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.
• 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;
• New Living Translation (NLT)He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.

Context of Matthew 12:20

18"Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him, and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles. 19He will not quarrel or cry aloud, nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets; a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory; 21and in his name the Gentiles will hope." 22Then a demon-oppressed man who was blind and mute was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the man spoke and saw.

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 11:28Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
• 2 Kings 18:21Behold, you are trusting now in Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who trust in him.
• Psalms 51:17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
• Psalms 147:3He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.
• Isaiah 40:11He will tend his flock like a shepherd; he will gather the lambs in his arms; he will carry them in his bosom, and gently lead those that are with young.
• Isaiah 57:15For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: "I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound;
• Lamentations 3:31For the Lord will not cast off forever,
• Ezekiel 34:16I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice.
• Luke 4:18"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed,
• 2 Corinthians 2:7so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.
• Hebrews 12:12Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees,
• Psalms 98:1Oh sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
• Isaiah 42:3a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
• Romans 15:17In Christ Jesus, then, I have reason to be proud of my work for God.
• 2 Corinthians 2:14But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.

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