Matthew

Chapter 07

Judging Others

1“Do not judge,a so that you may not be judged. 2For with the judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you measure, it will be measured to you.b 3And why do you look at the speckc that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the beam that is in your own eye? 4Or how will you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye? 5Hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

6Do not give what is holy to the dogs,d nor throw your pearls before the pigs, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Ask, Seek, Knock

7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.e 8For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11If you then, being evil,f know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in the heavens give good things to those who ask Him!

12So whatever you wish that people would do to you, do also to them; for this is the Law and the Prophets.g

The Narrow Gate

13Enter through the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,h and many are those who enter through it. 14How narrow is the gate and hard pressed the wayi that leads to life, and few are those who find it!

A Tree and Its Fruit

15Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.j 16By their fruits you will recognize them.k Do people gather grapes from thorns, or figs from thistles? 17So every good tree produces good fruit, but the rotten tree produces bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree produce good fruit. 19Every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So then, by their fruits you will recognize them.

Doing the Father’s Will

21Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’l will enter the kingdom of the heavens, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in the heavens. 22Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons,m and in Your name do many mighty works?’ 23And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’n

Two Builders

24Everyone, then, who hears these words of Mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.o 25And the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and beat against that house; and it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26And everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27And the rain came down, and the rivers came, and the winds blew and struck against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall.”

The Authority of Jesus’ Teaching

28And it happened, when Jesus had finished these words,p that the crowds were astonished at His teaching, 29for He was teaching them as one having authority,q and not as their scribes.

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Context & Translation Notes

Original Reader Horizon • Lexical & Canonical Mesh

a 7:1 — Do not judge (μὴ κρίνετε / mē krinete) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: κρίνω krinō ranges from “to evaluate, decide” to “to condemn.” The present imperative forbids a habit: “do not keep judging.” “So that you may not be judged” uses a divine passive (κριθῆτε krithēte): the judge in view is God. The same chapter requires discernment, about what is holy (7:6), about false prophets (7:15–20), and about one’s own fault before a brother’s (7:5), so the command forbids condemning, fault-finding judgment, not all moral evaluation.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke pairs the saying with “do not condemn … forgive” (Luke 6:37). Paul tells those who pass judgment that they condemn themselves (Romans 2:1) and asks, “Why do you judge your brother? … we will all stand before the judgment seat of God” (Romans 14:10). James forbids speaking evil against a brother (James 4:11–12). Yet Jesus also says, “Judge with right judgment” (John 7:24), and Paul expects the church to judge those inside it (1 Corinthians 5:12).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish teachers knew the danger: “Do not judge your fellow until you have come to his place” (Hillel, Mishnah Avot 2:4), and “judge every person on the side of merit” (Avot 1:6). Jesus’ hearers lived in tight village communities where reputation was everything and public shaming was a strong weapon. The warning is set against the final judgment, before which every disciple will also stand.

b 7:2 — with the measure you measure (ἐν ᾧ μέτρῳ μετρεῖτε / en hō metrō metreite) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: μέτρον metron is a measuring vessel or rule, the container used to measure grain in the market. “It will be measured to you” (μετρηθήσεται metrēthēsetai) is another divine passive. The two halves of the verse are parallel: the standard you apply to others will be applied to you.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Mark uses the same saying of hearing the word (Mark 4:24), and Luke of generous giving, “good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over” (Luke 6:38). Obadiah announces, “As you have done, it shall be done to you” (Obadiah 15). “Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy” (James 2:13). The principle matches Matthew 6:14–15 on forgiveness.

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: “Measure for measure” was a common Jewish principle of divine justice: “By the measure with which a man measures, it is measured to him” (Mishnah Sotah 1:7). Every villager knew the merchant who used one measure to buy and another to sell (Deuteronomy 25:13–15; Amos 8:5). Jesus applies the image to the last judgment.

c 7:3 — the speck … the beam (τὸ κάρφος … τὴν δοκόν / to karphos … tēn dokon) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: κάρφος karphos is a dry stalk, splinter, or speck of chaff. δοκός dokos is a beam, the main timber of a roof. The contrast is deliberate exaggeration. “Brother” (ἀδελφός adelphos) refers to a fellow member of the community, and “Hypocrite!” (7:5) connects this to the play-actors of chapter 6.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Jesus uses similar humor against those who “strain out a gnat and swallow a camel” (Matthew 23:24). Paul asks, “You who teach another, do you not teach yourself?” (Romans 2:21), and tells those who are spiritual to restore a brother gently, “looking to yourself” (Galatians 6:1). The goal is not to leave the speck but to remove it rightly (Matthew 7:5).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The image would come naturally to one known as “the carpenter’s son” (Matthew 13:55), from a trade that worked with wood and beams. A close saying appears in later rabbinic tradition: when someone was told to remove the splinter from his eye, he answered, “Remove the beam from your own eye” (Babylonian Talmud, Arakhin 16b), showing that the proverb was familiar.

d 7:6 — what is holy to the dogs (τὸ ἅγιον τοῖς κυσίν / to hagion tois kysin) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: τὸ ἅγιον to hagion, “the holy thing,” in the Greek Old Testament often refers to holy food, the portions of sacrifice reserved for priests. κύων kyōn here means the half-wild scavenging dogs of the street, not household pets, and χοῖρος choiros is a pig, an unclean animal under the Law. The verse is built as a chiasm: the pigs trample the pearls, and the dogs turn and tear.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: No outsider could eat the holy food of the priests (Exodus 29:33; Leviticus 22:10). Proverbs warns that whoever corrects a scoffer gets abuse (Proverbs 9:7–8) and pictures a gold ring in a pig’s snout (Proverbs 11:22); dogs and pigs appear together in Proverbs 26:11 and 2 Peter 2:22. Matthew later records Jesus’ hard saying to the Canaanite woman about the children’s bread and the dogs (Matthew 15:26).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish law forbade giving consecrated meat to dogs: “one does not redeem holy things in order to feed them to dogs” (Mishnah Temurah 6:5). Pearls were among the most valuable goods of the ancient world (compare Matthew 13:45–46). The early Christian Didache 9:5 applied this verse to the Lord’s Supper. Some interpreters suggest an underlying Aramaic wordplay between “holy thing” (קוּדְשָׁא qûḏšāʾ) and “earring” (קְדָשָׁא qəḏāšāʾ), which would make a closer parallel with pearls; this remains a proposal.

e 7:7 — Ask … seek … knock (αἰτεῖτε … ζητεῖτε … κρούετε / aiteite … zēteite … krouete) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: Three present imperatives, each implying continued action: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking. The promises use divine passives: “it will be given,” “it will be opened.” The three verbs climb in intensity, from speaking to searching to knocking at a closed door.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: “You will seek Me and find Me, when you seek Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13); “Seek the Lord while He may be found” (Isaiah 55:6). Wisdom says, “Those who seek me diligently find me” (Proverbs 8:17). James writes, “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2), and urges those who lack wisdom to ask God (James 1:5).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In village life, knocking at a neighbor’s door at night for bread was a familiar scene (Luke 11:5–8). Seeking and finding was the language of Jewish wisdom, where Wisdom herself waits at the gates (Proverbs 8:34). Jesus returns here to the theme of prayer from 6:5–15: the Father who sees in secret is also the Father who gives.

f 7:11 — being evil (πονηροὶ ὄντες / ponēroi ontes) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: πονηρός ponēros is “evil, wicked”; the participle ὄντες ontes (“being”) states it as a condition, not an occasional act. The argument runs from lesser to greater: if evil people still give good gifts, how much more will the Father. Luke’s form reads “how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: “Every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually” (Genesis 6:5; compare 8:21). “The heart is deceitful above all things” (Jeremiah 17:9). Jesus asks, “How can you speak good, when you are evil?” (Matthew 12:34). Paul gathers the Scriptures to show that “none is righteous” (Romans 3:10–18).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The “how much more” argument was a standard form of Jewish reasoning (Hebrew qal wa-ḥomer, “light and heavy”). Jesus states human evil in passing, as something His hearers would not dispute, and then grounds prayer not in human goodness but in the Father’s. Readers have drawn on this verse in later debates about human nature; the verse itself makes a comparison and does not set out a full doctrine.

g 7:12 — the Law and the Prophets (ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται / ho nomos kai hoi prophētai) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: νόμος nomos here translates the Hebrew תּוֹרָה tôrâ, and “the Law and the Prophets” names the Scriptures of Israel. The phrase forms a frame with Matthew 5:17 (“Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets”), so this verse sums up the body of the Sermon, from Matthew 5:17 through 7:12. The command is stated positively: “do also to them.”

