Matthew 23-24 revising and extending my remarks

This continues my effort to give a more comprehensive and interesting reading of Matthew 20-26 and following. First, the text and translations:

ἐὰν οὖν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρον σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ, 24 ἄφες ἐκεῖ τὸ δῶρον σου ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου καὶ ὕπαγε πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρον σου.

My translation: If therefore you are carrying your offering to the altar and in that place you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar, and go first; be reconciled with your brother, and then coming [back] take your gift.

KJV: Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift

RJB: So then, if you are bringing your offering to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your offering there before the altar, go and be reconciled with your brother first, and then come back and present your offering.

I started this post with the intention of “revising and extending” my remarks on these two verses, but if you look, at each translation, they’re almost identical. There is essentially nothing here that I have to criticize. διαλλαγηθι is in my eyes an odd form, but it may be a very sensible 3rd person imperative in Koine where it doesn’t often occur in Attic. From here I’ll move on to translate the next two or three verses, which should provide more interesting material for commentary.

Credo Ut Intellegam

JS