FOOTNOTES:

^a Citation of Exodus 20:12 and Deuteronomy 5:16

^b The wording is redundant in a way that is designed to be emphatic. Literally, the Greek means something like ‘may they die in death’ or ‘may they end in death.’ It’s an example of a 3rd person mandative form. The quotation is from Exodus, and the Hebrew is even more clear, as it does what Hebrew often does of having a matching verb and noun combo. In this case it’s essentially, ‘let them (in a causative sense) die death.’

^c Citation of Exodus 21:17 and Leviticus 20:9

^d Very literally, it says, “Whatever you would have benefited from me, a gift.”

^e Traditionally translated as "hypocrites," the Greek hupocrites was commonly used to describe stage actors or people playing a role, emphasizing pretended or performed actions. Translating it as “fakers” clarifies the original Greek sense of someone who outwardly displays devotion for attention, rather than genuine faithfulness—a meaning similar but not identical to the English "hypocrite," which now primarily implies moral inconsistency.

^f The meaning of this word is broadly positive and can have many different ways to translate it. It can be ‘well’ or ‘flawlessly’ or ‘healthily’ or ‘beautifully’ or any number of positive words that pair with different contexts.

^g ‘Fruitlessly’ is traditionally ‘in vain’ and could also be translated as ‘meaninglessly’ or ‘pointlessly.’ The idea is that their action makes no real difference. The action in question is their ‘reverence’ or ‘adoration’ of God. The word here is sebontai and refers to speaking with reverence or respect about a deity or others.

^h The word ‘God’ isn’t in the Greek and is supplied here to clarify the contrast.

ⁱ Citation of Isaiah 29:13

^j In this passage, the Greek verb koinoi—translated here as "makes ... ordinary"—carries the idea of a person or action being common or ordinary, in contrast with being sacred. In Jewish culture, "ordinary" had a significant religious implication, especially concerning what was considered “sacred” or designated for God’s purposes. The term koinos was often used to describe things or actions that were not suitable for sacred use, either because they were common or because they had become inappropriate specifically for a sacred setting. Here, Jesus teaches that what a person consumes does not make them “ordinary” or unfit for their sacred purpose, but rather what they say about others reveals whether they are acting contrary to their calling as God’s people. In context, Jesus challenges the idea that dietary laws define sacred identity; instead, he emphasizes that one's words—how one treats and includes others—reflect one's alignment with God’s sacred purposes. This reframes “ordinary” speech as speech that may demean, exclude, or harm, which is inappropriate for people called to embody God’s sacred inclusivity. In effect, Jesus argues that true sacredness is not about ritual purity but about the commitment to love and inclusion, in line with God’s justice.

^k Or ‘deliberations’

^l Traditionally, ‘sexual immorality.’ In literature outside of Jewish and Christian writings, it was used exclusively for commercial sex trade. Porneia shares a root with perneimi, which means ‘to sell.’ Porne is the word for a female sex worker, which in the cultural context would always have been someone exploited and failed by the patriarchal society. Jewish and Christian writers seem to expand the meaning to refer to approaches to sex that objectify and exploit people in a variety of ways.

^m Traditionally, ‘false witness’ or ‘false testimony.’ The idea is lying about someone’s guilt in court, framing an innocent person.

ⁿ Traditionally, ‘slander.’ The Greek word is from blasphemia, where we get the word ‘blasphemy.’ It is about speaking about another, including a human or God, in a way that is degrading or belittling.

^o The concept of ‘heart’ was similar to our figurative use as place in our body serving as the center for our cares. It did not represent all emotions, but rather, it represented desires and motivations.

^p The Greek word koinoo, often translated as "defiles" or "makes unclean," more literally means "to make common" or "to make ordinary." It is related to koinonia, which conveys "sharing," "participating together," or "community." Here, koinoo points to a lack of ceremonial readiness rather than being morally unqualified; it indicates being in a state that is "ordinary" in the sense of not being prepared for a sacred purpose. For example, objects in the tabernacle or items used by priests had to be ceremonially "cleansed" to be fit for sacred use, even though they were not “bad” or “evil.” In this context, koinoo suggests that an object or person is ordinary, not because they are morally deficient, but because they have not undergone the preparatory transformation needed to align them with sacred duties. However, Jesus insists that mistreating people or speaking about people in a way that devalues or dehumanizes them makes the speaker unfit for their sacred calling.

^q Tyre and Sidon were outside Galilee and outside historic Israel. They were in the Roman province of Syria. They are now located in modern day Lebanon.

^r The Greek is idou, which literally means ‘look.’ It is an idiomatic way to catch the audience’s attention and point out that something noteworthy is happening.

^s The traditional ‘possessed by’ is not in the Greek, and the actual word would be directly something like ‘demonized.’ Some kind of torment is certainly at play here. This instance also adds the word kakos, which means something like ‘miserably’ or ‘horribly.’ The word diamonia can carry the meaning of an evil entity, but it can also be ‘a spirit of…’ as in a part of a person that causes their own suffering or even a ‘divinity’ or ‘god’ as in the Greek god of X that was a lesser god.

^t More traditionally ‘lost.’ The word can mean ‘destroyed’ or ‘perished’ or ‘lost,’ which in the context of Jesus’ work was about being sent to the marginalized, poor, sick, and suffering that the political and religious establishments did nothing to help.

^u The word literally is ‘puppy’ or ‘pet dog.’ It’s a different form than the usual word for ‘dog’ in the Bible which refers to feral dogs. This one is specifically domesticated dogs. Neither word was culturally used as a derogatory name or slur. Jesus is discussing the appropriateness of what he might do in the context of what he is in the middle of doing, not whether people who weren’t Jewish were worth helping. He has already demonstrated multiple times his willingness to help people who were not Jewish.

^v Traditionally, “Yet even,” but the Greek kai gar is never used that way, and in fact, the specific construction kai gar following an affirmative (‘Yes, lord’) is meant to serve as an emphatic pointing toward the cause.

^w Or ‘crumbs’

^x Compare with Matthew 8:10

^y Or ‘healed’ or ‘made well’

^z This story is often viewed as troubling due to Jesus initially appearing to dismiss the Canaanite woman’s plea and insult her. In traditional translations, his response seems cold, calling her a ‘dog.’ However, this portrayal misrepresents the Greek text’s intention. Jesus compares her immediate request to a pet’s attempt to take food from the table, an issue of appropriate time and place, not exclusion. The woman’s response, 'That’s because the pets eat the scraps,' uses a causal Greek phrase, emphasizing that Jesus’ help for others doesn’t detract from his mission to Israel. This conversation echoes the themes of abundance in the surrounding feeding miracles, affirming that divine provision extends to all, Jew and Gentile alike.

^aa This indicates his movement eastward along the northern shore to another non-Jewish area.

^bb Probably a hill in the Golan Heights area

^cc Traditionally, ‘lame.’

^dd Traditionally, ‘crippled.’ It refers to any issue with the limbs that impaired quality of life.

^ee Literally, ‘they laid them at his feet.’ This is an idiom, and to picture it literally would only make sense if everyone were paralyzed.

^ff Literally related to lower abdominal organs, including the uterus and intestines. It is often said to describe ‘motherly love,’ relating it to the care of the womb.

^gg The exact location of Magadan is unknown, but it was along the Sea of Galilee.