Matthew

Chapter 12

Lord of the Sabbath

1At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath; and His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat.a 2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Behold, Your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on a Sabbath.” 3But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and those who were with him: 4how he entered the house of God, and they ate the bread of the Presence,b which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for those with him, but only for the priests? 5Or have you not read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath and are innocent? 6But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.c 7And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”d

A Man with a Withered Hand

9And going on from there, He went into their synagogue. 10And behold, there was a man with a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” so that they might accuse Him. 11And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not take hold of it and lift it out?e 12How much more valuable then is a man than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” 13Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored, healthy like the other. 14But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him.f

God’s Chosen Servant

15But Jesus, knowing this, withdrew from there. And many followed Him, and He healed them all, 16and He warned them not to make Him known, 17to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying:

18“Behold, My servant whom I have chosen,My beloved in whom My soul is well pleased;I will put My Spirit upon Him,and He will proclaim justice to the nations.g19He will not quarrel or cry out,nor will anyone hear His voice in the streets;20a bruised reed He will not break,and a smoldering wick He will not quench,until He leads justice to victory;21and in His name the nations will hope.”h

Jesus and Beelzebul

22Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute was brought to Him, and He healed him, so that the mute man spoke and saw. 23And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, “Can this be the Son of David?” 24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.” 25And knowing their thoughts, He said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26And if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?i 27And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out?j Therefore they will be your judges. 28But if it is by the Spirit of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.k 29Or how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and plunder his goods unless he first binds the strong man?l And then he will plunder his house. 30Whoever is not with Me is against Me, and whoever does not gather with Me scatters.

31Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.m 32And whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.n

33Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. 35The good person out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil person out of his evil treasure brings out evil things. 36But I say to you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment;o 37for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

The Sign of Jonah

38Then some of the scribes and Pharisees answered Him, saying, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from You.” 39But He answered and said to them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks a sign, and no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah the prophet.p 40For just as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights.q 41The men of will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater than Jonah is here.r 42The queen of the South will rise up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here.s

43Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it.t 44Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came out.’ And when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. 45Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and dwell there; and the last state of that person becomes worse than the first. So it will also be with this evil generation.”

Jesus’ Mother and Brothers

46While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and His brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him. 47And someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.”u 48But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” 49And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold, My mother and My brothers! 50For whoever does the will of My Father who is in the heavens, he is My brother and sister and mother.”v

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Context & Translation Notes

Original Reader Horizon • Lexical & Canonical Mesh

a 12:1 — on the Sabbath … to pluck heads of grain (τοῖς σάββασιν … τίλλειν στάχυας / tois sabbasin … tillein stachyas) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: σάββατον sabbaton, from the Hebrew שַׁבָּת šabbāṯ, “cessation, rest,” is the seventh day. It often appears in the plural, as here (τοῖς σάββασιν tois sabbasin), with a singular meaning. τίλλω tillō means to pluck, and στάχυς stachys is a head of grain. Only Matthew says the disciples “were hungry,” which sets up the comparison with David (12:3).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: God rested on the seventh day and made it holy (Genesis 2:3), and Israel was commanded to keep it (Exodus 20:8–11), even “in plowing time and in harvest” (Exodus 34:21). The Law allowed a traveler to pluck grain by hand in a neighbor’s field, though not to use a sickle (Deuteronomy 23:25). Mark and Luke tell the same event (Mark 2:23–28; Luke 6:1–5).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The Pharisees’ objection was not theft but work. The Mishnah lists thirty-nine kinds of forbidden labor on the Sabbath, including reaping and threshing (Mishnah Shabbat 7:2), and plucking grain was counted as reaping. Sabbath observance was one of the chief marks that set Jews apart in the Roman world; Jubilees 50:12–13 prescribes death for anyone who works on the Sabbath, including one who harvests.

b 12:4 — the bread of the Presence (τοὺς ἄρτους τῆς προθέσεως / tous artous tēs protheseōs) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: Literally “the loaves of the setting forth,” the Septuagint’s phrase for the Hebrew לֶחֶם הַפָּנִים leḥem happānîm, “bread of the face,” bread set before the Lord’s presence. “The house of God” is the tabernacle, then at Nob. NA28 reads the plural “they ate” (ἔφαγον ephagon); some manuscripts read “he ate” (ἔφαγεν ephagen).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Twelve loaves were set each Sabbath on the golden table in the Holy Place, and afterward eaten by the priests alone “in a holy place” (Leviticus 24:5–9; Exodus 25:30). The priest Ahimelech gave the old loaves to David and his men when they had nothing else to eat (1 Samuel 21:1–6). Hebrews describes the table and the bread in the first section of the tabernacle (Hebrews 9:2).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Later rabbinic tradition held that David came to Nob on a Sabbath, the day the bread was replaced (Babylonian Talmud, Menachot 95b), and that saving life overrides the Sabbath. Jesus argues from Scripture that human need took priority over a holy rule, and that the one who allowed it was the anointed king. The comparison sets Jesus, the Son of David, beside David, and His hungry disciples beside David’s men.

c 12:6 — something greater than the temple is here (τοῦ ἱεροῦ μεῖζόν ἐστιν ὧδε / tou hierou meizon estin hōde) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: μεῖζον meizon, “greater,” is neuter: “something greater,” not “someone greater.” The same neuter form returns in 12:41–42 (“something greater than Jonah … than Solomon”). It can refer to Jesus Himself, to the kingdom present in Him, or to both. ἱερόν hieron is the temple complex. “Profane” (βεβηλόω bebēloō, 12:5) means to treat as common.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The Law required the priests to offer double sacrifices on the Sabbath (Numbers 28:9–10), work that the temple service made lawful. Solomon confessed that heaven itself cannot contain God, “how much less this house” (1 Kings 8:27). Ezekiel saw the glory of the Lord fill the temple (Ezekiel 43:5). Matthew presents Jesus as “Immanuel, God with us” (Matthew 1:23), and John records, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up” (John 2:19).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The temple in Jerusalem was where heaven and earth met, the earthly counterpart of God’s throne room where He sits among His heavenly host (Isaiah 6:1–4). To claim that something greater than the temple was present was to claim that God’s presence was now found where Jesus was. For Jewish hearers, the temple service could override the Sabbath; Jesus argues that what He brings can do so even more.

d 12:8 — the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath (κύριος γάρ ἐστιν τοῦ σαββάτου ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου / kyrios gar estin tou sabbatou ho huios tou anthrōpou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: κύριος kyrios, “Lord,” stands first in the Greek sentence for emphasis. Mark adds, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27); Matthew moves directly to the claim. On “Son of Man,” see the note on Matthew 8:20.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: God gave the Sabbath as a sign between Himself and Israel: “that you may know that I, the Lord, sanctify you” (Exodus 31:13); Isaiah calls it “My holy day” (Isaiah 58:13). Jesus has just offered rest to the weary (Matthew 11:28–30), and Hebrews speaks of a Sabbath rest that remains for God’s people (Hebrews 4:9–10).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The Sabbath belonged to the Lord who instituted it at creation. For the Son of Man to be its Lord was to stand where God stands. Christians have disagreed about what this means for Sabbath observance today: some keep the seventh day, many observe Sunday as the Lord’s Day, and others hold that the Sabbath is fulfilled in Christ’s rest. The passage itself concerns who has authority over the day.

