Matthew 11:12

Matthew 11:12 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
• New International Version (NIV)From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subjected to violence, and violent people have been raiding it.
• English Standard Version (ESV)From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.
• New King James Version (NKJV)And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.

Context of Matthew 11:12

10This is what someone wrote about him a long time ago in the Bible. God said: “Listen! I will send someone to go in front of you. He will speak my message. He will prepare a way for you.” ’ 11Jesus then said, ‘I tell you this: John the Baptist is greater than any person who has ever lived until now. But now, anyone who belongs in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. Even the least important of them is greater than he is. From the time that John the Baptist began to teach until now, the kingdom of heaven is becoming very strong. Strong people are trying very much to attack it. 13All the prophets and the books of the Law spoke God's message until the time that John the Baptist came. 14The prophets wrote about Elijah. They said he would come again, to prepare for the Messiah. They were writing about John, and you should believe their message.

Matthew 11:12 word by word

ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ἡμερῶν Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ ἕως ἄρτι ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βιάζεται, καὶ βιασταὶ ἁρπάζουσιν αὐτήν.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andδέde · thenG1161
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• the daysὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the daysἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• of JohnἸωάννηςIōannēs · JohnG2491
• the BaptistΒαπτιστήςBaptistēs · one who baptizesG910
• untilἕωςheōs · untilG2193
• nowἄρτιarti · nowG737
• the kingdomβασιλείαbasileia · kingdomG932
• of heavenοὐρανόςouranos · heavenG3772
• suffereth violenceβιάζωbiazō · to forceG971
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the violentβιαστήςbiastēs · forceful personG973
• takeἁρπάζωharpazō · to seizeG726
• itαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846

Cross-references for Matthew 11:12

• Matthew 21:23Then Jesus returned to the yard of the temple. While he was teaching the people there, the leaders of the priests and important Jews went to him. They asked him, ‘What authority do you have to do these things? Tell us. Who gave you the authority to do them?’
• Luke 7:29Many people heard what Jesus said. Even the men who took taxes from people agreed with his message. They had gone to John to baptize them. They all said, ‘What God says about us is right.’
• Luke 13:24Jesus said to the people there, ‘Do your best to go in through the narrow door. I tell you that many people will want to get in there. But they will not be able to go through it.
• Luke 16:16Jesus then said, ‘The books of God's Law and God's prophets spoke God's message until John the Baptist came. Since then, God's servants tell people the good news about the kingdom of God. Everyone is now trying very much to get into that kingdom.
• John 6:27Do not work only for that kind of food. It soon becomes spoiled. Instead, work to get the food that continues for ever. That kind of food gives you life with God. The Son of Man will give this food to you. God, the Father, has given the Son authority to do this.’
• Ephesians 6:11Use all the help that God gives to us. Then you can be like a soldier who fights against the Devil. You must put on the whole armour that God gives to us. The Devil attacks us in clever ways, and we need to be strong.
• Philippians 2:12So, my friends, you must continue to obey God. When I was with you, you always obeyed. Now that I am not with you, that is even more important. God has saved you. You must always live in a way which shows that is true. Respect God and obey him. Remember that he is great and powerful.

Commentaries on Matthew 11:12

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 12The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence - The tax-gatherers and heathens, whom the scribes and Pharisees think have no right to the kingdom of the Messiah, filled with holy zeal and earnestness, seize at once on the proffered mercy of the Gospel, and so take the kingdom as by force from those learned doctors who claimed for themselves the chiefest places in that kingdom. Christ himself said, The tax-gatherers and harlots go before you into the kingdom of…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 12And from the days of John … - That is, from the days when John began to preach. It is not known how long this was, but it was not probably more than a year. Our Saviour here simply states a fact. He says there was a great rush or a crowd pressing to hear John. Multitudes went out to hear him, as if they were about to take the kingdom of heaven by force. See Matthew 3:5. So, he says, it has continued. Since “the kingdom of heaven,” or “the gospel,” has…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-15Verses 7-15 What Christ said concerning John, was not only for his praise, but for the people's profit. Those who attend on the word will be called to give an account of their improvements. Do we think when the sermon is done, the care is over? No, then the greatest of the care begins. John was a self-denying man, dead to all the pomps of the world and the pleasures of sense. It becomes people, in all their appearances, to be consistent with their…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 12The kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence: The Greek verb can mean either that the kingdom suffers violence (negative) or that it forcefully advances (positive). In Luke 16:16, a different verb (“preached”) makes the statement clearly positive. the violent lay claim to it: This phrase can also have either a negative or positive sense. Negatively, it may point to those who opposed John (see Matthew 11:2; 14:1–12) and persecuted the kingdom’s…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-191. And it came to pass, when Jesus had made an end of commanding his twelve disciple--rather, "the twelve disciples," he departed thence to teach and to preach in their cities--This was scarcely a fourth circuit--if we may judge from the less formal way in which it was expressed--but, perhaps, a set of visits paid to certain places, either not reached at all before, or too rapidly passed through, in order to fill up the time till the return of the Twelve…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 11:12

• Jesus, the Christ
• John

In the dictionaries

• John the Baptist
• Easy
• Justify
• Learn
• Lowly
• Meek
• Mighty
• Pipe
• Rest
• Thou

Commentaries on Matthew 11

• 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