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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 21:43 Therefore I tell you, The kingdom of God

This continues the lesson about authority, following a parable the outcome of ignoring authority. This is the lesson of that parable.

Spoken to
group

Matthew 21:43 διὰ τοῦτο λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἀρθήσεται ἀφ᾽ ὑμῶν ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ δοθήσεται ἔθνει ποιοῦντι τοὺς καρποὺς αὐτῆς.

KJV Verse

Matthew 21:43 Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 21:43 “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.

What His Listeners Heard:

Through this, I tell you that it shall be lifted up from you, the realm of the Divine, and given to a tribe producing the fruits of it.

 

Lost In Translation:

This verse has a number of surprises. It is one of those verses that has multiple meanings based on the meaning of the verb translated as "taken,"  which is not the Greek verb usually translated as "taken" but means "to raise up," "elevate," "to bear," "to carry off," "lifted" in the sense of "removed." So it doesn't only mean "removed" but "elevated," put in better hands.

The Greek word for "nation/people" is usually translated as "gentiles" in the plural, but here, in the singular, it is translated more accurately.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Therefore(CW) say I unto you, The kingdom of (MW) God shall be taken(CW) from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Do Your Own Research

Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.