a word play on the blind men's ability to see.

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings

Both of the blind men claimed that they were starting to be able to see again.
“Watch out!” the Master said  them with a funny grin, “No one must see!”
We laughed at the Master’s play on words, referring both to their regain sight and his old practice of keeping his ability to heal more of a secret.
Following his orders,  however, when they were let out again,  they still pretending to be blind.

 

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