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Read the Bible

New Century Version

Matthew 12:6

I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Accusation, False;   Church;   Ecclesiasticism;   Jesus, the Christ;   Pharisees;   Sabbath;   Tradition;   Thompson Chain Reference - Greatness, God's;  

Dictionaries:

- Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Jesus christ;   Sabbath;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Building;   Christ, Christology;   Feasts and Festivals of Israel;   Jesus Christ;   Priest, Christ as;   Sabbath;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Temple;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Ahimelech;   Harmony of the Gospels;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Preparation Day;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Law;   Mss;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Consciousness;   Discourse;   Dropsy;   Error;   Israel, Israelite;   Law;   Law of God;   Man (2);   Nineveh, Ninevites;   Sabbath ;   Temple (2);   Trial of Jesus;   Trinity (2);   Winter ;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Phar'isees,;   Sabbath;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Law in the New Testament;   Sabbath;   Worship;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 20;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
King James Version (1611)
But I saye vnto you, that in this place is one greater then the Temple.
King James Version
But I say unto you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.
English Standard Version
I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.
New American Standard Bible
"But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
Amplified Bible
"But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But I say vnto you, that here is one greater then the Temple.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
Legacy Standard Bible
But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.
Berean Standard Bible
But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
Contemporary English Version
I tell you that there is something here greater than the temple.
Complete Jewish Bible
I tell you, there is in this place something greater than the Temple!
Darby Translation
But I say unto you, that there is here what is greater than the temple.
Easy-to-Read Version
I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple.
George Lamsa Translation
But I say to you, that there is one here, who is greater than the temple.
Good News Translation
I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple.
Lexham English Bible
But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here!
Literal Translation
But I say to you, One greater than the temple is here.
American Standard Version
But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here.
Bible in Basic English
But I say to you that a greater thing than the Temple is here.
Hebrew Names Version
But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
International Standard Version
But I tell you, something greater than the temple is here!2 Chronicles 6:18; Malachi 3:1;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
But I say to you, that (one) greater than the temple is here.
Murdock Translation
But I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But I say vnto you, that in this place is one greater then the temple.
English Revised Version
But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here.
World English Bible
But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But I say to you, That one greater than the temple is here. And if ye had known what that meaneth,
Weymouth's New Testament
But I tell you that there is here that which is greater than the Temple.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seie to you, that here is a gretter than the temple.
Update Bible Version
But I say to you, that one greater than the temple is here.
Webster's Bible Translation
But I say to you, that in this place is [one] greater than the temple.
New English Translation
I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.
New King James Version
Yet I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the temple.
New Living Translation
I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple!
New Life Bible
I tell you that Someone greater than the house of God is here.
New Revised Standard
I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But I say unto you, - Something greater than the Temple, is here!
Douay-Rheims Bible
But I tell you that there is here a greater than the temple.
Revised Standard Version
I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But I saye vnto you: that here is one greater then ye teple.
Young's Literal Translation
and I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But I saye vnto you: yt here is one greater then the temple.
Mace New Testament (1729)
now I tell you, that the work now in hand, is of greater consequence than that of the temple.
THE MESSAGE
"There is far more at stake here than religion. If you had any idea what this Scripture meant—‘I prefer a flexible heart to an inflexible ritual'—you wouldn't be nitpicking like this. The Son of Man is no lackey to the Sabbath; he's in charge."
Simplified Cowboy Version
I'm tellin' you that someone better than a church building is standin' right here.

Contextual Overview

1 At that time Jesus was walking through some fields of grain on a Sabbath day. His followers were hungry, so they began to pick the grain and eat it. 2 When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Jesus, "Look! Your followers are doing what is unlawful to do on the Sabbath day." 3 Jesus answered, "Have you not read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry? 4 He went into God's house, and he and those with him ate the holy bread, which was lawful only for priests to eat. 5 And have you not read in the law of Moses that on every Sabbath day the priests in the Temple break this law about the Sabbath day? But the priests are not wrong for doing that. 6 I tell you that there is something here that is greater than the Temple. 7 The Scripture says, ‘I want kindness more than I want animal sacrifices.' You don't really know what those words mean. If you understood them, you would not judge those who have done nothing wrong. 8 "So the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath day." 9 Jesus left there and went into their synagogue, 10 where there was a man with a crippled hand. They were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they asked him, "Is it right to heal on the Sabbath day?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 12:41, Matthew 12:42, Matthew 23:17-21, 2 Chronicles 6:18, Haggai 2:7-9, Malachi 3:1, John 2:19-21, Ephesians 2:20-22, Colossians 2:9, 1 Peter 2:4, 1 Peter 2:5

