Matthew 12:20

Matthew 12:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
• New International Version (NIV)A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.
• English Standard Version (ESV)a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;
• New King James Version (NKJV)A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory;

Context of Matthew 12:20

18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show justice to the Gentiles. 19He shall not quarrel, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he shall send forth justice to victory. 21And in his name shall the Gentiles trust. 22Then was brought to him one possessed with a demon, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, so that the blind and dumb both spoke and saw.

Matthew 12:20 word by word

κάλαμον συντετριμμένον οὐ κατεάξει καὶ λίνον τυφόμενον οὐ σβέσει ἕως ἂν ἐκβάλῃ εἰς νῖκος τὴν κρίσιν.Read the interlinear

• bruisedσυντρίβωsuntribō · to breakG4937
• reedκάλαμοςkalamos · reed/stick/penG2563
• heκατάγνυμιkatagnumi · to breakG2608
• notοὐou · noG3756
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• smokingτύφωtuphō · to smoulderG5188
• flaxλίνονlinon · linen/wickG3043
• heσβέννυμιsbennumi · to extinguishG4570
• tillἕωςheōs · untilG2193
• tillἄνan · ifG302
• forthἐκβάλλωekballō · to expelG1544
• justiceκρίσιςkrisis · judgmentG2920
• toεἰςeis · towardG1519
• victoryνῖκοςnikos · victoryG3534

Cross-references for Matthew 12:20

• Matthew 11:28Come to me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
• 2 Kings 18:21Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man leaneth, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all that trust on him.
• Psalms 51:17The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
• Psalms 147:3He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.
• Isaiah 40:11He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young.
• Isaiah 57:15For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
• Isaiah 61:1The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings to the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
• Lamentations 3:31For the Lord will not cast off for ever:
• Ezekiel 34:16I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick: but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment.
• Luke 4:18The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,
• 2 Corinthians 2:7So that on the contrary ye ought rather to forgive him, and comfort him, lest perhaps such an one should be swallowed up with too much sorrow.
• Hebrews 12:12Therefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
• Psalms 98:1O sing to the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory.
• Isaiah 42:3A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment to truth.
• Romans 15:17I have therefore cause for glorying through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God.
• 2 Corinthians 2:14Now thanks be to God, who always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

Commentaries on Matthew 12:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20A bruised reed shall he not break - A reed is, in Scripture, the emblem of weakness, Ezekiel 29:6; and a bruised reed must signify that state of weakness that borders on dissolution and death. And smoking flax shall he not quench - . means the wick of a lamp, and is intended to point out its expiring state, when the oil has been all burnt away from it, and nothing is left but a mere snuff, emitting smoke. Some suppose the Jewish state, as to…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14-21Verses 14-21 This account is found also in Mark 3:6-12. Matthew 12:14 The Pharisees … held a council … - Mark adds that the Herodians also took a part in this plot. They were probably a “political” party attached firmly to Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, tetrarch of Galilee. He was the same man who had imprisoned and beheaded John the Baptist, and to whom the Saviour, when arraigned, was sent by Pilate. See the notes at Luke 3:1. He was under Roman…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 14-21Verses 14-21 The Pharisees took counsel to find some accusation, that Jesus might be condemned to death. Aware of their design, as his time was not come, he retired from that place. Face does not more exactly answer to face in water, than the character of Christ drawn by the prophet, to his temper and conduct as described by the evangelists. Let us with cheerful confidence commit our souls to so kind and faithful a Friend. Far from breaking, he will…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20Jesus does not add to people’s spiritual burdens. Instead, he gives them forgiveness with compassion and the sustenance (nourishment and strength) they need (see Matthew 11:28–30; 12:1–14).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory--"unto truth," says the Hebrew original, and the Septuagint also. But our Evangelist merely seizes the spirit, instead of the letter of the prediction in this point. The grandeur and completeness of Messiah's victories would prove, it seems, not more wonderful than the unobtrusive noiselessness with which they were to be achieved. And…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 12:20

• Flax
• Gentiles
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Meekness
• Penitent
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Reed

In the dictionaries

• Adulterous
• Condemn
• Desolation
• Idle
• Judgment
• Reed
• Restore
• Sin
• Wither
• Bruise; Bruised

Commentaries on Matthew 12

• 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