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Matthew 21 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations prefer to set apart quotations of the Old Testament. The ULB and many other English translations indent all the lines of 21:5,16 and 42, which are quotations from the Old Testament.
Special concepts in this chapter
Donkey
The way in which Jesus entered into Jerusalem, mounted on a donkey, was similar to the way a king would have entered into a city after a great victory. It was traditional for the kings of Israel to ride donkeys instead of horses. Jesus could not have ridden two animals at the same time. It is best to translate this as it appears in the ULB without trying to reconcile these two passages. (See: Mark 11:1-7)
Hosanna
This is what the people shouted in order to welcome Jesus into Jerusalem. It was an exclamation of praise, although it was a word in Hebrew meaning, "Save us!"
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
"The kingdom of God will be taken away from you"
Scholars are divided over the meaning of this phrase. An essential question is: would this be a permanent or temporary event? If possible, leave both these possibilities open in your translation.