Reciprocal: John 8:53 - thou greater

Cross-References

Genesis 10:15
Canaan was the father of Sidon, his first son, and of Heth.
Genesis 12:18
So the king sent for Abram and said, "What have you done to me? Why didn't you tell me Sarai was your wife?
Genesis 12:19
Why did you say, ‘She is my sister' so that I made her my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take her and leave!"
Genesis 13:7
so Abram's herdsmen and Lot's herdsmen began to argue. The Canaanites and the Perizzites were living in the land at this time.
Genesis 33:18
Jacob left Northwest Mesopotamia and arrived safely at the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. There he camped east of the city.
Genesis 34:2
When Shechem son of Hamor the Hivite, the ruler of the land, saw her, he took her and forced her to have sexual relations with him.
Genesis 35:4
So they gave Jacob all the foreign gods they had, and the earrings they were wearing, and he hid them under the great tree near the town of Shechem.
Deuteronomy 11:30
(These mountains are on the other side of the Jordan River, to the west, toward the sunset. They are near the great trees of Moreh in the land of the Canaanites who live in the Jordan Valley opposite Gilgal.)
Joshua 20:7
So the Israelites chose these cities to be cities of safety: Kedesh in Galilee in the mountains of Naphtali; Shechem in the mountains of Ephraim; Kiriath Arba (also called Hebron) in the mountains of Judah;
Joshua 24:32
When the Israelites left Egypt, they carried the bones of Joseph with them. They buried them at Shechem, in the land Jacob had bought for a hundred pieces of silver from the sons of Hamor (Hamor was the father of Shechem). This land now belonged to Joseph's children.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But I say unto you,.... Who Christ knew would be ready to object, as above, and therefore prevents them, by saying,

that in this place is one greater than the temple; meaning himself, who was the Lord and Proprietor of the temple, and in his human nature the antitype of it; see John 2:19 and was infinitely more sacred than that. Some copies read μειζον, "something greater"; referring either to the human nature of Christ, in which the Godhead dwells bodily, and so infinitely greater than the temple; or to the health of his disciples, which was in danger, through hunger: or to the ministry of the apostles, which, by satisfying nature, they were more capable of performing; either of which was of more moment than the sacrifices and service of the temple. Christ's argument is, that if the temple, and the service of it, excused the priests from blame, in doing things in it on the sabbath day, which otherwise might not be done; then much more might his presence, who was greater than the temple, excuse his disciples from blame in this action of rubbing and eating the ears of corn; which was done to satisfy hunger, and to render them the more capable of performing their ministerial function; and which was of more importance than the service of the priests.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

One greater than the temple - Here the Saviour refers to himself, and to his own dignity and power. “I have power over the laws; I can grant to my disciples a dispensation from those laws. An act which I command or permit them to do is therefore right.” This proves that he was divine. None but God can authorize people to do a thing contrary to the divine laws. He refers them again Matthew 12:7 to a passage he had before quoted (See the notes at Matthew 9:13), showing that God preferred acts of righteousness, rather than a precise observance of a ceremonial law.

Mark adds Mark 2:27 “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath.” That is, the Sabbath was intended for the welfare of man; it was designed to promote his happiness, and not to produce misery by harsh, unfeeling requirements. It is not to be so interpreted as to produce suffering by making the necessary supply of wants unlawful. Man was not made for the Sabbath. Man was created first, and then the Sabbath was appointed for his happiness, Genesis 2:1-3. His necessities, his real comforts and needs, are not to be made to bend to that which was made “for him.” The laws are to be interpreted favorably to his real wants and comforts. This authorizes works only of real necessity, not of imaginary wants, or amusements, or common business and worldly employments.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 12:6. In this place is one greater than the temple. — Does not our Lord refer here to Malachi 3:1? Compare this with Hebrews 3:3. The Jews esteemed nothing greater than the temple, except that God who was worshipped in it. Christ, by asserting he was greater than the temple, asserts that he was God; and this he does, in still more direct terms, Matthew 12:8, The Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath-is Institutor and Governor of it. Compare this with Genesis 2:3, and see the notes there.


 
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