e 12:11 — if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath (ἐὰν ἐμπέσῃ τοῦτο τοῖς σάββασιν εἰς βόθυνον / ean empesē touto tois sabbasin eis bothynon) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: βόθυνος bothynos is a pit or ditch. The question is a “how much more” argument (see the note on 7:11): if a sheep may be rescued, a person may be healed. ξηρός xēros, “withered” (12:10), means dried up, paralyzed. ἀπεκατεστάθη apekatestathē, “was restored” (12:13), is the verb of restoration to a former state.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke records similar sayings about an ox or a son fallen into a well and about untying an animal to water it on the Sabbath (Luke 14:5; 13:15). The Law required helping a neighbor’s fallen animal (Deuteronomy 22:4). Mark frames the question as “to do good or to do harm, to save life or to kill” (Mark 3:4).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish groups differed on this very case. The Qumran Damascus Document forbade it: “If an animal falls into a pit or a ditch, one shall not lift it out on the Sabbath” (CD 11:13–14). Rabbinic tradition allowed food or a ramp so the animal could climb out, and permitted setting aside the Sabbath when a human life was in danger (Mishnah Yoma 8:6). Jesus appeals to what His hearers would do for their own sheep. A withered hand was no emergency, which is why His healing provoked the Pharisees.

f 12:14 — took counsel against Him, how they might destroy Him (συμβούλιον ἔλαβον κατ᾽ αὐτοῦ ὅπως αὐτὸν ἀπολέσωσιν / symboulion elabon kat’ autou hopōs auton apolesōsin) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: συμβούλιον λαμβάνω symboulion lambanō is a Latin-style idiom, “to take counsel, to plot.” Matthew uses it again for the plots that lead to the cross (22:15; 27:1, 7; 28:12). ἀπόλλυμι apollymi, “destroy,” is the same verb used of Herod’s intent toward the child Jesus (2:13).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: “The rulers take counsel together against the Lord and against His Anointed” (Psalm 2:2); “they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life” (Psalm 31:13). Mark adds that the Pharisees plotted “with the Herodians” (Mark 3:6). On the morning of the trial, “all the chief priests and the elders took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death” (Matthew 27:1).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: This is the first time Matthew says the religious leaders sought Jesus’ death, and it comes over the Sabbath, one of the most sensitive matters of Jewish identity. Matthew’s Jewish readers would recognize the pattern of Psalm 2, where earthly rulers plot against God’s anointed king, and the story of Herod in chapter 2.

g 12:18 — Behold, My servant whom I have chosen (ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς μου ὃν ᾑρέτισα / idou ho pais mou hon hēretisa) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: The longest Old Testament quotation in Matthew, set in capitals. It follows neither the Hebrew nor the Septuagint exactly. The Septuagint names the servant “Jacob” and “Israel”; Matthew does not. “My beloved in whom My soul is well pleased” is closer to the Hebrew בְּחִירִי רָצְתָה נַפְשִׁי bəḥîrî rāṣəṯâ nap̄šî (“My chosen, in whom My soul delights”) and matches the words from heaven at Jesus’ baptism (3:17). παῖς pais can mean “servant” or “child”; it renders the Hebrew עֶבֶד ʿeḇeḏ, “servant.” κρίσις krisis here means “justice,” the right order God establishes. The words are God’s, quoted by Matthew, so they are not colored (per the TWB speech-color rule).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Isaiah 42:1–4 is the first of the Servant Songs of Isaiah, which culminate in Isaiah 52:13–53:12, the passage Matthew quoted in 8:17. The voice from heaven at the baptism and the transfiguration echoes this text: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17; 17:5). The Servant is “a light for the nations” (Isaiah 49:6). Peter calls Jesus God’s “servant” (παῖς pais, Acts 3:13).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Matthew places the quotation right after Jesus withdraws and tells those He healed not to make Him known (12:15–16). The quiet, gentle Servant explains Jesus’ refusal to seek public acclaim at the moment His enemies are plotting His death. Jewish interpreters read the servant variously as Israel, the prophet, or the Messiah; the Aramaic Targum of Isaiah 42:1 reads, “Behold My servant, the Messiah.”

h 12:21 — in His name the nations will hope (τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσιν / tō onomati autou ethnē elpiousin) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἔθνη ethnē, “nations,” appears in both 12:18 and 12:21, framing the quotation. This last line follows the Septuagint (“in his name the nations will hope”) rather than the Hebrew (“the coastlands wait for his law”). “Until He leads justice to victory” (12:20) renders ἕως ἂν ἐκβάλῃ εἰς νῖκος τὴν κρίσιν heōs an ekbalē eis nikos tēn krisin; νῖκος nikos is victory.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Paul quotes Isaiah 11:10 in the same Greek words: “in Him will the nations hope” (Romans 15:12). The psalmist ends the Divine Council psalm by calling God to judge the earth, “for You shall inherit all the nations” (Psalm 82:8). The risen Jesus sends His disciples to make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: On the Divine Council reading of Scripture, the nations had been allotted to lesser heavenly powers after Babel (Deuteronomy 32:8–9), while Israel remained the Lord’s portion. Psalm 82 pictures God judging those gods for their injustice and claiming the nations as His own. Matthew applies Isaiah’s promise of justice for the nations to Jesus: the Servant brings God’s rule to the peoples once given over to other powers, and they will place their hope in His name. The Beelzebul controversy that follows shows that conflict with those powers.

i 12:26 — how then will his kingdom stand? (πῶς οὖν σταθήσεται ἡ βασιλεία αὐτοῦ / pōs oun stathēsetai hē basileia autou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: Σατανᾶς Satanas comes from the Hebrew הַשָּׂטָן haśśāṭān, “the adversary.” Jesus treats Satan as the ruler of a real “kingdom” (βασιλεία basileia), set against the kingdom of God (12:28). “Laid waste” (ἐρημοῦται erēmoutai, 12:25) means made desolate. “Knowing their thoughts” (12:25) recalls 9:4.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The devil offered Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world” (Matthew 4:8–9), claiming that their authority had been given to him (Luke 4:6). Jesus calls him “the ruler of this world” (John 12:31), and Paul “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) and “the ruler of the authority of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). “The whole world lies in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19). Revelation names him “the great dragon … the ancient serpent … the deceiver of the whole world” (Revelation 12:9).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Within the Divine Council worldview, Satan is a rebellious member of the heavenly host who leads a rival realm of spirits. Second Temple writings describe the same: Mastema in Jubilees 10:8–9, Belial in the Dead Sea Scrolls, who rules “the lot of darkness” (1QM 13:11–12). Jesus’ argument assumes this picture: the exorcisms are not Satan’s work, because Satan’s realm does not fight against itself; they are an attack on his kingdom.

