Matthew 12:20

Matthew 12:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
• New International Version (NIV)A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.
• English Standard Version (ESV)a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;
• New King James Version (NKJV)A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory;

Context of Matthew 12:20

18Here is my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. 19He will not argue or shout, and no one will hear his voice in the streets. He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick, until he has led justice to victory. 21The nations will put their hope in his name. 22Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to him. He healed him, so that the man could both speak and see.

Matthew 12:20 word by word

κάλαμον συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεάξει καὶ λίνον τυφόμενον οὐ σβέσει ἕως ἂν ἐκβάλῃ εἰς νῖκος τὴν κρίσιν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• A bruisedσυντρίβωsuntribō · to breakG4937
• reedκάλαμοςkalamos · reed/stick/penG2563
• shall heκατάγνυμιkatagnumi · to breakG2608
• notοὐou · noG3756
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• smokingτύφωtuphō · to smoulderG5188
• flaxλίνονlinon · linen/wickG3043
• shall heσβέννυμιsbennumi · to extinguishG4570
• tillἕωςheōs · untilG2193
• ·ἄνan · ifG302
• he send forthἐκβάλλωekballō · to expelG1544
• judgmentὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• judgmentκρίσιςkrisis · judgmentG2920
• untoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• victoryνῖκοςnikos · victoryG3534

Cross-references for Matthew 12:20

• Matthew 11:28“Come to me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
• 2 Kings 18:21Now look, you are relying on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff that will pierce the hand of anyone who grabs it and leans on it. This is what Pharaoh king of Egypt is to all who rely on him.
• Psalms 51:17The sacrifice pleasing to God is a broken spirit. You will not despise a broken and humbled heart, God.
• Psalms 147:3He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.
• Isaiah 40:11He protects his flock like a shepherd; he gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in the fold of his garment. He gently leads those that are nursing.
• Isaiah 57:15For the High and Exalted One, who lives forever, whose name is holy, says this: “I live in a high and holy place, and with the oppressed and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and revive the heart of the oppressed.
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord God is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and freedom to the prisoners;
• Lamentations 3:31For the Lord will not reject us forever.
• Ezekiel 34:16I will seek the lost, bring back the strays, bandage the injured, and strengthen the weak, but I will destroy the fat and the strong. I will shepherd them with justice.
• Luke 4:18The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed,
• 2 Corinthians 2:7As a result, you should instead forgive and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief.
• Hebrews 12:12Therefore, strengthen your tired hands and weakened knees,
• Psalms 98:1Sing a new song to the Lord, for he has performed wonders; his right hand and holy arm have won him victory.
• Isaiah 42:3He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick; he will faithfully bring justice.
• Romans 15:17Therefore I have reason to boast in Christ Jesus regarding what pertains to God.
• 2 Corinthians 2:14But thanks be to God, who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place.

Commentaries on Matthew 12:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20A bruised reed shall he not break - A reed is, in Scripture, the emblem of weakness, Ezekiel 29:6; and a bruised reed must signify that state of weakness that borders on dissolution and death. And smoking flax shall he not quench - . means the wick of a lamp, and is intended to point out its expiring state, when the oil has been all burnt away from it, and nothing is left but a mere snuff, emitting smoke. Some suppose the Jewish state, as to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14-21Verses 14-21 This account is found also in Mark 3:6-12. Matthew 12:14 The Pharisees … held a council … - Mark adds that the Herodians also took a part in this plot. They were probably a “political” party attached firmly to Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, tetrarch of Galilee. He was the same man who had imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist, and to whom the Saviour, when arraigned, was sent by Pilate. See the notes at Luke 3:1. He was under Roman…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-21Verses 14-21 The Pharisees took counsel to find some accusation, that Jesus might be condemned to death. Aware of their design, as his time was not come, he retired from that place. Face does not more exactly answer to face in water, than the character of Christ drawn by the prophet, to his temper and conduct as described by the evangelists. Let us with cheerful confidence commit our souls to so kind and faithful a Friend. Far from breaking, he will…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20Jesus does not add to people’s spiritual burdens. Instead, he gives them forgiveness with compassion and the sustenance (nourishment and strength) they need (see Matthew 11:28–30; 12:1–14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory--"unto truth," says the Hebrew original, and the Septuagint also. But our Evangelist merely seizes the spirit, instead of the letter of the prediction in this point. The grandeur and completeness of Messiah's victories would prove, it seems, not more wonderful than the unobtrusive noiselessness with which they were to be achieved. And…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 12:20

• Flax
• Gentiles
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Meekness
• Penitent
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Reed

In the dictionaries

• Adulterous
• Condemn
• Desolation
• Idle
• Judgment
• Reed
• Restore
• Sin
• Wither
• Bruise; Bruised

Commentaries on Matthew 12

• 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