Passage

Matthew 12

Book: Matthew · NASB95

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. At that season Jesus went on the sabbath day through the grainfields; and his disciples were hungry and began to pluck ears and to eat. 2. But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do upon the sabbath. 3. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, and they that were with him; 4. how he entered into the house of God, and ate the showbread, which it was not lawful for him to eat, neither for them that were with him, but only for the priests? 5. Or have ye not read in the law, that on the sabbath day the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are guiltless? 6. But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here. 7. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I desire mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8. For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath. 9. And he departed thence, and went into their synagogue: 10. and behold, a man having a withered hand. And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day? that they might accuse him. 11. And he said unto them, What man shall there be of you, that shall have one sheep, and if this fall into a pit on the sabbath day, will he not lay hold on it, and lift it out? 12. How much then is a man of more value than a sheep! Wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day. 13. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thy hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, as the other. 14. But the Pharisees went out, and took counsel against him, how they might destroy him. 15. And Jesus perceiving it withdrew from thence: and many followed him; and he healed them all, 16. and charged them that they should not make him known: 17. that it might be fulfilled which 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 shall declare judgment to the Gentiles. 19. He shall not strive, nor cry aloud; Neither shall any one hear his voice in the streets. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21. And in his name shall the Gentiles hope. 22. Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the dumb man spake and saw. 23. And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, Can this be the son of David? 24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This man doth not cast out demons, but by Beelzebub the prince of the demons. 25. And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26. and if Satan casteth out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then shall his kingdom stand? 27. And if I by Beelzebub cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. 28. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God come upon you. 29. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his house. 30. He that is not with me is against me, and he that gathereth not with me scattereth. 31. Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven. 32. And whosoever shall speak a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him; but whosoever shall speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, nor in that which is to come. 33. Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit. 34. Ye offspring of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35. The good man out of his good treasure bringeth forth good things: and the evil man out of his evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. 36. And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 38. Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered him, saying, Teacher, we would see a sign from thee. 39. But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given it but the sign of Jonah the prophet: 40. for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41. The men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, a greater than Jonah is here. 42. The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, a greater than Solomon is here. 43. But the unclean spirit, when he is gone out of the man, passeth through waterless places, seeking rest, and findeth it not. 44. Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more evil than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this evil generation. 46. While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, seeking to speak to him. 47. And one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, seeking to speak to thee. 48. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49. And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, Behold, my mother and my brethren! 50. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Matthew 12:1-50, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. At that time, Jesus went on the Sabbath day through the grain fields. His disciples were hungry and began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. 2. But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, “Behold, your disciples do what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath.” 3. But he said to them, “Haven’t you read what David did, when he was hungry, and those who were with him; 4. how he entered into God’s house, and ate the show bread, which was not lawful for him to eat, neither for those who were with him, but only for the priests? 5. Or have you not read in the law, that on the Sabbath day, the priests in the temple profane the Sabbath, and are guiltless? 6. But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. 7. But if you had known what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the guiltless. 8. For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 9. He departed there, and went into their synagogue. 10. And behold there was a man with a withered hand. They asked him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath day?” that they might accuse him. 11. He said to them, “What man is there among you, who has one sheep, and if this one falls into a pit on the Sabbath day, won’t he grab on to it, and lift it out? 12. Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep! Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath day.” 13. Then he told the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out; and it was restored whole, just like the other. 14. But the Pharisees went out, and conspired against him, how they might destroy him. 15. Jesus, perceiving that, withdrew from there. Great multitudes followed him; and he healed them all, 16. and commanded them that they should not make him known: 17. that it might be fulfilled which 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 on him. He will proclaim justice to the nations. 19. He will not strive, nor shout; neither will anyone hear his voice in the streets. 