New King James Version
Matthew 20:26
26Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him 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 Living Translation (NLT)But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,
Context of Matthew 20:26
24And when the ten heard it, they were greatly displeased with the two brothers. 25But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. 27And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— 28just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life 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, do not be called ‘Rabbi’; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
- Mark 9:35And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, “If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all.”
- Mark 10:43Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.
- Luke 14:7So He told a parable to those who were invited, when He noted how they chose the best places, saying to them:
- Luke 18:14I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
- John 18:36Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.”
- 2 Corinthians 1:24Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.
- 2 Corinthians 10:4For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,
- 1 Peter 5:3nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
- 3 John 1:9I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.
- Revelation 13:11Then I saw another beast coming up out of the earth, and he had two horns like a lamb and spoke like a dragon.
- Revelation 17:6I saw the woman, drunk with the blood of the saints and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus. And when I saw her, I marveled with great amazement.
- Matthew 25:44“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’
- Matthew 27:55And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar,
- Ezekiel 24:13In your filthiness is lewdness. Because I have cleansed you, and you were not cleansed, You will not be cleansed of your filthiness anymore, Till I have caused My fury to rest upon you.
- Acts 13:5And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. 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
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries