Matthew 11


Matthew 11 is the eleventh chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. It continues the gospel's narrative about Jesus' ministry in Galilee.

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 30 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:
  • Papyrus 70
  • Codex Vaticanus
  • Codex Sinaiticus
  • Papyrus 62
  • Papyrus 19
  • Codex Bezae
  • Codex Washingtonianus
  • Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus
  • Codex Purpureus Rossanensis
  • Codex Petropolitanus Purpureus
  • Codex Sinopensis

    Structure

This chapter can be grouped :
The New King James Version organises this chapter as follows:
  • = John the Baptist Sends Messengers to Jesus
  • = Woe to the Impenitent Cities
  • = Jesus gives True Rest

    John the Baptist sends messengers to Jesus

Verses 2 to 6 relate to John the Baptist's enquiry about Jesus, relayed by his messengers. Verses 7 to 19 recount Jesus' assessment of John's ministry.

Verses 2–3

Some translations use descriptive words to refer to the expected Messiah: "the one who is to come", or "the one we are waiting for", whereas other translations render the, ho erchomenos, as a title: "the Expected One", "the Coming One".

Verses 20–24

Having set out in verse 1 "to teach and to preach in their cities", verses 20–24 give an account of Jesus' condemnation of the cities of Galilee for their refusal to repent. Jesus worked most of his miracles or "deeds of power" in these cities.

True rest

Verse 25

German Protestant theologian Karl Theodor Keim called this text a "pearl of the sayings of Jesus". Pope Francis has noted with support that Pope Benedict XVI "often pointed out that the theologian must remain attentive to the faith lived by the humble and the small, to whom it pleased the Father to reveal that which He had hidden from the learned and the wise”.

Verse 27

The Jerusalem Bible suggests that this verse has "a Johannine flavour", observing that "awareness of Christ's divine sonship exists in the deepest stratum of the synoptic tradition as well as in Gospel of John|."

Verse 28

"Come unto me" : also in, where the, deute opiso mou, is often translated as "follow me". In verse 28 there is less thought of the process of coming than in the very similar invitation in.

Old manuscripts

Papyrus 62 (4th century)

Uses

Music

The King James Version of verses 28–30 from this chapter are cited as texts in the English-language oratorio "Messiah" by George Frideric Handel.