j 12:27 — by whom do your sons cast them out? (οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν ἐν τίνι ἐκβάλλουσιν / hoi huioi hymōn en tini ekballousin) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: “Your sons” is a Semitic idiom for members of the Pharisees’ own circle, their followers or disciples. “They will be your judges” (κριταί kritai) means their own exorcists would testify against their charge.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke records the same argument (Luke 11:19). Jewish exorcists appear in Acts, where the sons of Sceva try to use Jesus’ name (Acts 19:13–16), and the disciples report a man casting out demons in Jesus’ name (Mark 9:38).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Josephus describes a Jew named Eleazar who drew a demon out through a man’s nose with a ring and incantations attributed to Solomon, in the presence of the future emperor Vespasian (Antiquities 8.46–49). The book of Tobit tells of a demon driven off by the smoke of a fish’s heart and liver and then bound by the angel Raphael (Tobit 8:2–3). If the Pharisees approved such exorcisms among their own people, they could not consistently attribute Jesus’ exorcisms to Satan.

k 12:28 — the kingdom of God has come upon you (ἄρα ἔφθασεν ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ / ara ephthasen eph’ hymas hē basileia tou theou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: φθάνω phthanō means to arrive, reach, or overtake; the aorist ἔφθασεν ephthasen says the kingdom has already arrived. Matthew uses “kingdom of God” here rather than his usual “kingdom of the heavens” (see the note on 6:33). Luke’s parallel reads “by the finger of God” (Luke 11:20).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Pharaoh’s magicians, unable to match the plague of gnats, said, “This is the finger of God” (Exodus 8:19). The Spirit rests on the anointed one who proclaims liberty to captives (Isaiah 61:1), and the Spirit was just named in the Servant quotation (Matthew 12:18). God “has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jews of the period expected God to defeat the evil powers when His kingdom came: “Then His kingdom will appear throughout all His creation, and then Satan will be no more” (Testament of Moses 10:1). Jesus says that this defeat is already happening in His exorcisms. The kingdom is not only future; it has broken into the present wherever the Spirit drives out the powers.

l 12:29 — unless he first binds the strong man (ἐὰν μὴ πρῶτον δήσῃ τὸν ἰσχυρόν / ean mē prōton dēsē ton ischyron) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἰσχυρός ischyros, “strong,” is the same word John used for the “mightier” one who would come after him (3:11): the stronger one binds the strong man. σκεύη skeuē are household goods. διαρπάζω diarpazō means to plunder thoroughly. δέω deō, “bind,” is also the verb of binding and loosing in 16:19.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: “Can the prey be taken from the mighty? … Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken, and the prey of the tyrant be rescued” (Isaiah 49:24–25). The Servant “shall divide the spoil with the strong” (Isaiah 53:12). An angel seizes the dragon and binds him for a thousand years (Revelation 20:2). Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities (Colossians 2:15) and destroyed the one who has the power of death, the devil (Hebrews 2:14).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Binding hostile spirits was a familiar idea. In 1 Enoch, God commands Raphael, “Bind Azazel hand and foot and cast him into the darkness” (1 Enoch 10:4), and Michael to bind the leaders of the Watchers until the judgment (1 Enoch 10:11–12). The Testament of Levi foresees a new priest under whom “Beliar shall be bound by him” (Testament of Levi 18:12). Within the Divine Council worldview, Jesus describes His ministry as a raid on the strong man’s house: the captives of the hostile powers are being set free because their master is being bound.

m 12:31 — the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven (ἡ δὲ τοῦ πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται / hē de tou pneumatos blasphēmia ouk aphethēsetai) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: βλασφημία blasphēmia is slander or irreverent speech, here against God. The context defines it: the Pharisees have attributed the Spirit’s work in Jesus to Beelzebul (12:24, 28). Mark explains, “because they were saying, ‘He has an unclean spirit’” (Mark 3:30).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Israel “rebelled and grieved His Holy Spirit” (Isaiah 63:10). Hebrews warns about those who have tasted the heavenly gift and then fall away (Hebrews 6:4–6) and about sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth (Hebrews 10:26). John speaks of “sin that leads to death” (1 John 5:16).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Christians have understood this sin in several ways. Many Protestant interpreters see it as a settled, deliberate rejection of the Spirit’s testimony to Jesus, so that it is unforgivable because it refuses forgiveness; a person troubled that they may have committed it shows by that concern that they have not. Catholic teaching describes it as a deliberate refusal to accept God’s mercy, final impenitence (Catechism 1864). Others restrict it to Jesus’ opponents who witnessed His miracles and called them Satan’s work. All agree that, in context, it concerns calling the Spirit’s work demonic.

n 12:32 — either in this age or in the age to come (οὔτε ἐν τούτῳ τῷ αἰῶνι οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι / oute en toutō tō aiōni oute en tō mellonti) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: αἰών aiōn is an age, an era of history. “This age … the age to come” reflects the Jewish division of history into the present age and the age of the kingdom. The phrase is an emphatic way of saying “never.” Speaking against “the Son of Man” can be forgiven: Jesus’ humble appearance might lead people to misjudge Him.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Paul speaks of Christ’s rule “not only in this age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21). Believers have tasted “the powers of the age to come” (Hebrews 6:5). Matthew speaks of “the end of the age” (13:39; 28:20).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The two-age scheme was common in Jewish thought: “The Most High has made not one age but two” (4 Ezra 7:50). Interpreters differ on a further question. Some Catholic writers, following Gregory the Great (Dialogues 4.41), have reasoned from this verse that some sins can be forgiven in the age to come, as one support for the doctrine of purgatory. Protestant and Orthodox interpreters generally read the phrase as an idiom for “never,” without implying forgiveness after death. TWB records both readings.

o 12:36 — every careless word (πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργόν / pan rhēma argon) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἀργός argos, from ἀ- a- (“not”) and ἔργον ergon (“work”), means idle, useless, careless. ἀποδίδωμι λόγον apodidōmi logon means to render an account. “Justified” and “condemned” (12:37) are verdicts in court.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). “God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing” (Ecclesiastes 12:14). James calls the tongue a fire (James 3:6). What comes out of the mouth comes from the heart (Matthew 15:18).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish teachers warned against idle talk: “Do not talk much with women … and with your fellow” and “Make a fence for your words” (Mishnah Avot 1:5; 1:17). Jesus’ point follows from 12:33–35: words show what is in the heart. The Pharisees’ careless words about the Spirit’s work (12:24) revealed their hearts and would stand as evidence on the day of judgment.

