For those who want to know what Jesus really said, how he said it, why crowds came to hear him, and shades of meaning lost or hidden in translation.

Home

Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 22:42 What do you think of the Christ?

Pharisee asks what the greatest commandment is. After answering, Jesus asks this.

Spoken to
The Pharisees

Matthew 22:42 Τί ὑμῖν δοκεῖ περὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ; τίνος υἱός ἐστιν;

KJV Verse

Matthew 22:42 What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?

NIV Verse:

Matthew 22:42 What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?

What His Listeners Heard:

What about you? What do you expect for yourselves about the anointed? Whose son is he?

Lost In Translation:

Both translations miss the initial phrase, "what about you?" The "what" is not repeated in the second sentence but assumed from the context. The Jesus usually asks questions as directly as possible. This question was asked of the Pharisees as a group. They had no doubt about its answers, responding that the "anointed" was David's son.

This is the first time the term "christos" is used in the Bible. The word "Christ," meaning "annointed," is not translated in the KJV, but it is used as a title, is was understood toe refer to the Messiah. The concept of anointing someone goes back to Exo 29:7 where it describes the installation of Aaron, Moses's brother, as a high priest in terms used to describe the crowning of a king.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

What think(WW) (WV) ye of(CW) (MW) Christ(UW)? whose son is he?

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.

Free Subscriptions

Regular emails from Substack, subscribe to Rediscovering Jesus's Words.

 

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.