20. He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory. 21. In his name, the nations will hope.” 22. Then one possessed by a demon, blind and mute, was brought to him and he healed him, so that the blind and mute man both spoke and saw. 23. All the multitudes were amazed, and said, “Can this be the son of David?” 24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “This man does not cast out demons, except by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons.” 25. Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand. 26. If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? 27. If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your children cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges. 28. But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then God’s Kingdom has come upon you. 29. Or how can one enter into the house of the strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man? Then he will plunder his house. 30. “He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters. 31. Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men. 32. 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, neither in this age, nor in that which is to come. 33. “Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit. 34. You offspring of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. 35. The good man out of his good treasure brings out good things, and the evil man out of his evil treasure brings out evil things. 36. I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. 37. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” 38. Then certain of the scribes and Pharisees answered, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39. But he answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign, but no sign will be given to it but the sign of Jonah the prophet. 40. For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the whale, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41. The men of Nineveh will stand up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, someone greater than Jonah is here. 42. The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here. 43. When an unclean spirit has gone out of a man, he passes through waterless places, seeking rest, and doesn’t find it. 44. Then he says, ‘I will return into my house from which I came out,’ and when he has come back, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. 45. Then he goes, and takes with himself seven other spirits more evil than he is, and they enter in and dwell there. The last state of that man becomes worse than the first. Even so will it be also to this evil generation.” 46. While he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to him. 47. One said to him, “Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking to speak to you.” 48. But he answered him who spoke to him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” 49. He stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, “Behold, my mother and my brothers! 50. For whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.”" (Matthew 12:1-50, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. At 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. 2. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto him, Behold, thy disciples do that which is not lawful to do upon the sabbath day. 3. But he said unto them, Have ye not read what David did, when he was an hungred, and they that were with him; 4. How 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? 5. Or have ye not read in the law, how that on the sabbath days the priests in the temple profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6. But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple. 7. But if ye had known what this meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice, ye would not have condemned the guiltless. 8. For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day. 9. And when he was departed thence, he went into their synagogue: 10. And, 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. 11. And 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? 12. How much then is a man better than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do well on the sabbath days. 13. Then saith he to the man, Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it forth; and it was restored whole, like as the other. 14. Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how they might destroy him. ^{held: or, took counsel} 15. But when Jesus knew it, he withdrew himself from thence: and great multitudes followed him, and he healed them all; 16. And charged them that they should not make him known: 17. That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias 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 shall shew judgment to the Gentiles. 19. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. 20. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. 21. And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. 22. Then 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. 23. And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24. But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. ^{Beelzebub: Gr. Beelzebul} 25. And 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: 26. And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand? 27. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges. 28. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. 29. Or 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. 30. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. 31. Wherefore 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. 32. And 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. 33. Either 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. 34. O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. 35. A 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. 36. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. 37. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned. 38. Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee. 39. But 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: 40. For 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. 41. The 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. 42. The 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. 43. When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44. Then 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. 45. Then 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. 46. While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him. 47. Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee. 48. But he answered and said unto him that told him, Who is my mother? and who are my brethren? 49. And he stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, and said, Behold my mother and my brethren! 