p 12:39 — An evil and adulterous generation (γενεὰ πονηρὰ καὶ μοιχαλίς / genea ponēra kai moichalis) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: μοιχαλίς moichalis, “adulterous,” is the prophets’ image of covenant unfaithfulness to God. σημεῖον sēmeion is a sign, a proof of divine backing. Jesus refuses a sign on demand but offers one: “the sign of Jonah.” He repeats the saying in 16:4.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The prophets called Israel an unfaithful wife (Hosea 2:2; Jeremiah 3:8; Ezekiel 16:32). Moses called Israel “a crooked and twisted generation” (Deuteronomy 32:5). James calls friendship with the world spiritual adultery (James 4:4).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish tradition remembered prophets authenticated by signs, such as Moses (Exodus 4:1–9) and Elijah (1 Kings 18:36–39), and Josephus describes first-century figures who promised signs to gather followers (Antiquities 20.97, 168). The demand came after many healings and exorcisms; Jesus treats it as a refusal of the signs already given.

q 12:40 — the belly of the great fish … the heart of the earth (ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ τοῦ κήτους … ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς γῆς / en tē koilia tou kētous … en tē kardia tēs gēs) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: The words “Jonah was in the belly of the great fish three days and three nights” match the Septuagint of Jonah 2:1 (English 1:17) word for word, so TWB sets them in capitals as a citation. The Hebrew of Jonah reads דָּג גָּדוֹל dāḡ gāḏôl, “a great fish,” and the Septuagint translated it κῆτος μέγα kētos mega, “a great sea creature.” Matthew uses κῆτος kētos alone. The word means any huge creature of the sea, such as a whale or large fish; in Greek it can also mean a sea monster, and the Septuagint uses it for the “great sea monsters” of Genesis 1:21. In modern English “sea monster” suggests a creature of fantasy that neither Jonah nor Matthew had in mind, so TWB renders “great fish,” the words of the Hebrew that Matthew’s Greek is quoting, and records the Greek word here. The older rendering “whale” comes from the King James Version. “The heart of the earth” is the depths beneath the earth.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Jonah prayed “from the belly of Sheol,” saying, “I went down to the land whose bars closed upon me forever” (Jonah 2:2, 6). Jesus later says He will be raised “on the third day” (Matthew 16:21). Paul writes that Christ “descended into the lower regions, the earth” (Ephesians 4:9), and Peter that He proclaimed to the spirits in prison (1 Peter 3:19), passages whose meaning is debated.

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish reckoning counted part of a day as a whole day: “a day and a night make an onah, and part of an onah is as the whole of it” (Jerusalem Talmud, Shabbat 9:3). So Friday afternoon to Sunday morning could be called “three days and three nights.” Within the Divine Council worldview, Jonah’s prayer pictures descent into the realm of the dead beneath the sea and the earth. Interpreters differ on whether “the heart of the earth” means simply the grave or a descent of Christ’s spirit to the realm of the dead, as many early Christians held and as some versions of the Apostles’ Creed state (“He descended into hell”).

r 12:41 — The men of Nineveh … something greater than Jonah (ἄνδρες Νινευῖται … πλεῖον Ἰωνᾶ ὧδε / andres Nineuitai … pleion Iōna hōde) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: Νινευίτης Nineuitēs is a person of Nineveh. “Rise up at the judgment” (ἀναστήσονται ἐν τῇ κρίσει anastēsontai en tē krisei) pictures a court in which they stand as witnesses. πλεῖον pleion, “greater,” is neuter, as in 12:6. κήρυγμα kērygma is the proclamation Jonah preached.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Nineveh repented at Jonah’s preaching, from the king down, and God relented (Jonah 3:5–10). Later Nahum announced its fall (Nahum 3). Jesus has already said that Tyre and Sidon would have repented at His works (Matthew 11:21).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Nineveh was the capital of Assyria, Israel’s most feared enemy, which destroyed the northern kingdom in 722 B.C. That pagan Assyrians would stand up to condemn Jesus’ generation was a shocking reversal for His Jewish hearers. Jonah was a reluctant prophet with a single message of doom; the one now present brings the kingdom itself.

s 12:42 — The queen of the South (βασίλισσα νότου / basilissa notou) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: νότος notos is the south. The queen is the queen of Sheba (1 Kings 10:1–13). “From the ends of the earth” (ἐκ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ek tōn peratōn tēs gēs) was a way of describing a far-off land.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The queen came to test Solomon with hard questions, saw his wisdom, and praised the Lord (1 Kings 10:1–9). Kings of Sheba bring gifts to Israel’s king (Psalm 72:10, 15), and the nations come from Sheba with gold and frankincense (Isaiah 60:6), as the magi did (Matthew 2:11).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Sheba was a kingdom of southwestern Arabia (modern Yemen), with possible ties across the Red Sea to Ethiopia, where later tradition made her the ancestor of the Ethiopian royal line. Like the Ninevites, she was a Gentile who responded to God’s wisdom when she encountered it. Jesus, the Son of David, offers wisdom greater than Solomon’s (compare 11:19).

t 12:43 — waterless places (δι᾽ ἀνύδρων τόπων / di’ anydrōn topōn) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἄνυδρος anydros means “waterless,” desert land. ἀνάπαυσις anapausis, “rest,” is the same word Jesus offered the weary in 11:29: the spirit seeks rest and finds none. σχολάζω scholazō (12:44) means to be unoccupied. “Seven” suggests completeness; the state of the person becomes wholly evil.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Isaiah pictures desolate places inhabited by wild creatures and goat-demons (שְׂעִירִים śəʿîrîm, Isaiah 13:21; 34:14), and Isaiah 34:14 names Lilith, a night creature. On the Day of Atonement, the goat for Azazel was sent into the wilderness (Leviticus 16:10). Babylon becomes “a dwelling place for demons, a haunt for every unclean spirit” (Revelation 18:2).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jews of the period widely believed that desert places were the home of demons. In Tobit, the demon Asmodeus, driven off by the smoke, flees “to the remotest parts of Egypt,” where Raphael binds him (Tobit 8:3). In 1 Enoch, Azazel is bound in the desert of Dudael (1 Enoch 10:4). Jesus applies the picture to “this evil generation”: an exorcism alone, without the person becoming a dwelling of God, leaves the house open to a worse invasion.

u 12:47 — And someone said to Him (εἶπεν δέ τις αὐτῷ / eipen de tis autō) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: NA28 prints verse 47 in brackets because important early manuscripts lack it. It is present in most manuscripts and in the Majority Text and Textus Receptus. TWB includes the verse, following NA28, and records here that it is uncertain; without it, “the one who told Him” in 12:48 has no antecedent, which supports including it.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Mark and Luke both record a report to Jesus that His mother and brothers were outside (Mark 3:32; Luke 8:20). The verse repeats the wording of 12:46 almost exactly.

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Verse 47 may have been lost in some copies when a scribe’s eye skipped from “to speak” at the end of 12:46 to “to speak” at the end of 12:47 (a copying error known as homoioteleuton). Or it may have been added to supply a speaker for 12:48. NA28 keeps it but marks the doubt; TWB does the same in this note.