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: On the two great commandments “hang all the Law and the Prophets” (Matthew 22:40). “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) is the root. Paul writes that love fulfills the Law (Romans 13:8–10; Galatians 5:14).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Negative forms of the rule were well known: “What you hate, do not do to anyone” (Tobit 4:15). Hillel told a would-be convert, “What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor; that is the whole Torah, and the rest is commentary” (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 31a). Greek moralists taught similar maxims. Jesus’ positive form asks for more than restraint: it calls for active good toward others.

h 7:13 — the narrow gate … destruction (τῆς στενῆς πύλης … εἰς τὴν ἀπώλειαν / tēs stenēs pylēs … eis tēn apōleian) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: στενός stenos is “narrow,” and πύλη pylē a gate, such as a city gate. ὁδός hodos is a road or way of life. ἀπώλεια apōleia, from ἀπόλλυμι apollymi (“destroy, perish”), is ruin or destruction, the opposite of “life” in verse 14. “Broad” (εὐρύχωρος eurychōros) means spacious, with plenty of room.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Moses set before Israel “life and good, death and evil” (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19), and Jeremiah offers “the way of life and the way of death” (Jeremiah 21:8). Psalm 1 ends, “The Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.” Luke records, “Strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: The “Two Ways” was a familiar form of Jewish teaching. At Qumran, the Rule of the Community describes two spirits, a Prince of Lights and an Angel of Darkness, ruling the children of righteousness and the children of perversity (1QS 3:13–4:26). The early Christian Epistle of Barnabas 18:1 says that over the way of light are stationed angels of God, and over the way of darkness angels of Satan. Within this Divine Council setting, the choice of ways was also a choice of allegiance between the realm of God and the powers opposed to Him. 4 Ezra 7:6–9 pictures a city entered by a single narrow path.

i 7:14 — hard pressed the way (τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδός / tethlimmenē hē hodos) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: τεθλιμμένη tethlimmenē is a perfect passive participle of θλίβω thlibō, “to press, crowd, constrict.” It describes a road hemmed in on both sides. TWB renders “hard pressed” to keep the link with the related noun θλῖψις thlipsis, “tribulation, affliction” (Matthew 13:21; 24:9, 21, 29). NA28 reads τί ti, an exclamation (“How narrow is the gate!”); the Textus Receptus reads ὅτι hoti (“because narrow is the gate”).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: “Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:22). Jesus warns that His followers will face tribulation (Matthew 24:9; John 16:33). The few who find the way recall the remnant theme of the prophets (Isaiah 10:20–22).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Ancient roads into walled cities narrowed at the gate, where travelers were pressed together and goods were checked. Jesus’ hearers would picture a crowded, difficult approach to a city gate. The emphasis on “few” addressed a minority movement in Galilee, but the verse does not set a number; it describes the difficulty of the way.

j 7:15 — false prophets … ravenous wolves (τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν … λύκοι ἅρπαγες / tōn pseudoprophētōn … lykoi harpages) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ψευδοπροφήτης pseudoprophētēs is one who claims to speak for God but does not. ἅρπαξ harpax means “ravenous, rapacious,” from ἁρπάζω harpazō, “to seize.” “Sheep’s clothing” (ἐνδύμασιν προβάτων endymasin probatōn) means an outward appearance of belonging to the flock.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The Law tests a prophet by whether he leads people away from the Lord (Deuteronomy 13:1–5) and whether his word comes true (Deuteronomy 18:20–22). Jeremiah condemns prophets who speak “visions of their own minds” (Jeremiah 23:16), and Ezekiel compares Jerusalem’s officials to wolves tearing prey (Ezekiel 22:27). Zechariah says false prophets will no longer wear a hairy cloak to deceive (Zechariah 13:4). Jesus warns of false prophets in the last days (Matthew 24:11, 24), and Paul of “fierce wolves” coming into the flock (Acts 20:29).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Prophetic figures were active in first-century Judea; Josephus describes several who led crowds into the wilderness with promises of signs (Jewish War 2.258–263). In the biblical worldview, false prophecy is not only human error: Micaiah saw a lying spirit sent from the heavenly council into the mouths of Ahab’s prophets (1 Kings 22:19–23), and John urges believers to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1). Jesus gives the test that follows: their fruit.

