Matthew 9:13

Matthew 9:13 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.
• New International Version (NIV)But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)Go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.' For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners."
• New King James Version (NKJV)But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

Context of Matthew 9:13

11The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12When Jesus heard that, he said, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. Learn what this means: ‘I want mercy, not sacrifices.’ I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.” 14Then John’s disciples came to Jesus. They said, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples never do?” 15Jesus replied, “Can wedding guests be sad while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.

Matthew 9:13 word by word

πορευθέντες δὲ μάθετε τί ἐστιν· ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν· οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλ᾽ ἁμαρτωλούςRead the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• go ye andπορεύωporeuomai · to travelG4198
• learnμανθάνωmanthanō · to learnG3129
• whatτίςtis · which?G5101
• meanethεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• I will haveθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
• mercyἔλεοςeleos · mercyG1656
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• notοὐou · noG3756
• sacrificeθυσίαthusia · sacrificeG2378
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• I amἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• to callκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• the righteousδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• sinnersἁμαρτωλόςhamartōlos · sinfulG268
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• repentanceμετάνοιαmetanoia · repentanceG3341

Cross-references for Matthew 9:13

• Matthew 12:3Jesus asked them, “Haven’t you read what David did when he and his men were hungry?
• Matthew 19:4Jesus answered, “Haven’t you read that the Creator made them male and female in the beginning
• Matthew 21:42Jesus asked them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The Lord is responsible for this, and it is amazing for us to see’?
• Matthew 22:31Haven’t you read what God told you about the dead coming back to life? He said,
• Mark 12:26Haven’t you read in the book of Moses that the dead come back to life? It’s in the passage about the bush, where God said, ‘I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.’
• Luke 10:26Jesus answered him, “What is written in Moses’ Teachings? What do you read there?”
• John 10:34Jesus said to them, “Don’t your Scriptures say, ‘I said, “You are gods” ’?
• Proverbs 21:3Doing what is right and fair is more acceptable to the Lord than offering a sacrifice.
• Hosea 6:6I want your loyalty, not your sacrifices. I want you to know me, not to give me burnt offerings.
• Micah 6:6What should I bring when I come into the Lord’s presence, when I bow in front of the God of heaven? Should I bring him year-old calves as burnt offerings?
• Mark 2:17When Jesus heard that, he said to them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor; those who are sick do. I’ve come to call sinners, not people who think they have God’s approval.”
• Luke 5:32I’ve come to call sinners to change the way they think and act, not to call people who think they have God’s approval.”
• Luke 15:3Jesus spoke to them using this illustration:
• Luke 19:10Indeed, the Son of Man has come to seek and to save people who are lost.”
• Romans 3:10as Scripture says, “Not one person has God’s approval.

Commentaries on Matthew 9:13

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13I will have mercy, and not sacrifice - Quoted from 1 Samuel 15:22. These are remarkable words. We may understand them as implying, 1st. That God prefers an act of mercy, shown to the necessitous, to any act of religious worship to which the person might be called at that time. Both are good; but the former is the greater good, and should be done in preference to the other. 2dly. That the whole sacrificial system was intended only to point out the infinite…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13But go ye and learn … - To reprove them, and to vindicate his own conduct, he appealed to a passage of Scripture with which they ought to have been acquainted: “I will have mercy, and not sacrifice,” Hosea 6:6. This is not a declaration on the part of God that he was opposed to “sacrifices” or “offerings for sin;” for he had appointed and commanded many, and had therefore expressed his approbation of them. It is a Hebrew mode of speaking, and means, “I…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 10-13Verses 10-13 Some time after his call, Matthew sought to bring his old associates to hear Christ. He knew by experience what the grace of Christ could do, and would not despair concerning them. Those who are effectually brought to Christ, cannot but desire that others also may be brought to him. Those who suppose their souls to be without disease will not welcome the spiritual Physician. This was the case with the Pharisees; they despised Christ, because…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13I desire mercy, not sacrifice: Jesus applies this desire of God to eating with sinners. Jesus showed mercy by eating with them. This contrasted with the Pharisees who avoided sinners. They considered their avoidance to symbolize sacrifices. Jesus exposed the Pharisees' true spiritual state. The Pharisees considered themselves to be righteous. But they were actually unrighteous and needed the Messiah to save them (Matthew 7:1–5; 8:11–12; 19:30; 20:16…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1313. But go ye and learn what that meaneth--(Ho 6:6), I will have mercy, and not sacrifice--that is, the one rather than the other. "Sacrifice," the chief part of the ceremonial law, is here put for a religion of literal adherence to mere rules; while "mercy" expresses such compassion for the fallen as seeks to lift them up. The duty of keeping aloof from the polluted, in the sense of "having no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness," is obvious…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 9:13

• Capernaum
• Ecclesiasticism
• Formalism
• Hypocrisy
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Pharisees
• Quotations and Allusions
• Repentance
• Self-Righteousness

In the dictionaries

• Bridechamber
• Call
• Capernaum
• Cheer
• Comfort
• Daughter
• Eat
• Garment
• Harvest
• Hem

Commentaries on Matthew 9

• 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