Variant record: main text “verse 47 present: “And someone said to Him, ‘Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.’””; alternative “verse 47 absent”. Witnesses: NA28: main (in brackets); Codex Sinaiticus (original hand): alternative; Codex Vaticanus: alternative; Codex Ephraemi: main; Codex Bezae: main; Majority Text: main; Textus Receptus: main. Decision: NA28 reading retained.

v 12:50 — he is My brother and sister and mother (αὐτός μου ἀδελφὸς καὶ ἀδελφὴ καὶ μήτηρ ἐστίν / autos mou adelphos kai adelphē kai mētēr estin) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἀδελφός adelphos is “brother,” ἀδελφή adelphē “sister,” and μήτηρ mētēr “mother.” Jesus adds “sister,” though only His mother and brothers were mentioned. Doing “the will of My Father” repeats Matthew 7:21. On the identity of Jesus’ brothers, see the note on 13:55.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Mark records the same saying (Mark 3:31–35). The risen Jesus calls His disciples “My brothers” (Matthew 28:10), and He “is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Hebrews 2:11). “Whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10:37).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In the ancient world, family was the basic unit of identity, loyalty, and inheritance. Jesus does not reject His mother and brothers, but He defines His true family by obedience to the Father. This new family included women as well as men, and people of every background.

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Book InsightsMatthew

Author

Matthew, also called Levi, the tax collector whom Jesus called to follow Him and who became one of the Twelve (9:9; 10:3; compare Mark 2:14; Luke 5:27). The Gospel does not name its author, but the evidence for Matthew is strong:

  • Unanimous early testimony. Every ancient manuscript that preserves a title reads “According to Matthew” (Κατὰ Μαθθαῖον Kata Maththaion), and no other author was ever proposed. Papias, bishop of Hierapolis in the early 2nd century A.D., wrote that “Matthew compiled the sayings (λόγια logia) in the Hebrew language” (quoted by Eusebius, Church History 3.39.16). Irenaeus (c. A.D. 180), Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome all name Matthew.
  • Clues in the text. Only this Gospel calls the converted tax collector “Matthew” (9:9) and lists him as “Matthew the tax collector” (10:3), a humble self-reference. It has the most interest in money: the temple tax (17:24–27), the coin of the tribute (22:19, where Matthew alone uses the technical term νόμισμα nomisma), and talents and debts (18:23–35; 25:14–30). A tax collector would have been literate and used to keeping careful records, probably in Greek as well as Aramaic.
  • Matthew first. In John Wenham, Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke (1991), John Wenham argues that the early church’s order is correct: Matthew wrote first, then Mark, then Luke. Clement of Alexandria reported that “the Gospels containing the genealogies were written first” (Eusebius, Church History 6.14.5), which places Matthew and Luke before Mark, and every early writer who names an order puts Matthew first.
  • One shared teaching, with some borrowing. Wenham’s own model is “an oral theory with some measure of successive dependence.” All three Gospels draw on the Jerusalem catechesis, the apostles’ carefully taught oral account of Jesus’ words and deeds. On top of that shared teaching, Mark made some use of Matthew, and Luke made some use of both Matthew and Mark. On this view the hypothetical source Q is unnecessary, and each Gospel is an independent witness to the apostolic preaching.

Papias’s report that Matthew wrote “in the Hebrew language” is read by many who hold Matthew’s priority as evidence of an earlier Hebrew or Aramaic edition, followed by the Greek Gospel we have; others take it to describe a Hebrew style of writing or a collection of sayings.

Other views — What Papias meant

Papias’s words are debated. Some take them to mean Matthew first wrote a Hebrew or Aramaic Gospel that was later translated into the Greek we have. Others think he meant a collection of Jesus’ sayings rather than this Gospel. Still others read “in the Hebrew language” as “in a Hebrew style.” Our Greek Matthew does not read like a translation, and it often quotes the Old Testament from the Septuagint.

Other views — The Synoptic Problem

Most scholars today explain the shared material in Matthew, Mark, and Luke differently from Wenham:

  • Two-Source Hypothesis (the majority view): Mark wrote first. Matthew and Luke each used Mark plus a lost collection of Jesus’ sayings called Q, from the German Quelle (“source”). Material found only in Matthew is often labeled M.
  • Farrer Hypothesis: Mark wrote first, Matthew used Mark, and Luke used both, so no Q is needed.
  • Two-Gospel (Griesbach) Hypothesis: Matthew wrote first, Luke used Matthew, and Mark combined both. Wenham charts what this would require in Mark 1:1–13: Mark switching between Matthew, Luke, and his own words every few words, a process he finds implausible (pp. 13–15).

Supporters of Mark’s priority point to Mark’s rougher Greek, which Matthew and Luke seem to smooth, and to Matthew’s inclusion of nearly all of Mark. No manuscript of Q has ever been found. Many conservative scholars hold Mark’s priority and still affirm the apostle Matthew as author.

Other views — An unnamed Jewish-Christian author

Many critical scholars hold that the Gospel was written by an unknown Jewish believer, perhaps a scribe trained for the kingdom (13:52), and later attached to Matthew’s name. They argue that an eyewitness apostle would not have relied on Mark, who was not one of the Twelve.

Audience

Primarily Jewish believers, along with Jews being invited to believe. Matthew assumes his readers know the Law, the Prophets, and Jewish customs. He leaves customs unexplained that Mark explains for Gentiles (compare 15:2 with Mark 7:3–4), and traces Jesus’ line back to Abraham. Out of reverence he usually says “kingdom of heaven” rather than “kingdom of God.” Yet the Gospel looks outward from the start, with Gentile magi at the cradle (2:1–12), and ends with the command to make disciples of all nations (28:19).

Date Written

c. A.D. 40–65, before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in A.D. 70. Conservative scholars hold two main positions within that range.

c. A.D. 50–65. Matthew writes as though the temple is still standing: he includes instructions about offering gifts at the altar (5:23–24), paying the temple tax (17:24–27), and swearing by the temple (23:16–22). Twice he says something remains “to this day” (27:8; 28:15). Jesus predicts the temple’s fall (24:1–2), but the Gospel never reports it as having happened. Many conservative scholars, including those who hold that Matthew used Mark, place the Gospel in this period.

c. A.D. 40 (John Wenham). Those who hold Matthean priority often place it earlier still, in the A.D. 40s or 50s. Wenham reaches c. A.D. 40 by working back from Acts:

  • Acts was finished in A.D. 62. It ends with Paul two years under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:30–31) and says nothing of his death (c. A.D. 67), the great fire of Rome and Nero’s persecution (A.D. 64), the outbreak of the Jewish War (A.D. 66), or the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70).
  • Luke came before Acts (Acts 1:1). Wenham dates Luke to about A.D. 54 and identifies Luke with “the brother whose praise is in the gospel” (2 Corinthians 8:18), in a letter he dates to A.D. 56.
  • Mark came before Luke, about A.D. 45, from Peter’s preaching in Rome. Wenham reads Peter’s escape from Herod Agrippa I to “another place” (Acts 12:17, A.D. 42) as his journey to Rome.
  • Matthew came first, about A.D. 40, before the persecution under Herod Agrippa I scattered the apostles from Jerusalem in A.D. 42 (Acts 12:1–17). Eusebius says Matthew wrote for the Hebrews when he was about to leave them to preach to others (Church History 3.24.6).

