Matthew 21
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Matthew 21 is the twenty-first chapter in the
Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and for ...
in the
New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Christ ...
section of the Christian
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
. Jesus triumphally or majestically arrives in
Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
and commences his final
ministry Ministry may refer to: Government * Ministry (collective executive), the complete body of government ministers under the leadership of a prime minister * Ministry (government department), a department of a government Religion * Christian ...
before his Passion.


Structure

The narrative can be divided into the following subsections: *
Triumphal entry into Jerusalem In the accounts of the four canonical Gospels, Jesus Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem took place in the days before the Last Supper, marking the beginning of his Passion, his time of suffering, death, and resurrection celebrated during ...
(21:1–11) *
Cleansing of the Temple The cleansing of the Temple narrative tells of Jesus expelling the merchants and the money changers from the Temple, and is recounted in all four canonical gospels of the New Testament. The scene is a common motif in Christian art. In this acc ...
(21:12–17) * Cursing the fig tree (21:18–22) *
Authority of Jesus questioned The authority of Jesus is questioned whilst he is teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem, as reported in all three synoptic gospels: , and . According to the Gospel of Matthew: Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while he was teaching, the chief ...
(21:23-27) * Parable of the Two Sons (21:28-32) *
Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen The Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, also known as the Parable of the Bad Tenants, is a parable of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew (), the Gospel of Mark () and the Gospel of Luke (). It is also found in the non-canonical Gospel of Thomas ...
(21:33-46)


Text

The original text was written in
Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...
. This chapter is divided into 46 verses.


Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: *
Papyrus 104 Papyrus 104 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), designated by the symbol 𝔓104, is a fragment that is part of a leaf from a papyrus codex, it measures 2.5 by 3.75 inches (6.35 by 9.5 cm) at its widest. It is conserved in the Papyrology Rooms ...
(~AD 250; extant verses 34-37, 43, 45) *
Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...
(325-350) *
Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus (Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts) ...
(330-360) *
Codex Bezae The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, designated by siglum D or 05 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 5 (in the von Soden of New Testament manuscript), is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century writ ...
(c. 400) *
Codex Washingtonianus The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 014 ( Soden), also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Gospels'', and ''The Freer Gospel'', contains the four biblical gospels an ...
(c. 400) *
Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) designated by the siglum C or 04 {in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 3 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a ma ...
(c. 450) *
Codex Purpureus Rossanensis The Rossano Gospels, designated by 042 or Σ (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 18 ( Soden), held at the cathedral of Rossano in Italy, is a 6th-century illuminated manuscript Gospel Book written following the reconquest of the Italian penins ...
(6th century) * Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus (6th century; extant verses 7-34) * Codex Sinopensis (6th century; extant verses 1-18) *
Uncial 087 Uncial 087 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 27 ( Soden); is a Greek uncial manuscript of the New Testament, dated paleographically to the 6th century. Formerly it was labelled by Θc. Description The codex contains a small parts of the ...
(6th century; extant verses 19-24)


Old Testament references

*Verse 5:
Isaiah 62 Isaiah 62 is the sixty-second chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets.Theodore ...
:11, Zechariah 9:9 *
Verse 13 Verse may refer to: Poetry * Verse, an occasional synonym for poetry * Verse, a metrical structure, a stanza * Blank verse, a type of poetry having regular meter but no rhyme * Free verse, a type of poetry written without the use of strict ...
: Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11 *Verse 16:
Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived ...