50. For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother." (Matthew 12:1-50, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. At that time did Jesus go on the sabbaths through the corn, and his disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck ears, and to eat, 2. and the Pharisees having seen, said to him, 'Lo, thy disciples do that which it is not lawful to do on a sabbath.' 3. And he said to them, 'Did ye not read what David did, when he was hungry, himself and those with him, 4. how he went into the house of God, and the loaves of the presentation did eat, which it is not lawful to him to eat, nor to those with him, except to the priests alone? 5. 'Or did ye not read in the Law, that on the sabbaths the priests in the temple do profane the sabbath, and are blameless? 6. and I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here; 7. and if ye had known what is: Kindness I will, and not sacrifice, ye had not condemned the blameless, 8. for the son of man is lord even of the sabbath.' 9. And having departed thence, he went to their synagogue, 10. and lo, there was a man having the hand withered, and they questioned him, saying, 'Is it lawful to heal on the sabbaths?' that they might accuse him. 11. And he said to them, 'What man shall be of you, who shall have one sheep, and if this may fall on the sabbaths into a ditch, will not lay hold on it and raise [it]? 12. How much better, therefore, is a man than a sheep?, so that it is lawful on the sabbaths to do good.' 13. Then saith he to the man, 'Stretch forth thy hand,' and he stretched [it] forth, and it was restored whole as the other. 14. And the Pharisees having gone forth, held a consultation against him, how they might destroy him, 15. and Jesus having known, withdrew thence, and there followed him great multitudes, and he healed them all, 16. and did charge them that they might not make him manifest, 17. that it might be fulfilled that was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying, 18. 'Lo, My servant, whom I did choose, My beloved, in whom My soul did delight, I will put My Spirit upon him, and judgment to the nations he shall declare, 19. he shall not strive nor cry, nor shall any hear in the broad places his voice, 20. a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, till he may put forth judgment to victory, 21. and in his name shall nations hope.' 22. Then was brought to him a demoniac, blind and dumb, and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23. And all the multitudes were amazed, and said, 'Is this the Son of David?' 24. but the Pharisees having heard, said, 'This one doth not cast out demons, except by Beelzeboul, ruler of the demons.' 25. And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, 'Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and no city or house having been divided against itself, doth stand, 26. and if the Adversary doth cast out the Adversary, against himself he was divided, how then doth his kingdom stand? 27. 'And if I, by Beelzeboul, do cast out the demons, your sons, by whom do they cast out? because of this they, they shall be your judges. 28. 'But if I, by the Spirit of God, do cast out the demons, then come already unto you did the reign of God. 29. 'Or how is one able to go into the house of the strong man, and to plunder his goods, if first he may not bind the strong man? and then his house he will plunder. 30. 'He who is not with me is against me, and he who is not gathering with me, doth scatter. 31. Because of this I say to you, all sin and evil speaking shall be forgiven to men, but the evil speaking of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men. 32. And whoever may speak a word against the Son of Man it shall be forgiven to him, but whoever may speak against the Holy Spirit, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this age, nor in that which is coming. 33. 'Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad, for from the fruit is the tree known. 34. 'Brood of vipers! how are ye able to speak good things, being evil? for out of the abundance of the heart doth the mouth speak. 35. The good man out of the good treasure of the heart doth put forth the good things, and the evil man out of the evil treasure doth put forth evil things. 36. 'And I say to you, that every idle word that men may speak, they shall give for it a reckoning in a day of judgment; 37. for from thy words thou shalt be declared righteous, and from thy words thou shalt be declared unrighteous.' 38. Then answered certain of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, 'Teacher, we will to see a sign from thee.' 39. And he answering said to them, 'A generation, evil and adulterous, doth seek a sign, and a sign shall not be given to it, except the sign of Jonah the prophet; 40. for, as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so shall the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. 41. 'Men of Nineveh shall stand up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for they reformed at the proclamation of Jonah, and lo, a greater than Jonah here! 42. 'A queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, a greater than Solomon here! 43. 'And, when the unclean spirit may go forth from the man, it doth walk through dry places seeking rest, and doth not find; 44. then it saith, I will turn back to my house whence I came forth; and having come, it findeth [it] unoccupied, swept, and adorned: 45. then doth it go, and take with itself seven other spirits more evil than itself, and having gone in they dwell there, and the last of that man doth become worse than the first; so shall it be also to this evil generation.' 46. And while he was yet speaking to the multitudes, lo, his mother and brethren had stood without, seeking to speak to him, 47. and one said to him, 'Lo, thy mother and thy brethren do stand without, seeking to speak to thee.' 48. And he answering said to him who spake to him, 'Who is my mother? and who are my brethren?' 49. And having stretched forth his hand toward his disciples, he said, 'Lo, my mother and my brethren! 50. for whoever may do the will of my Father who is in the heavens, he is my brother, and sister, and mother.'" (Matthew 12:1-50, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: TBD
Audience: TBD
Location: TBD
Time period: TBD

Theological reading

Patristic / early-church-father exegesis, to be added.

Key words

Theologically-loaded Greek or Hebrew words in this verse may have entries in the lexicon. Curated to roughly 100 contested terms across the corpus, not every word; see Lexicon Roadmap.

TBD
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Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.