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Matthew 8:11

in Matthew 8

I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

And I say unto you, that many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven:

KJV

And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven.

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This verse in Matthew 8

Commentary

6 notes on this verse

A commentator

Jerome

Commentary on Matthew · Written before 420.

(Verse 11.) But I say to you, that many will come from the East and the West, and will recline with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Because God, the creator of the heavens, is the Father of Christ, therefore Abraham is also in the kingdom of heaven, along with whom the nations that believe in Christ, the Son of the Creator, will recline. And that same understanding is fulfilled, as we mentioned above, in the faith of the Gentile centurion: as the peoples who will believe from the East and the West are mentioned.

This site's exposition

so great faith, no, not in Israel

on Matthew 8:10-13

So great faith, no, not in Israel draws Jesus' marvel, one of only two times the Gospels record him marvelling, here at a Gentile's faith and in Mark 6:6 at Nazareth's unbelief. On this hinge he opens the east-and-west saying: many shall sit down with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom, while the children of the kingdom are cast out, the first sounding of the weeping-and-gnashing refrain that returns five more times in this Gospel. The exposition carries both edges as the text does, the feast genuinely open to the nations, the warning genuinely aimed at presumption on descent, and John the Baptist's God is able of these stones already said it at 3:9. The servant was healed in the selfsame hour, the word arriving where the speaker never went.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

Secondly, Christ gives us an idea of the salvation itself. They shall come, shall come together, shall come together to Christ, 2 Thess. ii. They shall be admitted into the kingdom of grace on earth, into the covenant of grace made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; they shall be blessed with faithful Abraham, whose blessing comes upon the Gentiles, Gal. iii.

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

on Matthew 8:10-12

Verily, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel. Now this speaks, First, Honour to the centurion; who, though not a son of Abraham's loins, was an heir of Abraham's faith, and Christ found it so. Note, The thing that Christ seeks is faith, and wherever it is, he finds it, though but as a grain of mustard-seed.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Many shall come from the east ... - Jesus takes occasion from the faith of a Roman centurion to state that this conversion would not be solitary; that many pagans - many from the east and west would be converted to the gospel, and be saved, as Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were. The phrase “from the east and from the west,” in the Scripture, is used to denote the “whole world,” Isa 45:6; Isa 59:

on Matthew 8:1-15

The eighth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel is full of our Lord’s miracles: no less than five are specially recorded. There is beautiful fitness in this. It was fitting that the greatest sermon ever preached should be immediately followed by mighty proofs that the preacher was the Son of God. Those who heard the Sermon on the Mount would be obliged to confess that as “none spake such words as this man,” so also no one did such works.

The words behind it

23 Greek words

Every 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.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

Related verses

18 in all, six open

The number beside each verse is how many compiled reference works tie it to this one. The strongest six stand open.

Isaiah 25:6On this mountain the LORD of Hosts will prepare a banquet for all the peoples, a feast of aged wine, of choice meat, of finely aged wine.17 worksLuke 13:28–29There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves are thrown out.13 worksMatthew 5:3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.12 worksEphesians 3:6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.11 worksIsaiah 11:10On that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples. The nations will seek Him, and His place of rest will be glorious.10 worksGalatians 3:28–29There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.8 works
The other 12 cross-references, with their words ▾
Malachi 1:11For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name will be great among the nations,” says the LORD of Hosts.8 worksEphesians 2:11–14Therefore remember that formerly you who are Gentiles in the flesh and called uncircumcised by the so-called circumcision (that done in the body by human hands)—8 worksMicah 4:1–2In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and the peoples will stream to it.7 worksMatthew 24:31And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.6 worksActs 11:18When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”6 worksLuke 12:37Blessed are those servants whom the master finds on watch when he returns. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve and will have them recline at the table, and he himself will come and wait on them.6 worksIsaiah 2:2–3In the last days the mountain of the house of the LORD will be established as the chief of the mountains; it will be raised above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.6 worksColossians 3:11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.6 worksActs 10:45All the circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles.6 worksIsaiah 59:19So shall they fear the name of the LORD where the sun sets, and His glory where it rises. For He will come like a raging flood, driven by the breath of the LORD.5 worksLuke 22:30so that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.5 worksActs 14:27When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.4 works

The walk

8 stops

Each 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

    Ephesians 3:6

    This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are fellow heirs, fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus.

    it leads to

    • Galatians 3:26–29

      You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

    • 1 John 1:3

      We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And this fellowship of ours is with the Father and with His Son, Jesus Christ.

    • Galatians 3:14

      He redeemed us in order that the blessing promised to Abraham would come to the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

    • Romans 8:15–17

      For you did not receive a spirit of slavery that returns you to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”

    • 1 John 2:25

      And this is the promise that He Himself made to us: eternal life.

  • Through

    Malachi 1:11

    For My name will be great among the nations, from where the sun rises to where it sets. In every place, incense and pure offerings will be presented in My name, because My name…

    it leads to

    • Isaiah 54:5

      For your husband is your Maker—the LORD of Hosts is His name—the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer; He is called the God of all the earth.

    • Isaiah 45:6

      so that all may know, from where the sun rises to where it sets, that there is none but Me; I am the LORD, and there is no other.

    • Isaiah 66:19–20

      I will establish a sign among them, and I will send survivors from among them to the nations—to Tarshish, Put, and the archers of Lud; to Tubal, Javan, and the islands far away who…

Where this verse is studied

About Matthew

John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
John the Baptist Baptizes Jesus — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)
Matthew: the study guide →Read Matthew 8 →

This page draws on Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, Commentary on Matthew and Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible.

Read on in Matthew 8 →