Source for Wenham’s dates: John Wenham, Redating Matthew, Mark and Luke (1991), Chronological Table, pp. xxv–xxvi.

Other views — Critical dating (c. A.D. 80–90)

Many critical scholars date Matthew after A.D. 70. They reason that Matthew used Mark, usually dated around A.D. 65–70, and that the parable of the king who “burned their city” (22:7) looks back on Jerusalem’s fall. They also point to sharp conflict with synagogue leaders (23:34), which they place in the decades after the war. Conservative scholars respond that 22:7 uses the common language of ancient warfare and judgment (compare Judges 1:8; Isaiah 1:7), not specific details of A.D. 70, and that predictive prophecy should not be ruled out in advance.

Location Written

Judea, most likely Jerusalem. Wenham, following the early tradition, places Matthew’s writing in the land of Israel for Jewish believers before the apostles left Jerusalem.

  • Early testimony. Irenaeus says Matthew wrote “among the Hebrews” (Against Heresies 3.1.1), and Eusebius says he wrote for them before leaving to preach to others (Church History 3.24.6).
  • The audience. The Gospel assumes readers who know Jewish customs without explanation (compare 15:2 with Mark 7:3–4), care about the temple and the Law, and need answers to questions raised by the synagogue.

Other views — Other proposed places

Many scholars, conservative and critical, suggest Syrian Antioch, a city with a large Jewish population and an early church of both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 11:19–26). Ignatius, bishop of Antioch (c. A.D. 110), is the earliest writer to show clear knowledge of Matthew. Galilee, Caesarea Maritima, and Phoenicia have also been suggested.

Purpose

To show that Jesus is the promised Messiah (Χριστός Christos), the Son of David and Son of Abraham (1:1). He fulfills the Law and the Prophets and brings the kingdom of heaven near. Matthew also trains disciples in how to live under that kingdom, and sends them to make disciples of every nation.

Matthew does this through two patterns. Ten times he introduces an Old Testament text with a fulfillment formula such as “this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet” (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 27:9). He also gathers Jesus’ teaching into five great discourses, each closing with “when Jesus had finished” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). Many readers see an echo of the five books of Moses:

  • The Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7)
  • Instructions to the Twelve (chapter 10)
  • Parables of the kingdom (chapter 13)
  • Life in the community (chapter 18)
  • The Olivet Discourse, on the end of the age (chapters 24–25)

Historical Problem Being Addressed

Jewish believers faced a hard question. If Jesus is Israel’s Messiah, why did Israel’s own leaders reject Him and hand Him over to be crucified? And why were Gentiles now streaming into the people of God? Believers were being opposed in the synagogues (10:17; 23:34) and needed to know that following Jesus was not abandoning the faith of Abraham and Moses, but its fulfillment. Matthew answers that the rejection itself was foretold. Jesus came not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it (5:17), and Abraham’s family was always meant to bless the nations (8:11; 28:19).

Through the Original Readers’ Eyes

Matthew’s first readers lived in a land ruled by Rome through Herod’s family and Roman governors (2:1, 22; 27:2), worshiping in synagogues and arguing over how to keep the Law. Several things they knew shape how they heard this Gospel:

  • Hope for a Son of David. Many Jews longed for a king who would restore Israel. The Psalms of Solomon (1st century B.C.) pray for “the son of David” to purge Jerusalem of Gentiles and rule in righteousness (Psalms of Solomon 17). Some Qumran texts expect both a royal and a priestly messiah (1QS 9:11). Matthew’s Son of David heals the blind and lame (21:14) and dies under the charge “King of the Jews.”
  • The Son of Man. Daniel 7 pictures one like a son of man receiving everlasting dominion. The Similitudes of Enoch (1 Enoch 37–71, whose date is debated) speak of a heavenly Son of Man who judges from a glorious throne. Readers who knew these texts would hear Jesus’ favorite self-designation as a claim to that throne (19:28; 25:31).
  • Caesar’s claims. Augustus was called “son of god” (divi filius), and an inscription from Priene (9 B.C.) calls his birthday the beginning of “good news” (εὐαγγέλια euangelia) for the world. A Gospel announcing a different King, a different Son of God, and a different kingdom would have sounded like a rival claim.
  • Pharisees, scribes, and synagogues. The disputes over Sabbath, purity, oaths, and tithing (chapters 12, 15, 23) were live questions for Jewish communities. Matthew’s readers needed to know how Jesus’ followers related to the Law and to the synagogue leaders.

Among the early church, Matthew quickly became the most quoted Gospel. The Didache (late 1st or early 2nd century) gives the Lord’s Prayer in a form very close to Matthew’s (Didache 8:2), and Ignatius of Antioch (c. A.D. 110) shows knowledge of it. It was placed first in the New Testament, as the bridge from Israel’s Scriptures to the gospel.

Key Words

Kingdom of heaven: βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν basileia tōn ouranōn

The phrase appears more than thirty times in Matthew and nowhere else in the New Testament. Following Jewish reverence for God’s name, “heaven” stands for God Himself, so it means the same as “kingdom of God,” which Matthew also uses a few times (12:28; 19:24; 21:31, 43).

Fulfill: πληρόω plēroō

Ten times Matthew introduces an Old Testament text with a fulfillment formula (1:22; 2:15, 17, 23; 4:14; 8:17; 12:17; 13:35; 21:4; 27:9), and Jesus says He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (5:17). In Matthew, fulfillment means more than prediction coming true: Israel’s story and Scripture reach their goal in Jesus.

Righteousness: δικαιοσύνη dikaiosynē

Jesus is baptized “to fulfill all righteousness” (3:15), and His disciples must hunger for righteousness (5:6), have a righteousness greater than that of the scribes and Pharisees (5:20), and seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness (6:33). It names the life that matches God’s will.

Key Verses

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. Matthew 5:17 (TWB)

The main key verse: Jesus came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets but to fulfill them. The whole Gospel unfolds this claim.

Matthew 16:16

Peter’s confession, the turning point of the Gospel: Jesus is the Messiah (Χριστός Christos), the Son of the living God.

Matthew 28:18–20

The Great Commission: the risen Jesus, with all authority in heaven and on earth, sends His disciples to make disciples of all nations, and promises to be with them always, echoing “Immanuel, God with us” (1:23).

Outline

Matthew alternates narrative with five major blocks of teaching, each ending with “when Jesus had finished” (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1).

