Matthew 23:8

Matthew 23:8 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.
• New International Version (NIV)“But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.
• English Standard Version (ESV)But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers.
• New King James Version (NKJV)But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.

Context of Matthew 23:8

6They love the place of honor at dinners and the front seats in synagogues. 7They love to be greeted in the marketplaces and to have people call them Rabbi. But don’t make others call you Rabbi, because you have only one teacher, and you are all followers. 9And don’t call anyone on earth your father, because you have only one Father, and he is in heaven. 10Don’t make others call you a leader, because you have only one leader, the Messiah.

Matthew 23:8 word by word

ὑμεῖς δὲ μὴ κληθῆτε ῥαββί· εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὑμῶν ὁ διδάσκαλος πάντες δὲ ὑμεῖς ἀδελφοί ἐστε.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• beκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• notμήmē · notG3361
• yeσύsu · youG4771
• calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• Rabbiῥαββίrhabbi · RabbiG4461
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• oneεἷςheis · oneG1520
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• Masterὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Masterκαθηγητήςkathēgētēs · teacherG2519
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
• allπᾶςpas · allG3956
• brethrenἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80

Cross-references for Matthew 23:8

• Matthew 23:10Don’t make others call you a leader, because you have only one leader, the Messiah.
• 2 Corinthians 1:24It isn’t that we want to have control over your Christian faith. Rather, we want to work with you so that you will be happy. Certainly, you are firmly established in the Christian faith.
• 2 Corinthians 4:5Our message is not about ourselves. It is about Jesus Christ as the Lord. We are your servants for his sake.
• James 3:1Brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers. You know that we who teach will be judged more severely.
• 1 Peter 5:3Don’t be rulers over the people entrusted to you, but be examples for the flock to follow.
• Matthew 10:25It is enough for a student to become like his teacher and a slave like his owner. If they have called the owner of the house Beelzebul, they will certainly call the family members the same name.
• Matthew 17:5He was still speaking when a bright cloud overshadowed them. Then a voice came out of the cloud and said, “This is my Son, whom I love and with whom I am pleased. Listen to him!”
• Matthew 26:49Then Judas quickly stepped up to Jesus and said, “Hello, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
• John 13:13You call me teacher and Lord, and you’re right because that’s what I am.
• Romans 14:9For this reason Christ died and came back to life so that he would be the Lord of both the living and the dead.
• 1 Corinthians 1:12This is what I mean: Each of you is saying, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
• 1 Corinthians 3:3because you’re still influenced by your corrupt nature. When you are jealous and quarrel among yourselves, aren’t you influenced by your corrupt nature and living by human standards?
• Luke 22:32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith will not fail. So when you recover, strengthen the other disciples.”
• Ephesians 3:15from whom all the family in heaven and on earth receives its name.
• Colossians 1:1From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and from our brother Timothy.
• Revelation 1:9I am John, your brother. I share your suffering, ruling, and endurance because of Jesus. I was ⌞exiled⌟ on the island of Patmos because of God’s word and the testimony about Jesus.

Commentaries on Matthew 23:8

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 8But be not ye called Rabbi - As our Lord probably spoke in Hebrew, the latter word rabbi, in this verse, must have been in the plural; but as the contracted form of the plural sounds almost exactly like the singular, the Greek writer would naturally express them both in the same letters. None of the prophets had ever received this title, nor any of the Jewish doctors before the time of Hillel and Shammai, which was about the time of our Lord; and, as…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 8Be not ye … - Jesus forbade his disciples to seek such titles of distinction. The reason which he gave was that he was himself their Master and Teacher, They were on a level; they were to be equal in authority; they were brethren; and they should neither covet nor receive a title which implied either an elevation of one above another, or which appeared to infringe on the absolute right of the Saviour to be their only Teacher and Master. The direction here…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 8Rabbi: In Judaism, these men were authoritative mediators for sharing knowledge about God (see Matthew 23:7). But under the new covenant, there is only one authoritative teacher, Jesus himself as the Messiah (see Jeremiah 31:31–34).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 88. But be not ye called Rabbi; for one is your Master--your Guide, your Teacher.Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 23:8

• Church
• Ecclesiasticism
• Fellowship
• Fraternity
• Hypocrisy
• Jesus Continued
• Man
• Master
• Minister, Christian
• Pharisees
• Pride
• Rabbi
• Satire
• Teachers
• Unity

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Abase
• Bewray
• Devour
• Exalt
• Fill
• Gnat
• Ought
• Partaker

Commentaries on Matthew 23

• 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