k 7:16 — By their fruits you will recognize them (ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγνώσεσθε αὐτούς / apo tōn karpōn autōn epignōsesthe autous) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: καρπός karpos is fruit, and by extension the outcome of a life. ἐπιγινώσκω epiginōskō means to recognize or know fully. σαπρός sapros (7:17–18) means “rotten, decayed, worthless.” The saying is repeated in verse 20, enclosing the illustration.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: John the Baptist used the same image: “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10), nearly identical to 7:19. Jesus repeats it in Matthew 12:33: “The tree is known by its fruit.” Paul lists “the fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22–23), and James asks whether a fig tree can bear olives (James 3:12).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: “The fruit shows how the tree has been cultivated; so the expression of a thought shows the heart” (Sirach 27:6). Grapes, figs, thorns, and thistles were the familiar plants of Galilean hillsides, and thorny weeds that looked like fruit-bearing plants from a distance would have made the image vivid. Fruit here includes conduct and teaching, judged over time.

l 7:21 — Lord, Lord (κύριε κύριε / kyrie kyrie) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: κύριος kyrios means “lord, master, sir,” and in the Septuagint it stands for the divine name YHWH. The doubled address expresses urgency or close familiarity. Jesus here pictures Himself as the One addressed on the day of judgment, and He speaks of God as “My Father” (τοῦ πατρός μου tou patros mou); until this point in the Sermon He has said “your Father.”

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Luke records, “Why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?” (Luke 6:46). The foolish virgins cry “Lord, lord, open to us” (Matthew 25:11). Whoever does the will of the Father is Jesus’ brother and sister and mother (Matthew 12:50). The confession “Jesus is Lord” is essential (Romans 10:9; Philippians 2:11), and doing, not only hearing, is required (James 1:22).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jewish hearers expected God to judge on the last day. For a teacher to say that people would plead their case before Him on that day was an extraordinary claim, and Matthew’s readers would hear in it the authority that the crowds notice in 7:29. The verse does not set doing against confessing; it denies that a confession without obedience is enough.

m 7:22 — in Your name cast out demons (τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δαιμόνια ἐξεβάλομεν / tō sō onomati daimonia exebalomen) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: δαιμόνιον daimonion is a demon, an evil spiritual being. ἐκβάλλω ekballō means to drive out. The name (ὄνομα onoma) is used three times: the claimants invoked Jesus’ name as a source of power. δυνάμεις dynameis, “mighty works,” is Matthew’s usual term for miracles (Matthew 11:20). “That day” (ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ekeinē tē hēmera) is the day of judgment.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The Septuagint calls the gods of the nations demons: “They sacrificed to demons and not to God” (Deuteronomy 32:17), and “all the gods of the nations are demons” (Psalm 96:5, Septuagint 95:5); Paul repeats this (1 Corinthians 10:20). The sons of Sceva tried to use Jesus’ name as a formula and were overpowered (Acts 19:13–16). “That day” recalls the prophets’ Day of the Lord (Malachi 4:5; Zephaniah 1:14).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: In the Divine Council worldview, demons belonged to the realm of the powers opposed to God, and casting them out showed that God’s kingdom had come (Matthew 12:28). Jewish and pagan exorcists of the period used the names of powerful figures in their formulas, and the Greek Magical Papyri even include the name of Jesus. The verse warns that using His name, even with real effects, does not prove that a person belongs to Him.

n 7:23 — depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness (ἀποχωρεῖτε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν / apochōreite ap’ emou hoi ergazomenoi tēn anomian) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ὁμολογέω homologeō means to declare publicly, as in a formal verdict. “I never knew you” (οὐδέποτε ἔγνων ὑμᾶς oudepote egnōn hymas) denies a personal relationship, not mere awareness. The second half follows Psalm 6:8 (Septuagint 6:9), ἀπόστητε ἀπ᾽ ἐμοῦ πάντες οἱ ἐργαζόμενοι τὴν ἀνομίαν apostēte ap’ emou pantes hoi ergazomenoi tēn anomian, with only the verb changed, so TWB treats it as a direct citation and sets it in capitals under the citation rule. ἀνομία anomia is “lawlessness,” one of Matthew’s characteristic words (13:41; 23:28; 24:12).

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: In Psalm 6 the sufferer who is heard by the Lord tells his enemies to depart. Here Jesus speaks the words as Judge. The parable of the sheep and goats ends, “Depart from Me, you cursed” (Matthew 25:41), and Luke records the same verdict at a closed door (Luke 13:25–27). “You only have I known of all the families of the earth” (Amos 3:2) uses “know” for covenant relationship, and “the Lord knows those who are His” (2 Timothy 2:19).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Jesus takes the words of a psalm of David and speaks them in His own person on the day of judgment, a claim Matthew’s Jewish readers could not miss. “Lawlessness” in Matthew is not simply breaking rules; it is a life that does not do the Father’s will (7:21), however religious it appears. On Matthew’s use of Old Testament citations in capitals, compare the TWB notes on Matthew 2.

o 7:24 — on the rock (ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν / epi tēn petran) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: πέτρα petra is bedrock or a rock mass, as distinct from a loose stone (see the TWB lexicon on Matthew 16:18). ἄμμος ammos is sand. φρόνιμος phronimos is “wise, prudent,” and μωρός mōros is “foolish.” “Founded” (τεθεμελίωτο tethemeliōto) is a pluperfect passive: the foundation had already been laid before the storm came. Both builders hear; only one does.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: Ezekiel pictures a flimsy wall daubed with whitewash collapsing in rain, hail, and wind (Ezekiel 13:10–14). Isaiah speaks of a tested cornerstone laid in Zion and a flood that sweeps away the refuge of lies (Isaiah 28:16–17). “When the tempest passes, the wicked is no more, but the righteous is established forever” (Proverbs 10:25). The Lord is called “my rock” (Psalm 18:2). Matthew returns to the rock in 16:18.

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Galilee’s dry stream beds could become torrents in a winter storm, and a house built on the sandy floor of a wadi might stand for months and then go down in a night. The flood and wind also evoked final judgment, as the flood of Noah’s day did (Matthew 24:37–39). A later rabbinic parable compares a person with good deeds and Torah to a house built with stone foundations that floods cannot move (Avot of Rabbi Nathan 24).

p 7:28 — when Jesus had finished these words (ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τοὺς λόγους τούτους / hote etelesen ho Iēsous tous logous toutous) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: καὶ ἐγένετο kai egeneto (“and it happened”) is a Septuagint-style opening. τελέω teleō means to finish or complete. Matthew closes each of Jesus’ five long discourses with this formula (7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1); the last adds “all” (“all these words”). ἐκπλήσσω ekplēssō, in the passive, means to be astonished, struck with amazement.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: The formula echoes Moses: “When Moses had finished writing the words of this law in a book” (Deuteronomy 31:24) and “when Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel” (Deuteronomy 32:45). Jesus had gone up on the mountain to teach (Matthew 5:1), as Moses received the Law on Sinai.

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Many interpreters see in Matthew’s five discourses an echo of the five books of Moses, presenting Jesus as the promised prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15); others think the number is a convenient grouping rather than a deliberate parallel. Either way, Matthew’s Jewish readers would hear the Moses language in the formula and in the mountain setting.

q 7:29 — as one having authority (ὡς ἐξουσίαν ἔχων / hōs exousian echōn) ↩ back to text

Tier 1 — Lexical Anchor: ἐξουσία exousia is authority, the right and power to act. The periphrastic imperfect ἦν … διδάσκων ēn … didaskōn (“He was teaching”) describes His manner throughout. NA28 reads “their scribes” (οἱ γραμματεῖς αὐτῶν hoi grammateis autōn); the Textus Receptus lacks “their,” and a few witnesses add “and the Pharisees.” γραμματεύς grammateus is a scribe, a trained expert in the Law.

Tier 2 — Canonical Mesh: In Daniel’s vision the one like a son of man is given “authority” (Septuagint ἐξουσία exousia) over all peoples (Daniel 7:14), and the risen Jesus says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me” (Matthew 28:18). The centurion recognizes His authority (Matthew 8:9), and He has authority on earth to forgive sins (Matthew 9:6). Mark records the same reaction in the synagogue at Capernaum (Mark 1:22).

Tier 3 — Historical / Cosmological Horizon: Scribes taught by citing the rulings of earlier teachers, while Jesus said, “But I say to you” (Matthew 5:22–44). In Paul’s letters “authorities” (ἐξουσίαι exousiai) also name spiritual powers (Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:15). Within the Divine Council worldview, the authority the crowds hear in Jesus’ teaching is shown at once in chapters 8–9 over disease, storm, and demons: the One with authority over the powers is the One who has just taught them.

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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 You are here
  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
  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.

Read the full note →

“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.

Read the full note →

“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).

Read the full note →

“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.

Read the full note →

“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.

Read the full note →

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

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.