FOOTNOTES:

^a In English, translations have traditionally simply taken the Greek word and put it in English letters: ‘Baptizer.’ The historical reason for this was that the first translators of the Bible into English practiced infant baptism, and the Greek word literally means ‘dip’ or ‘immerse something in a liquid,’ it didn’t fit with their doctrine and practice. Other languages don’t do the same thing but actually translate, so in Dutch, for example, John is known as ‘John the Dipper.’

^b The Wilderness was a word that could be used for any undeveloped area, but it was also how people referred to a specific region of eastern Judea; it was also the location of the Essene community (a monastic Jewish sect) responsible for the famous Dead Sea Scrolls. People speculate John had been a member of that community.

^c The Greek word metanoia is traditionally translated as ‘repent.’ The meaning of metanoia is ‘change the mind.’ It does not mean ‘remorse’ or ‘reforming behavior.’ The confusion comes from the Vulgate, the Latin translation of the Bible, which used paenitere, which means ‘to be penitent,’ which was a significant shift away from the Greek meaning.

^d Quotation of Isaiah 40:3. This verse follows a promise that war is over and that Judah has suffered enough for their deviation. It describes God approaching through the Jordan Valley is significant, which means an approach from the east, following the path of the Israelites into the Promised Land and the Zoroastrians following the light of a star to Jesus.

^e This is reminiscent of the story of Naaman and Elisha in 2 Kings 5 and would likely draw to mind for the people of the day a connection to God’s power being experienced through humble and trusting actions rather than pomp and status and of associating John with the successor of Elijah.

^f The word in Greek here is hamartia, traditionally translated ‘sin.’ The actual meaning is an archery term for missing the target; it’s a metaphor. It evokes an image of veering off course, ending up in at an unintended location. It is used regarding many situations, including harmful behavior, disregarding responsibilities as a people or individual called to a specific purpose, and even having chronic illness or debilitating injuries or cultural identities that prohibit one from full participation in temple worship according to the Torah, which is not implied to be wrongdoing but simply not aligned with Torah.

^g See Psalm 140:3 and Isaiah 59:5.

^h See Jeremiah 25:34-38

ⁱ Traditionally, ‘good.’ Like the word ‘good’ in English, the word kalos in Greek has a number of uses, though in the Bible, they are typically about something along the lines of being honorable, admirable, beautiful or something that is in healthy or undamaged condition.

^j See Jeremiah 24:1-10, 29:15-20

^k The word for ‘you’ is plural in the Greek, as are most of the instances throughout Matthew. John and Jesus and others address crowds as a collective, not typically to each individual within the group.

^l Traditionally, ‘Spirit.’ The Greek word pneuma can be translated into English as ‘breath,’ ‘spirit,’ and ‘wind.’ This is also true of Hebrew (ruach), Aramaic (rukha) and Latin (spiritus). The concepts of these things in the minds of Hebrew and Greek speakers were not nearly as distinct as they are in English. They are separate enough to use word play in John 3 in Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus, but the sense that the ‘spirit’ is the ‘breath of life’ within each living being must not be ignored in understanding how the scriptures, and how the air and sky (heavens) are used to describe where spiritual reality is present (in the wind). Whenever ‘Life-breath’ or ‘spirit’ referring to God’s spirit or the spirit within people that provides them with life, the reader would be aided to think of Genesis 2:7.

^m The Greek here is literally “Sacred Life-breath and fire” but the context suggests he is speaking to the whole crowd, giving them two possibilities depending on whether they bear excellent fruit or need to be cut out of the orchard.

ⁿ A tool for sorting the grains from the husks

^o This phrase is accurate to the meaning of the Greek, but it is interpretive in a way that reflects this translator’s bias. More traditional translations of ‘unquenchable fire’ or ‘eternal fire’ also reflect their translators’ bias and presuppositions. Translating this and many other words and phrases without bias is impossible. The word in Greek literally means ‘not quenched’ and in the context of threshing grain, can validly imply not being quenched before the task is complete. There is nothing in the context to suggest it is supposed to be about afterlife.

^p In addition to the literal action of dipping or immersing in the water, this is clearly a reference to ceremonial cleansing, preparing people for a sacred calling.

^q Traditionally, ‘righteousness.’ The word dikaiosune literally means ‘aligned.’ It signifies being aligned with God’s standards described in Torah and elaborated and demonstrated by Jesus. ‘Justice’ and ‘justness’ are often appropriate words to convey the idea as most of what Jesus showed to be the focus is about how people treat each other, especially the vulnerable, like people in poverty, widows, orphans, immigrants, prisoners, people who are sick or disabled and others.

^r This word is the same in Greek whether about the sky, tiers of social power, or a symbol of where God is present. The Greek can be singular (ouranos) or plural (ouranoi) and the two forms are used interchangeably.

^s Perhaps a reference to Genesis 8:6-12

^t The preposition here can be translated different ways. Epi can be translated as ‘on,’ ‘over,’ ‘at,’ ‘by,’ ‘in front of,’ ‘in’ and others. Context is used to determine the best English word to use, but it is often not clear which is best.