New English Translation
Matthew 20:26
26It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,
Matthew 20:26 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
- New International Version (NIV)Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,
- English Standard Version (ESV)It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.
Context of Matthew 20:26
24Now when the other ten heard this, they were angry with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave – 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Read all of Matthew 20Matthew 20:26 word by word
οὐχ οὕτως ἔσται ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ὃς ἐὰν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν μέγας γενέσθαι, ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- it shallεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- notοὐou · noG3756
- soοὕτωςhoutō · thus(-ly)G3779
- amongἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- youσύsu · youG4771
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- whosoeverὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- ·ἐάνean · ifG1437
- will beθέλωthelō ethelō · to will/desireG2309
- greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
- let himγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
- ministerδιάκονοςdiakonos · servantG1249
Cross-references for Matthew 20:26
- Matthew 23:8But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.
- Mark 9:35After he sat down, he called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.”
- Mark 10:43But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,
- Luke 14:7Then when Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, he told them a parable. He said to them,
- Luke 18:14I tell you that this man went down to his home justified rather than the Pharisee. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- John 18:36Jesus replied, “My kingdom is not from this world. If my kingdom were from this world, my servants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:24I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments
- 1 Peter 5:3And do not lord it over those entrusted to you, but be examples to the flock.
- 3 John 1:9I wrote something to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, does not acknowledge us.
- Revelation 13:11Then I saw another beast coming up from the earth. He had two horns like a lamb, but was speaking like a dragon.
- Revelation 17:6I saw that the woman was drunk with the blood of the saints and the blood of those who testified to Jesus. I was greatly astounded when I saw her.
- Matthew 25:44Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’
- Matthew 27:55Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support were also there, watching from a distance.
- Ezekiel 24:13You mix uncleanness with obscene conduct. I tried to cleanse you, but you are not clean. You will not be cleansed from your uncleanness until I have exhausted my anger on you.
- Acts 13:5When they arrived in Salamis, they began to proclaim the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. (Now they also had John as their assistant.)
Commentaries on Matthew 20:26
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 26It shall not be so among you - Every kind of lordship and spiritual domination over the Church of Christ, like that exercised by the Church of Rome, is destructive and anti-christian. Your minister - Or, deacon, . I know no other word which could at once convey the meaning of the original, and make a proper distinction between it and , or servant, in Matthew 20:27. The office of a deacon, in the primitive Church, was to serve in the agapae, or love…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20-28Verses 20-28 See also Mark 10:35-45. Matthew 20:20 Then came to him give mother of Zebedee‘s children - This was probably Salome, Mark 15:40; Mark 16:1. With her sons - The names of these sons were James and John, Mark 10:35 Mark says they came and made the request. That is, they made it, as appears from Matthew, through the medium of their mother; they requested her to ask it for them. It is not improbable that she was an ambitious woman, and was…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 20-28Verses 20-28 The sons of Zebedee abused what Christ said to comfort the disciples. Some cannot have comforts but they turn them to a wrong purpose. Pride is a sin that most easily besets us; it is sinful ambition to outdo others in pomp and grandeur. To put down the vanity and ambition of their request, Christ leads them to the thoughts of their sufferings. It is a bitter cup that is to be drunk of; a cup of trembling, but not the cup of the wicked. It is…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 25-28Rulers who do not know God often desire power and control. But those who follow the Son of Man should not act this way (Matthew 18:1–5; 19:13–15; 23:1–12).Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 20:26
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 20
- 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
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