New Testament parallels

* Matthew 21:13: Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46


Triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem (21:1–11)

The narrative takes some topics from previous chapters: *the fulfillment of prophecies (cf. 1:22-3, etc.) *Jesus' entry into Jerusalem (cf. 16:21; 20:17) *his 'meekness' (cf. 11:29) *his status as 'king' (cf. 2:1-12) *'Son of David' (cf. 1:1—18) *'the coming one' (cf. 3:11; 11:3), and *'prophet' (cf. 13:57) The "great multitude" (verse 8) had followed Jesus through the neighbouring city of
Jericho Jericho ( ; ar, أريحا ; he, יְרִיחוֹ ) is a Palestinian city in the West Bank. It is located in the Jordan Valley, with the Jordan River to the east and Jerusalem to the west. It is the administrative seat of the Jericho Gove ...
in the previous chapter. The initial part of the narrative also offers two "firsts": *(1) Jesus' (indirect) 'public claim to messianic kingship', and *(2) the crowds' 'recognition of that kingship' (contrast 16:13–14). These two "firsts" challenge the people of Jerusalem to make a decision about "who is this Jesus" (cf. verse 10).


Verse 2

:''"Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Loose them and bring them to Me."'' Commentator
Dale Allison Dale C. Allison (born November 25, 1955) is an American New Testament scholar, historian of Early Christianity, and Christian theologian who for years served as Errett M. Grable Professor of New Testament Exegesis and Early Christianity at Pittsb ...
is reminded of the finding of
donkey The domestic donkey is a hoofed mammal in the family Equidae, the same family as the horse. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a ...
s for
King Saul Saul (; he, , ; , ; ) was, according to the Hebrew Bible, the first monarch of the United Kingdom of Israel. His reign, traditionally placed in the late 11th century BCE, supposedly marked the transition of Israel and Judah from a scattered tr ...
recorded in .


Verse 3

:''"If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”'' For Arthur Carr, this account "leads to the inference that the owner of the ass was an adherent of Jesus, who had perhaps not yet declared himself". To
William Robertson Nicoll Sir William Robertson Nicoll (10 October 18514 May 1923) was a Scottish Free Church minister, journalist, editor, and man of letters. Biography Nicoll was born in Lumsden, Aberdeenshire, the son of Rev. Harry Nicoll (1812–1891), a Free Chu ...
, "it was to be expected that the act would be challenged".Nicoll, W. R.
The Expositor's Greek Testament: Matthew 21
accessed 12 March 2021
For
Henry Alford Henry Alford (7 October 181012 January 1871) was an English churchman, theologian, textual critic, scholar, poet, hymnodist, and writer. Life Alford was born in London, of a Somerset family, which had given five consecutive generations of cl ...
, it is the Jehovah who needs them, for the service of God; for Nicoll, it is Jesus who is the Lord or master who needs them, using the term Ὁ κύριος, ''ho kurios'', in the same manner as where it refers to Jesus in : "Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!"


Verse 4

:''This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:'' Some versions read "All this took place ...", but the word ὅλον (''holon'', "all") does not appear in a number of early texts.Meyer, H. A. W.
Meyer's NT Commentary
on Matthew 21, accessed 5 October 2019


Verse 11

:''And the multitude said,'' ::''This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.''


Cleansing of the Temple (21:12–17)


Verse 12

: ''And Jesus went into the temple of God,'' :: ''and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple,'' :: ''and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers,'' :: ''and the seats of them that sold doves,'' "Money changers": are certain people who sat in the
temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
at certain times, to receive the "half shekel", and sometimes change the money for it to themselves. It was a custom for every Israelite, once a year, to pay half a shekel towards the temple charge and service, based on the orders given by God to Moses in the wilderness during the numbering of the Israelites, to take half a shekel out of everyone twenty years of age and older, rich or poor (), though this does not seem to be designed as a perpetual rule. However, it became a fixed rule, and was annually paid. Every year a public notice was given in all the cities in Israel, that the time of paying the half shekel was nearing, so the people will be ready with their money, for everyone was obliged to pay it, as stated,Maimonides. Hilch. Shekalim, c. 1. sect. 1. 7. Quote: ''"it is an affirmative command of the law, that every man in Israel should pay the half shekel every year; even though a poor man that is maintained by alms, he is obliged to it, and must beg it of others, or sell his coat upon his back and pay it, as it is said, . The rich shall not give more, etc.--All are bound to give it, priests, Levites, and Israelites, and strangers, and servants, that are made free; but not women, nor servants, nor children."'' Notice being thus given,Misn. Shekalim, c. 1. sect. 3. ''"on the fifteenth day (of the same month), "tables" were placed in the province, or city (which Bartenora interprets sJerusalem; but Maimonides says, the word used is the name of all the cities in the land of Israel, excepting Jerusalem), and on the twenty fifth they sit "in the sanctuary".'' The same is related by Maimonides. This gives a plain account of these money changers, their tables, and their sitting in the temple, and on what account. These exchangers had a profit, called "Kolbon", in every shekel they changed. This "Kolbon" gives the name "Collybistae" for these exchangers in this text. The large gain must amount to a great deal of money. They seemed to work within the frame of law when Christ overturned their table, unless it should be objected, that this was not the time of their sitting, because that happened a few days before the
Passover Passover, also called Pesach (; ), is a major Jewish holidays, Jewish holiday that celebrates the The Exodus, Biblical story of the Israelites escape from slavery in Ancient Egypt, Egypt, which occurs on the 15th day of the Hebrew calendar, He ...
, which was in the month Nisan (the tenth of Nisan, when Christ entered the temple), whereas the half shekel should be paid in the month
Adar Adar ( he, אֲדָר ; from Akkadian ''adaru'') is the sixth month of the civil year and the twelfth month of the religious year on the Hebrew calendar, roughly corresponding to the month of March in the Gregorian calendar. It is a month of 29 d ...
until the twenty fifth of Adar. Moreover, these men had other business, such as money exchange, especially at such a time as the passover, when persons came from different parts of world to attend it; and might want to exchange their foreign money for current money.
John Gill John Gill may refer to: Sports *John Gill (cricketer) (1854–1888), New Zealand cricketer *John Gill (coach) (1898–1997), American football coach *John Gill (footballer, born 1903), English professional footballer *John Gill (American football) ...
. John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. Exposition of the Old and New Testament. Published in 1746-1763.


Verse 13

: ''And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.'' Citing from Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11
Cross reference: Mark 11:17; Luke 19:46


Authority of Jesus questioned (21:23–27)


Verses 24–27

:''Jesus ... said to them, “I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: the baptism of John — where was it from? From heaven or from men?” And they reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven’, He will say to us, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’, we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet”. So they answered Jesus and said, “We do not know.”'' Allison notes that "this section is less about Jesus ... or ohnthe Baptist than it is about the chief priests and elders, characterising these as (a) less spiritually aware and perceptive than the multitudes over whom they preside, and (b) moral
coward Cowardice is a trait wherein excessive fear prevents an individual from taking a risk or facing danger. It is the opposite of courage. As a label, "cowardice" indicates a failure of character in the face of a challenge. One who succumbs to cow ...
s driven by expediency.


Parable of two sons (21:28-32)

Occurring only in Matthew, this parable refers to two sons. Their father asked both of them to work in his vineyard. One of the sons said that he wouldn't do it, but he later changed his mind and did the work anyway. The other son said he would do it, but he didn't go.


Parable of the Wicked Husbandmen (21:33–46)


Verse 43

:''Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.'' Protestant biblical commentator
Heinrich Meyer Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer (10 January 1800 – 21 June 1873) was a German Protestant divine. He wrote commentaries on the ''New Testament'' and published an edition of that book. Biography Meyer was born in Gotha. He studied theology at Jena, ...
notes that "Jesus is not here referring to the '' Gentiles'', as, since
Eusebius Eusebius of Caesarea (; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος ; 260/265 – 30 May 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilus (from the grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος τοῦ Παμφίλου), was a Greek historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian ...
’ time, many ... have supposed, but, as the use of the singular already plainly indicates, to the whole of the future subjects of the kingdom of the Messiah, conceived of as one people, which will therefore consist of Jews and Gentiles, henew Messianic people of God", the "holy nation" addressed as such in . The phrase "the fruits of it" means "the fruits of the
kingdom Kingdom commonly refers to: * A monarchy ruled by a king or queen * Kingdom (biology), a category in biological taxonomy Kingdom may also refer to: Arts and media Television * ''Kingdom'' (British TV series), a 2007 British television drama s ...
". footnote in
Holman Christian Standard Bible The Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB) is a modern English Bible translation from Holman Bible Publishers. The New Testament was published in 1999, followed by the full Bible in March 2004. Beginnings The roots of the HCSB can be traced to ...


