For comments on receives, see verse 40.

Prophet: Good News Translation, Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition, and Bijbel in Gewone Taal have “God’s messenger,” since the primary work of New Testament prophets was that of speaking God’s message. Matthew has earlier used this word of the Old Testament prophets (1.22; 2.5, 15, 17, 23; 3.3; 4.14; 5.12; 8.17).

Because he is a prophet (so also New Jerusalem Bible, Phillips) is literally “in the name of a prophet.” New English Bible has “whoever receives a prophet as a prophet,” and Barclay “the man who recognizes a prophet and welcomes him as such.” One may even translate “because he proclaims God’s message.” This can also be “Whoever receives hospitably one of God’s spokesmen because he recognizes that is what the person is.”

Shall receive a prophet’s reward may be translated “he shall also be rewarded as a messenger of God” (Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition) or “he will receive the same reward that a messenger of God receives.” It is possible also to shift to an active construction and reverse the order of the two clauses: “God will reward anyone who welcomes his messengers. He will give them the same reward that he gives his messengers.”

A reward is a recompense, what a person receives for having done some good thing. It is not “money” here. “The gift that God gives to someone who does well” is a possibility if a language has no word for reward.

Righteous man (see 1.19) is translated “good man” by Good News Translation, New English Bible, Phillips, Barclay, and Moffatt. Both New Jerusalem Bible and New American Bible have “holy man,” while An American Translation translates “upright man.” Bibel im heutigen Deutsch, 1st edition has “religious (or, devout) man.” Here the reference may be either to a category of especially faithful Christians, or else to a special group of teachers within the church. Note that in 13.17 and 23.29 “righteous men” and “prophets” are also linked. One may translate “If you welcome a man because he is good, God will give you the same reward that he will give the good man.”

As in 1.19, a righteous man can also be rendered as “a man who does God’s will” or “a man who does what God requires.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .