Matthew 12

Around that time Jesus walked through the grainfields on the Sabbath day. His disciples were hungry, so they started pulling off heads of grain and eating them.

1At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

NoteKJV "corn" means grain of any kind, here wheat or barley, not maize; "an hungred" is old English for "were hungry." The sabbath was the seventh day of the week, from Friday evening to Saturday evening, on which the law of Moses forbade work. The law also allowed anyone passing through a field to pluck grain by hand to eat on the spot, so the objection that follows is about the day, not about theft.

2When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him, "Look, your disciples are doing something that is not allowed on the Sabbath."

2But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day.

NoteThe Pharisees were a movement devoted to keeping the law of Moses precisely, including a large body of worked-out rules for applying it to daily life. Reaping was one of the kinds of work forbidden on the sabbath, and picking heads of grain and rubbing them counted as reaping in their reckoning. "Not lawful" throughout this chapter means not permitted by that law, not illegal under Roman law.

3But he said to them, "Haven't you read what David did when he and the men with him were hungry?

3But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him;

NoteThe incident is told in 1 Samuel 21. David, not yet king and on the run from Saul, asked a priest at the sanctuary for food.

4He went into the house of God, and he ate the holy bread that was set out there. It was not allowed for him or the men with him to eat it. Only the priests could.

4How he entered into the house of God, and did eat the shewbread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them which were with him, but only for the priests?

Note"Shewbread" is the old spelling of showbread: twelve loaves set out on a table in the sanctuary before God and replaced with fresh loaves each week. The law reserved the old loaves for the priests to eat.

5Or have you not read in the law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and are blameless?

5Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless?

NotePriests had to work on the sabbath precisely because the law required it: the sabbath offerings had to be killed and burned, and the showbread changed. So the law itself commanded activity that would otherwise count as breaking the day.

6But I tell you that someone greater than the temple is here.

6But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.

NoteThe Greek word here is neuter, "something greater," not clearly "someone greater." Both readings have been taken from it since antiquity, and the wording leaves it open.

7If you had understood what this means, 'I want mercy, not sacrifice,' you would not have condemned people who did nothing wrong.

7But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless.

NoteThe quoted line is from Hosea 6:6. In 1611 English "I will have" means "I want" or "I desire," not a prediction about the future. "Sacrifice" means the animal offerings of the temple system.

8For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath day."

8For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Note"Son of man" translates a Hebrew and Aramaic phrase that in ordinary speech simply means a human being, but which is also the title of the figure given everlasting authority in Daniel 7:13-14. In the Gospels it is the expression Jesus most often uses of himself, and both senses hang on it.

9Then Jesus left that place and went into their meeting house.

9And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue:

NoteA synagogue was the local assembly building where Jews of a town gathered to pray and to hear the scriptures read and explained. It was not the temple, where sacrifices were offered; there was only one temple, in Jerusalem, but a synagogue in every town.

10A man was there whose hand was shriveled up. Looking for a reason to bring a charge against Jesus, they asked him, "Is it allowed to heal on the Sabbath?"

10And, behold, there was a man which had his hand withered. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

NoteA withered hand is one shrunken and paralyzed, useless for work. The dispute is not whether healing was good but whether it could wait: it was widely accepted that danger to life overrode the sabbath, while a long-standing condition could be treated the next day without loss.

11He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a single sheep, and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath. Won't you grab hold of it and lift it out?

11And he said unto them, What man shall there be among you, that shall have one sheep, and if it fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out?

NoteWhether an animal fallen into a pit could be hauled out on the sabbath, or only fed and kept comfortable until the next day, was a live argument among teachers of the law. Jesus appeals to the more lenient practice as something his hearers already follow.

12And a person is worth far more than a sheep! So it is allowed to do good on the Sabbath."

12How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days.

13Then he said to the man, "Hold out your hand." The man held it out, and it was made completely well again, just like his other hand.

13Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other.

14Then the Pharisees went outside and made plans against him. They were looking for a way to kill him.

14Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him.

Note"Held a council" means took counsel together, that is, conferred and made a plan. "Destroy" here means kill, not merely ruin.

15Jesus knew what they were doing, so he left that place. Large crowds followed him, and he healed every one of them.

15But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all;

16He gave them strict orders not to tell people who he was.

16And charged them that they should not make him known:

17This happened so that what God had said through the prophet Isaiah would come true:

17That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,

Note"Esaias" is the Greek form of the name Isaiah, and the KJV keeps the Greek spellings of Hebrew names when quoting the New Testament, as it does with "Jonas" for Jonah later in this chapter. The quotation that follows is from Isaiah 42:1-4.

18"Look at my servant, the one I have chosen. I love him, and he makes me glad. I will put my Spirit on him, and he will announce justice to the nations.

18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.

Note"Judgment" in this quotation means justice, a right ordering of things, rather than a verdict against someone. "Gentiles" translates a word meaning the nations, that is, all the peoples who are not Jews. "My soul is well pleased" uses a Hebrew idiom in which "soul" stands for the whole self, so it means simply "I delight in him."

19He will not argue or shout. No one will hear his voice in the streets.

19He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets.

20He will not break a reed that is already bent, and he will not put out a wick that is barely burning, until he brings justice through to victory.

20A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

NoteA reed is a hollow marsh stalk, easily cracked and then good for nothing; "smoking flax" is the linen wick of an oil lamp that has burned down to a smolder. Both are things a person would normally throw away. "Quench" means put out, extinguish.

21And the nations will put their hope in his name."

21And in his name shall the Gentiles trust.

22Then people brought Jesus a man who had a demon in him and who was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him, so that the man could both speak and see.

22Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw.

NoteThe KJV uses "devil" both for Satan and, as here, for the lesser spirits that modern translations call demons; the Greek uses two different words. "Dumb" in 1611 English means unable to speak and carries no suggestion of stupidity.

23All the people were amazed and said, "Could this be the Son of David?"

23And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?

Note"Son of David" was a standing title for the promised king descended from David who was expected to restore Israel. To ask it of a healer is to ask whether he is that figure.

24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, "This man only drives out demons by the power of Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons."

24But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

NoteBeelzebub, or Beelzebul, was a name for the chief of the demons. It appears to derive from Baal-zebub, "lord of the flies," the god of the Philistine city Ekron mentioned in 2 Kings 1, a name that may itself already be a mocking distortion.

25Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to them, "Every kingdom that splits into sides fighting itself is ruined. And no city or household that fights itself can keep standing.

25And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

26If Satan drives out Satan, then he is fighting against himself. So how can his kingdom keep standing?

26And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

27And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, then by whose power do your own people drive them out? So they will be the ones who judge you.

27And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

Note"Your children" translates a phrase meaning "your sons," used here for members of their own circle or followers. Driving out demons was practiced by various Jewish healers and exorcists of the period, so the argument turns their own people against their charge.

28But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has arrived among you.

28But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.

29Think of it this way. How can anyone go into a strong man's house and carry off his things unless he first ties the strong man up? Then he can rob the house.

29Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house.

Note"Spoil" in 1611 English means to plunder or strip of goods, not to ruin or to let rot. The picture is a burglary: the owner must be tied up before the house can be emptied.

30Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.

30He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.

31So I tell you, people can be forgiven for every sin and every insult against God. But speaking against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

31Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

NoteBlasphemy means speech that insults or defames God or sacred things. "Holy Ghost" is the KJV rendering of what modern translations call the Holy Spirit; in 1611 "ghost" simply meant spirit and carried no sense of a haunting.

32Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man can be forgiven. But whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, not in this age and not in the age to come.

32And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Note"World" here translates a Greek word meaning age or era, not the planet. "This world" and "the world to come" are the present age and the age to come, a standard pair in Jewish speech of the time.

33Either call the tree good and its fruit good, or call the tree bad and its fruit bad. A tree is known by the fruit it produces.

33Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

NoteIn 1611 English "his" served as the possessive for things as well as people, so "his fruit" means "its fruit" and "by his fruit" means "by its fruit." "Corrupt" means rotten or spoiled.

34You family of poisonous snakes! How can you say anything good when you yourselves are evil? What fills a person's heart is what comes out of the mouth.

34O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Note"Generation of vipers" means brood or offspring of vipers, a viper being a venomous snake. It is an insult about what they have bred from and what they are, not a comment on their age group.

35A good person brings good things out of the good stored up inside, and an evil person brings evil things out of the evil stored up inside.

35A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.

Note"Treasure" here means a storeroom or hoard, the place where a person keeps things laid up, rather than the valuables themselves.

36But I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to answer for every careless word they have spoken.

36But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.

NoteAn "idle word" is a careless or useless one, something said without weight or thought behind it.

37For your own words will clear you, and your own words will condemn you."

37For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

Note"Justified" is courtroom language: to be declared in the right, acquitted. It is the opposite of "condemned" in the same sentence.

38Then some of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees said to him, "Teacher, we want to see a sign from you."

38Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.

NoteScribes were trained experts in the written law, who copied it, taught it and ruled on its application. "Master" translates a word meaning teacher, with no sense of ownership. A "sign" is a miracle demanded as proof of authority, a credential rather than an act of help.

39He answered them, "An evil and unfaithful people ask for a sign. But no sign will be given to them except the sign of the prophet Jonah.

39But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:

NoteThe prophets regularly described Israel's unfaithfulness to God as adultery, picturing the relationship as a marriage. "Adulterous" here carries that sense rather than an accusation about sexual conduct. "Jonas" is the Greek form of Jonah.

40For just as Jonah was in the belly of the huge fish three days and three nights, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights deep in the earth.

40For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

NoteJonah 1:17 says a great fish, and the Greek word the KJV renders "whale" means simply a huge sea creature. "Three days and three nights" reflects a way of counting in which any part of a day counts as a whole one, so Friday to Sunday could be spoken of this way. "The heart of the earth" means the grave.

41The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment along with the people of today, and they will condemn them. Those men turned from their sins when Jonah preached, and someone greater than Jonah is here.

41The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas is here.

NoteNineveh was the capital of Assyria, the great foreign power of Jonah's day, and its people were Gentiles. In the book of Jonah they turn from their wrongdoing at his preaching. "Rise in judgment with" means stand up at the judgment alongside, as witnesses whose own conduct makes the case against the others.

42The queen of the south will rise up at the judgment along with the people of today, and she will condemn them. She came from the far ends of the earth to hear Solomon's wisdom, and someone greater than Solomon is here.

42The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.

Note"The queen of the south" is the queen of Sheba, whose visit to Solomon is told in 1 Kings 10. Sheba lay in southern Arabia or nearby, a journey of many weeks, which is why she stands for someone coming from the ends of the earth.

43When an unclean spirit comes out of a person, it travels through dry, empty places looking for a place to rest, and it finds none.

43When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

Note"Unclean spirit" is another term for a demon; "unclean" is a ritual word meaning unfit to come near what is holy, not a comment on dirt. Waterless, uninhabited country was commonly thought of as the haunt of such spirits.

44Then it says, 'I will go back to the house I came out of.' When it arrives, it finds the house empty, swept clean, and neatly arranged.

44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.

Note"Garnished" in 1611 English means furnished or put in order, as a room is arranged, and has nothing to do with food. The three words together describe a house standing ready and unoccupied.

45Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits more wicked than itself. They move in and live there, and that person ends up worse off than before. That is how it will be for the wicked people of today."

45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

NoteSeven is used here as a number of completeness, so "seven other spirits" conveys a full and overwhelming occupation rather than an exact headcount.

46While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers were standing outside, wanting to talk with him.

46While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

Note"Brethren" is simply the old plural of brothers, and "stood without" means stood outside. The Greek word for brothers is the ordinary one for siblings, though from early on readers have disagreed over whether Jesus's brothers were sons of Mary, sons of Joseph by an earlier marriage, or close kinsmen.

47Someone said to him, "Look, your mother and your brothers are standing outside, and they want to talk with you."

47Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.

NoteThis verse is missing from several of the oldest surviving manuscripts, which run straight from verse 46 to verse 48. Editions differ over whether to print it.

48But he answered the man who told him, "Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?"

48But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?

49He reached out his hand toward his disciples and said, "Here are my mother and my brothers!

49And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren!

50For whoever does what my Father in heaven wants is my brother and sister and mother."

50For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.