  1. The coming of the King 1:1–4:25
    1. Genealogy, birth, and infancy 1:1–2:23
    2. John the Baptist, the baptism, and the temptation 3:1–4:11
    3. Ministry in Galilee begins 4:12–25
  2. First discourse: the Sermon on the Mount 5:1–7:29
  3. Mighty works: ten miracles 8:1–9:38
  4. Second discourse: sending out the Twelve 10:1–11:1
  5. Growing opposition 11:2–12:50 You are here
  6. Third discourse: parables of the kingdom 13:1–53
  7. Peter’s confession and the road to the cross 13:54–17:27
  8. Fourth discourse: life in the community 18:1–19:1
  9. In Judea and Jerusalem 19:2–23:39
  10. Fifth discourse: the Olivet Discourse 24:1–25:46
  11. Death and resurrection; the Great Commission 26:1–28:20

Christ in the Book

Matthew presents Jesus above all as the King.

  • The Son of David, heir to the throne promised in 2 Samuel 7:12–16 (1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 20:30–31; 21:9).
  • The Son of Abraham, the seed through whom the nations are blessed (1:1; compare Genesis 12:3; 22:18).
  • Immanuel, “God with us” (1:23, quoting Isaiah 7:14). The Gospel ends where it began: “I am with you always” (28:20).
  • The Messiah, the Son of the living God, as Peter confesses at Caesarea Philippi (16:16), where TWB renders Χριστός Christos as “Messiah.”
  • The new Moses: spared as an infant from a king’s slaughter (2:13–18; compare Exodus 1:22–2:10), called out of Egypt (2:15, quoting Hosea 11:1), and teaching from the mountain (5:1).
  • The Son of Man of Daniel 7:13–14, who receives dominion and comes on the clouds (24:30; 26:64).
  • Greater than the temple, Jonah, and Solomon (12:6, 41–42).
  • The Servant of Isaiah, who carries our sicknesses and brings justice to the nations (8:17; 12:17–21).
  • The humble King riding into Jerusalem (21:5, quoting Zechariah 9:9), crucified under the charge “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (27:37).
  • The risen Lord with all authority in heaven and on earth (28:18).

The Divine Council Worldview in the Book

What is the Divine Council Worldview?

The Divine Council Worldview reads Scripture the way its first readers did. The Lord, God Most High, presides over a heavenly assembly of spiritual beings, called “sons of God,” “holy ones,” and “gods” (אֱלֹהִים ʾĕlōhîm) (Psalm 82:1; Psalm 89:5–7; 1 Kings 22:19–22; Job 1:6). He alone is Creator, and none of them is like Him (Psalm 89:6; Exodus 15:11). Some of these beings rebelled: in Eden, before the flood, and at Babel, after which the nations were placed under lesser powers while the Lord took Israel as His own portion (Deuteronomy 32:8–9). The rest of Scripture tells how God reclaims the nations through the Messiah. Not every interpreter reads these texts this way; where views differ, they are noted.

Matthew presents Jesus’ ministry as the beginning of God’s campaign to take back the nations from the powers that rebelled at Babel. The kingdom of heaven advances against an opposing kingdom.

  • The kingdoms of the world (4:8–9). The devil offers Jesus “all the kingdoms of the world and their glory” if He will worship him. On a Divine Council reading, the offer is real because the nations had been placed under other powers (Deuteronomy 32:8–9; compare Luke 4:6; John 12:31). Jesus refuses to receive the nations from the rebel and quotes Deuteronomy: “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve” (4:10).
  • Binding the strong man (12:28–29). Jesus’ exorcisms show that “the kingdom of God has come upon you.” He enters Satan’s house, binds the strong man, and plunders it.
  • The gates of Hades (16:13–18). Peter confesses Jesus as the Messiah at Caesarea Philippi, at the foot of Mount Hermon. A cave there held a shrine to the god Pan and was thought to be a gateway to the underworld, and Jewish tradition remembered Hermon as where the rebellious sons of God of Genesis 6 came down (1 Enoch 6:6). There Jesus promises that “the gates of Hades will not prevail” against His church.
  • The high mountain (17:1–8). Six days later Jesus is transfigured on “a high mountain.” Many scholars think this was Hermon itself, given its height and nearness to Caesarea Philippi; tradition since the 4th century has favored Mount Tabor.
  • Their angels (18:10). The little ones have angels who “always see the face of My Father in heaven,” a picture of heavenly beings attending God’s presence.
  • The Son of Man and the thrones (19:28; 26:64). Jesus draws on Daniel 7, where thrones are set up, the court sits, and one like a son of man receives the dominion over the nations (Daniel 7:9–14). He promises the Twelve that they will sit on twelve thrones, so that redeemed humans share in God’s rule.
  • The devil and his angels (25:41). The eternal fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels,” not originally for people.
  • All authority, all nations (28:18–20). The risen Jesus claims “all authority in heaven and on earth” and sends His disciples to make disciples of “all the nations” (πάντα τὰ ἔθνη panta ta ethnē), the very nations once given over at Babel.

Divine Council notes in the chapters translated so far

How the Book Connects to Other Books

  • Genesis: Matthew opens with “the book of the genealogy” (βίβλος γενέσεως biblos geneseōs, 1:1), the same wording the Septuagint uses in Genesis 2:4 and 5:1. A new beginning is announced in the language of the first one.
  • 2 Chronicles and Malachi: In the order of the Hebrew Bible, the Scriptures close with 2 Chronicles, which opens with genealogies and ends with an invitation to go up to Jerusalem (2 Chronicles 36:23). Matthew opens with a genealogy. In the Christian order, Malachi’s promise of Elijah (Malachi 4:5) leads into John the Baptist, whom Jesus identifies as that Elijah (11:14; 17:12–13).
  • The Prophets: Matthew quotes or echoes the Old Testament more than any other Gospel, including Isaiah 7:14 (1:23), Micah 5:2 (2:6), Hosea 11:1 (2:15), Jeremiah 31:15 (2:18), and Zechariah 9:9 (21:5).
  • Mark and Luke tell much of the same story (see the Synoptic Problem under Author), and John complements them with Jesus’ ministry in Judea.
  • Acts carries out the Great Commission (28:18–20), beginning in Jerusalem and reaching the nations (Acts 1:8).
  • James echoes the Sermon on the Mount more closely than any other letter (compare 5:3 with James 2:5; 5:11–12 with James 1:2; 5:34–37 with James 5:12; 7:7 with James 1:5).
  • Revelation: the Son of Man coming with the clouds (24:30; Revelation 1:7) and the kingdom of the world becoming the kingdom of our Lord and of His Messiah (Revelation 11:15).

TWB Translation Decisions

The main rendering decisions made so far in Matthew. Each one with a study note links to it.

“Messiah” for Χριστός

TWB renders Χριστός Christos as “Messiah” throughout, showing that it is a title (“Anointed One”) rather than a surname. The notes show the Greek wherever it matters.

Speech colors

Jesus’ words are printed in red and God the Father’s in blue (for example, the voice from heaven at the baptism, 3:17). The words of ordinary angels, such as the angel who speaks to Joseph in dreams (2:13, 19–20), are not colored.

