Matthew 28:18
in Matthew 28Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And Jesus came to them and spake unto them, saying, All authority hath been given unto me in heaven and on earth.
KJV
And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
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This verse in Matthew 28
Commentary
7 notes on this verse(Ver. 18.) And Jesus came to them and spoke, saying: All power has been given to me in heaven and on earth. The power was given to him who was recently crucified, who was buried in a tomb, who had been dead, and who later rose again. Power has been given in heaven and on earth, so that he who previously reigned in heaven may now reign on earth through the faith of believers.
This site's exposition
All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth
All power, exousia, authority rather than mere strength, given unto me in heaven and in earth is the risen Christ's own claim to the very dominion Daniel 7:14 gave the son of man, all peoples, nations and languages should serve him, an everlasting dominion which shall not pass away. The claim answers the temptation scene's third offer at 4:8-9, where Satan showed him the kingdoms of the world and their glory on a mountain and asked for worship in exchange; here on another mountain the same authority is given freely by the Father rather than falsely offered by the enemy. Everything the Great Commission commands in the next two verses rests on this one sentence, since a command to disciple all nations makes sense only from a King whose authority already extends to all nations.
The record, by era
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
Note, Even among those that worship there are some that doubt. The faith of those that are sincere, may yet be very weak and wavering. They doubted, edistasan -- they hung in suspense, as the scales of the balance, when it is hard to say which preponderates.
on Matthew 28:18-20
Hereby he asserts his universal dominion as Mediator, which is the great foundation of the Christian religion. Observe, (1.) Whence he hath this power. He did not assume it, or usurp it, but it was given him, he was legally entitled to it, and invested in it, by a grant from him who is the Fountain of all being, and consequently of all power.
The Nineteenth Century3 voices
And Jesus came and spake unto them - It is supposed by some that the reason why any doubted was, that when they saw Jesus at first, he was at a distance; but when he came up, drew near to them, they were fully persuaded of the identity of his person. All power is given unto me - Or, All authority in heaven and upon earth is given unto me.
A commentator
Charles Spurgeon1834–1892
The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2465: “Our Omnipotent Leader” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition) · Written before 1892.
I INTEND chiefly to call your attention to this verse, but it will also be necessary to refer to the rest of the chapter—"Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen" Our Savior was always with His disciples until the time of His death. After His resurrection He was with them often, but not always.
on Matthew 28:18-20
THE change from "the Man of Sorrows," before His crucifixion, to the "Lord over All" after His Resurrection is very striking. Before His Passion He was well-known by His disciples and appeared only in one form, as the Son of Man, clad in the common peasant's garment without seam, woven from the top throughout. But after He had risen from the dead He was, on several occasions, unrecognized by those who loved Him best. He is once, at least, described as having appeared to certain of them "under another form."
The words behind it
17 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| προσελθὼν | proselthon | having come to [them] | G4334 → | 86 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἰησοῦς | iesous | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| ἐλάλησεν | elalesen | spoke | G2980 → | 294 times |
| αὐτοῖς | autois | to them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| λέγων· | legon | saying; | G3004 → | 1325 times |
| ἐδόθη | edothe | Has been given | G1325 → | 412 times |
| μοι | moi | to Me | G3165 → | 1936 times |
| πᾶσα | pasa | all | G3956 → | 1235 times |
| ἐξουσία | exousia | authority | G1849 → | 102 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| οὐρανῷ | ourano | heaven | G3772 → | 272 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | on | G1909 → | 883 times |
| τῆς | tes | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γῆς. | ges | earth. | G1093 → | 248 times |
ΚαὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
προσελθὼνhaving come to [them]
proselthonG4334 →86 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἸησοῦςJesus
iesousG2424 →908 times
ἐλάλησενspoke
elalesenG2980 →294 times
αὐτοῖςto them
autoisG846 →5565 times
λέγων·saying;
legonG3004 →1325 times
ἐδόθηHas been given
edotheG1325 →412 times
μοιto Me
moiG3165 →1936 times
πᾶσαall
pasaG3956 →1235 times
ἐξουσίαauthority
exousiaG1849 →102 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
οὐρανῷheaven
ouranoG3772 →272 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ἐπὶon
epiG1909 →883 times
τῆςthe
tesG3588 →19766 times
γῆς.earth.
gesG1093 →248 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Matthew 11:27All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses…
it leads to
- Luke 10:22
All things have been entrusted to Me by My Father. No one knows who the Son is except the Father, and no one knows who the Father is except the Son and those to…
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- John 14:6–9
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
- 2 John 1:9
Anyone who runs ahead without remaining in the teaching of Christ does not have God. Whoever remains in His teaching has both the Father and the Son.
- John 17:25–26
Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.
- 1 John 2:23
Whoever denies the Son does not have the Father, but whoever confesses the Son has the Father as well.
- Luke 10:22
Through
Hebrews 2:8and placed everything under his feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
it leads to
- John 13:3
Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God.
- John 13:3
Through
1 Peter 3:22who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.
it leads to
- Hebrews 9:24
For Christ did not enter a man-made copy of the true sanctuary, but He entered heaven itself, now to appear on our behalf in the presence of God.
- Hebrews 12:2
Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand…
- Hebrews 9:24
Where this verse is studied
On this page
About Matthew
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 2465: “Our Omnipotent Leader” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Charles Spurgeon, The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, Sermon No. 1200: “The Power of the Risen Savior” (lightly modernized text, CCEL edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.