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Matthew 21 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations set each line of poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to make it easier to read. The ULB does this with the poetry in 21:5,16 and 42, which are words from the OT.
Special concepts in this chapter
Donkey and Colt
The way in which Jesus entered Jerusalem, riding on an animal, was similar to the way a king would have entered a city after a great victory. And for the kings of Israel, it was traditional to ride on a donkey instead of on a horse. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all wrote about this event, but they did not all give the same details. Matthew wrote about there being both a donkey and a colt, but it is not clear which one Jesus rode on. It is best to translate each of these passages as it appears in the ULB without trying to make them all say exactly the same thing. (See: Mark 11:1-7 and John 12:14-15)
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.