See also

*
Bethany Bethany ( grc-gre, Βηθανία,Murphy-O'Connor, 2008, p152/ref> Syriac: ܒܝܬ ܥܢܝܐ ''Bēṯ ʿAnyā'') or what is locally known as Al-Eizariya or al-Azariya ( ar, العيزرية, " laceof Lazarus"), is a Palestinian town in the West B ...
and
Bethphage Bethphage ( grc, Βηθφαγή, Bēthpagḗ; arc, בֵּית פַּגִּי, Bêt̲ Paggî, lit=house of unripe figs) or Bethsphage, is a Christian religious site on the Mount of Olives east of Old City of Jerusalem, historical Jerusalem. Bethp ...
on
Mount of Olives The Mount of Olives or Mount Olivet ( he, הַר הַזֵּיתִים, Har ha-Zeitim; ar, جبل الزيتون, Jabal az-Zaytūn; both lit. 'Mount of Olives'; in Arabic also , , 'the Mountain') is a mountain ridge east of and adjacent to Jeru ...
*
Fig tree ''Ficus'' ( or ) is a genus of about 850 species of woody trees, shrubs, vines, epiphytes and hemiepiphytes in the family Moraceae. Collectively known as fig trees or figs, they are native throughout the tropics with a few species extending ...
*
Parables of Jesus The parables of Jesus are found in the Synoptic Gospels and some of the non-canonical gospels. They form approximately one third of his recorded teachings. Christians place great emphasis on these parables, which they generally regard as the word ...
* Other related
Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...
parts:
Psalm 8 Psalm 8 is the eighth psalm of the Book of Psalms, beginning and ending in English in the King James Version (KJV): "O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!". In Latin, it is known as "Domine Dominus noster". Its authorship i ...
,
Isaiah 5 Isaiah 5 is the fifth chapter of the Book of Isaiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains the prophecies attributed to the prophet Isaiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets.Theodore Hiebert, ...
, Isaiah 56,
Jeremiah 7 Jeremiah 7 is the seventh chapter of the Book of Jeremiah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. This book contains prophecies attributed to the prophet Jeremiah, and is one of the Books of the Prophets. Chapters 7 to 1 ...
,
Zechariah 9 Zechariah 9 is the ninth of the total 14 chapters in the Book of Zechariah in the Hebrew Bible or the Old Testament of the Christian Bible.Mark 11 Mark 11 is the eleventh chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible, beginning Jesus' final week before His death as He arrives in Jerusalem for the coming Passover. It contains the stories of Jesus' entry into Je ...
,
Mark 12 Mark 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Mark in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It continues Jesus' teaching in the Temple in Jerusalem, and contains the parable of the Wicked Husbandmen, Jesus' argument with the Pharisees ...
,
Luke 19 Luke 19 is the nineteenth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records Jesus' arrival in Jericho and his meeting with Zacchaeus, the parable of the minas and Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem.Halley, Henry H. ...
,
Luke 20 Luke 20 is the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of Luke in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the teaching of Jesus Christ in the temple in Jerusalem, especially his responses to questions raised by the Pharisees and Sadducees.Ha ...
,
John 2 John 2 is the second chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It contains the famous stories of the miracle of Jesus turning water into wine and Jesus expelling the money changers from the Temple. The author of ...
,
John 12 John 12 is the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of John in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It narrates an anointing of Jesus' feet, attributed to Mary of Bethany, as well as an account of the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. ...


References


Sources

*


External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Matthew chapters