Old Testament quotations in capitals

Direct quotations of the Old Testament are printed in capitals, so readers can see where Matthew is citing Scripture (for example, Micah 5:2 at 2:6 and Hosea 11:1 at 2:15).

Read the full note →

“Magi” (2:1)

Rather than “wise men,” which hides their priestly and astrological role, or “magicians,” which gives a negative sense Matthew does not intend.

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“His star at its rising” (2:2)

Not “in the east”: the singular with the article is an astronomical expression for a star’s rising.

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“Worship” (2:2, 11)

For προσκυνέω proskyneō, rather than “pay homage,” because Matthew uses the same verb for the disciples’ worship of Jesus (14:33; 28:9, 17).

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“He had been mocked” (2:16)

Rather than “tricked,” to keep the link with the mockery of Jesus at His trial and crucifixion, where Matthew uses the same verb.

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“That He would be called a Nazarene” (2:23)

Rendered as indirect speech, without quotation marks or capitals, because the words are not found in any one Old Testament book.

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Textual Notes

Base text: Nestle-Aland, 28th edition (NA28). Where the Majority Text or Textus Receptus reads differently, the notes record both readings and the manuscripts behind them.

The doxology of the Lord’s Prayer 6:13

“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” is found in the Majority Text and the Textus Receptus but not in the earliest manuscripts, including Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus. A shorter doxology appears in the Didache (8:2), which shows it was used in worship very early. TWB follows NA28 and records the longer reading in the note.

Verses not found in the earliest manuscripts 17:21

Three verses found in the Majority Text and Textus Receptus are absent from the earliest manuscripts: 17:21 (“this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting”), 18:11 (“the Son of Man came to save the lost”), and 23:14 (on devouring widows’ houses). Each closely matches a verse in another Gospel (Mark 9:29; Luke 19:10; Mark 12:40), and most scholars think scribes added them from there. Supporters of the Majority Text regard them as original. TWB follows NA28 and records each in the notes.

“Without cause” 5:22

The Majority Text and Textus Receptus read “whoever is angry with his brother without cause” (εἰκῆ eikē). The earliest manuscripts lack the phrase, which softens Jesus’ saying. TWB follows NA28.

The spear at the cross 27:49

Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus add that a soldier pierced Jesus’ side with a spear before He died, wording that closely matches John 19:34. NA28 places it in the apparatus, judging it an early addition from John.

Textual notes in the chapters translated so far

Contested Questions

Major questions on which careful readers and Christian traditions disagree. TWB states each view fairly and does not take a side, per the Master Specification Record.

What is “this rock” in Matthew 16:18?
Peter, with a continuing office

Jesus plays on Peter’s name (Πέτρος Petros, “rock”) and builds the church on him, giving him the keys (16:19). Catholic teaching sees this office continued in Peter’s successors, the bishops of Rome.

Peter, as the first apostle

The rock is Peter himself, as the leading apostle and first preacher (Acts 2; 10), without a line of successors. Held by many Protestant scholars today.

Peter’s confession of faith

The rock is the truth Peter confessed, that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the living God (16:16). Common in Orthodox and in much Protestant teaching; Orthodox tradition also sees every bishop as sharing Peter’s ministry.

Christ Himself

The rock is Christ, the one foundation (1 Corinthians 3:11; compare 1 Peter 2:4–8). Augustine argued for this reading in some of his writings.

What does the exception for “sexual immorality” allow (5:32; 19:9)?
Divorce and remarriage after adultery

Sexual unfaithfulness (πορνεία porneia) breaks the marriage, so the innocent party may divorce and remarry. Held in most Protestant traditions.

Separation without remarriage

A valid sacramental marriage cannot be dissolved; the exception allows separation, or applies to unions that were never valid marriages (the basis of annulment). Catholic teaching.

Remarriage permitted by pastoral mercy

Marriage is meant to be lifelong, but the church may permit a second marriage after divorce as an act of mercy (οἰκονομία oikonomia). Orthodox practice.

A narrow case

πορνεία porneia refers to unfaithfulness during betrothal (as Joseph suspected of Mary, 1:19) or to marriages within forbidden family relationships (Leviticus 18; Acts 15:29).

When is the Olivet Discourse (chapter 24) fulfilled?
In A.D. 70

Most of the discourse was fulfilled when Rome destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, within “this generation” (24:34). Held by preterist interpreters.

At the end of the age

The discourse describes events still future, before Christ’s return. Held by futurist interpreters.

Both

The fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 fulfills the near prophecy and foreshadows the final judgment at Christ’s return. Held by many interpreters across traditions.

Did Mary have other children (1:25; 13:55)?
Mary remained a virgin

“Until” (1:25) does not imply anything afterward, and Jesus’ “brothers” (13:55) were relatives. Catholic and Orthodox teaching, and held by Luther and other early Reformers. Orthodox tradition sees them as Joseph’s children from an earlier marriage; Catholic tradition, following Jerome, as cousins.

Mary and Joseph had other children

“Until” most naturally implies a normal marriage afterward, and the brothers and sisters named in 13:55–56 were younger children of Mary and Joseph. Held by most Protestants today.

Places in the Book

  • Babylon Identified first mentioned 1:11
  • Bethlehem Identified first mentioned 2:1
  • Judea Identified first mentioned 2:1
  • Jerusalem Identified first mentioned 2:1
  • Egypt Identified first mentioned 2:13
  • Ramah Identified first mentioned 2:18
  • Israel Identified first mentioned 2:20
  • Galilee Identified first mentioned 2:22
  • Nazareth Identified first mentioned 2:23
  • the wilderness Identified first mentioned 3:1
  • the Jordan Identified first mentioned 3:5
  • Capernaum Identified first mentioned 4:13
  • Zebulun Identified first mentioned 4:13
  • Naphtali Identified first mentioned 4:13
  • Sea of Galilee Identified first mentioned 4:18
  • Syria Identified first mentioned 4:24
  • Decapolis Identified first mentioned 4:25
  • the mountain Location unknown first mentioned 5:1
  • Gehenna Identified first mentioned 5:22
  • country of the Gadarenes Disputed first mentioned 8:28
  • Samaria Identified first mentioned 10:5
  • Sodom Disputed first mentioned 10:15
  • Gomorrah Disputed first mentioned 10:15
  • Chorazin Identified first mentioned 11:21
  • Bethsaida Disputed first mentioned 11:21
  • Tyre Identified first mentioned 11:21
  • Sidon Identified first mentioned 11:21
  • Nineveh Identified first mentioned 12:41
  • Gennesaret Identified first mentioned 14:34
  • Magadan Disputed first mentioned 15:39

The map shows unlabeled physical relief, with no modern borders or names. Hollow pins mark proposed sites for disputed places; places of unknown location are not pinned. This list grows as more chapters are translated.

The conservative view is given first; other views follow where scholars differ. Status: draft, version 0.7.0, updated 2026-10-10.