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

10John is the one about whom Scripture says, ‘I’m sending my messenger ahead of you to prepare the way in front of you.’ 11“I can guarantee this truth: Of all the people ever born, no one is greater than John the Baptizer. Yet, the least important person in the kingdom of heaven is greater than John. From the time of John the Baptizer until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing, and forceful people have been seizing it. 13All the Prophets and Moses’ Teachings prophesied up to the time of John. 14If you are willing to accept their message, John is the Elijah who was to come.

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 went into the temple courtyard and began to teach. The chief priests and the leaders of the people came to him. They asked, “What gives you the right to do these things? Who told you that you could do this?”
• Luke 7:29“All the people, including tax collectors, heard John. They admitted that God was right by letting John baptize them.
• Luke 13:24“Try hard to enter through the narrow door. I can guarantee that many will try to enter, but they won’t succeed.
• Luke 16:16“Moses’ Teachings and the Prophets were ⌞in force⌟ until the time of John. Since that time, people have been telling the Good News about God’s kingdom, and everyone is trying to force their way into it.
• John 6:27Don’t work for food that spoils. Instead, work for the food that lasts into eternal life. This is the food the Son of Man will give you. After all, the Father has placed his seal of approval on him.”
• Ephesians 6:11Put on all the armor that God supplies. In this way you can take a stand against the devil’s strategies.
• Philippians 2:12My dear friends, you have always obeyed, not only when I was with you but even more now that I’m absent. In the same way continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

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