American Standard Version
Matthew 8:22
22But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.
Matthew 8:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.
- New International Version (NIV)But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)And Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."
- New King James Version (NKJV)But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”
Context of Matthew 8:22
20And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the heaven have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. 21And another of the disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead. 23And when he was entered into a boat, his disciples followed him. 24And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the boat was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Read all of Matthew 8Matthew 8:22 word by word
Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς λέγει αὐτῷ· ἀκολούθει μοι, καὶ ἄφες τοὺς νεκροὺς θάψαι τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεκρούς.¶Read the interlinear
Cross-references for Matthew 8:22
- Matthew 4:18And walking by the sea of Galilee, he saw two brethren, Simon who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers.
- Matthew 9:9And as Jesus passed by from thence, he saw a man, called Matthew, sitting at the place of toll: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.
- John 1:43On the morrow he was minded to go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip: and Jesus saith unto him, Follow me.
- Luke 15:32But it was meet to make merry and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.
- Ephesians 2:1And youdid he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins,
- Ephesians 5:14Wherefore he saith, Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall shine upon thee.
- Colossians 2:13And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, I say, did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses;
- 1 Timothy 5:6But she that giveth herself to pleasure is dead while she liveth.
Commentaries on Matthew 8:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Let the dead bury their dead - It was usual for the Jews to consider a man as dead who had departed from the precepts of the law; and, on this ground, every transgressor was reputed a dead man. Our Lord's saying, being in common use, had nothing difficult in it to a Jew. Natural death is the separation of the body and soul; spiritual death, the separation of God and the soul: men who live in sin are dead to God. Leave the spiritually dead to bury their…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22Let the dead bury their dead - The word “dead” is used in this passage in two different senses. It is apparently a paradox, but is suited to convey the idea very distinctly to the mind. The Jews used the word “dead” often to express indifference toward a thing; or, rather, to show that that thing has no “influence” over us. Thus, to be dead to the world; to be dead to the law Romans 7:4; to be dead to sin Romans 6:11, means that the world, law, and sin…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 18-22Verses 18-22 One of the scribes was too hasty in promising; he proffers himself to be a close follower of Christ. He seems to be very resolute. Many resolutions for religion are produced by sudden conviction, and taken up without due consideration; these come to nothing. When this scribe offered to follow Christ, one would think he should have been encouraged; one scribe might do more credit and service than twelve fishermen; but Christ saw his heart, and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22Let the dead bury their own dead. Those who opposed Jesus might have seen these words as ignoring the commandment to honor parents (Exodus 20:12). But it actually reinforces the first commandment (Exodus 20:1–3). The authority of Jesus as the Messiah justified this statement. Living for the kingdom of heaven influences normal human life, including family ties and commitments (see Matthew 10:34–39; 12:46–50; 19:29; Zechariah 13:3; Luke 14:26–27).Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 8:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 8
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
American Standard Version — 1901 — Public Domain
Commentaries