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Revised Standard Version
Matthew 20:23
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He told them, “You will indeed drink my cup,
And he saith vnto them, Yee shall drinke indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptisme that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to giue, but it shall be giuen to them for whom it is prepared of my father.
And he saith unto them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
He said to them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
He said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit at My right and at My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."
Jesus said to them, "You will drink from my cup. But I cannot choose who will sit at my right or my left; those places belong to those for whom my Father has prepared them."
He said to them, "You will drink My cup [of suffering]; but to sit on My right and on My left this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."
And he said vnto them, Ye shall drinke in deede of my cup, and shall be baptized with the baptisme, that I am baptized with, but to sit at my right hande, and at my left hand, is not mine to giue: but it shalbe giuen to them for whome it is prepared of my Father.
He said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."
He *said to them, "My cup you shall drink; but to sit on My right and on My left, this is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by My Father."
"You will indeed drink My cup," Jesus said. "But to sit at My right or left is not Mine to grant. These seats belong to those for whom My Father has prepared them."
Jesus replied, "You certainly will drink from my cup! But it isn't for me to say who will sit at my right side and at my left. That is for my Father to say."
He said to them, "Yes, you will drink my cup. But to sit on my right and on my left is not mine to give, it is for those for whom my Father has prepared it."
[And] he says to them, Ye shall drink indeed my cup, but to sit on my right hand and on [my] left, is not mine to give, but to those for whom it is prepared of my Father.
Jesus said to them, "It is true that you will drink from the cup that I drink from. But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or my left. My Father has decided who will do that. He has prepared those places for them."
He said to them, Indeed my cup you shall drink, and the baptism with which I am to be baptized, you too shall be baptized with; but to sit at my right hand and at my left, that is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.
"You will indeed drink from my cup," Jesus told them, "but I do not have the right to choose who will sit at my right and my left. These places belong to those for whom my Father has prepared them."
He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
And He said to them, Indeed you shall drink My cup, and you shall be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized; but to sit off My right and off My left hand is not Mine to give, but by My Father.
He saith unto them, My cup indeed ye shall drink: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give; but it is for them for whom it hath been prepared of my Father.
They say to him, We are able. He says to them, Truly, you will take of my cup: but to be seated at my right hand and at my left is not for me to give, but it is for those for whom my Father has made it ready.
He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, and be immersed with the immersion that I am immersed with, but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
He said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup. But it's not up to me to grant you a seat at my right hand or at my left. These positions have already been prepared for others by my Father."Matthew 25:34; Acts 12:2; Romans 8:17; 2 Corinthians 1:7; Revelation 1:9;">[xr]
He saith to them, My cup you shall drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized you shall be baptized: but that you may sit at my right hand, and at my left, is not mine to give, unless to them for whom it is prepared by my Father.
He saith to them: Ye will [fn] drink of my cup, and will be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but that ye should sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, except to those for whom it is prepared by my Father.
He sayth vnto them: Ye shall drynke in deede of my cuppe, and be baptized with the baptisme that I am baptized with: But to syt on my ryght hande, & on my lefte, is not myne to geue, but to them for whom it is prepared for of my father.
He saith unto them, My cup indeed ye shall drink: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give, but it is for them for whom it hath been prepared of my Father.
He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on my right hand, and on my left hand, is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
And he saith to them, Ye shall indeed drink of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right-hand and on my left is not mine to give, save to them for whom it is prepared of my Father.
"You shall drink out of my cup," He said, "but a seat at my right hand or at my left it is not for me to allot, but it belongs to those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
He seith to hem, Ye schulen drinke my cuppe; but to sitte at my riythalf or lefthalf, it is not myn to yyue to you; but to whiche it is maad redi of my fadir.
He says to them, My cup indeed you shall drink: but to sit at my right hand, and on [my] left hand, this is not mine to give; but [it is for those] for whom it has been prepared of my Father.
And he saith to them, Ye shall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, but [it shall be given] to them for whom it is prepared by my Father.
He told them, "You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right and at my left is not mine to give. Rather, it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; [fn] but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."
Jesus told them, "You will indeed drink from my bitter cup. But I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen."
He said to them, "You will suffer as I will suffer. But the places at My right side and at My left side are not Mine to give. Whoever My Father says will have those places."
He said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left, this is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father."
He saith unto them - My cup, indeed, ye shall drink; but, to sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, - except unto those for whom it hath been prepared by my Father.
He saith to them: My chalice indeed you shall drink; but to sit on my right or left hand is not mine to give to you, but to them for whom it is prepared by my Father.
And he sayd vnto the: Ye shall drinke of my cvp and shalbe baptised with the baptyme that I shalbe baptised with. But to syt on my ryght hond and on my lyst hond is not myne to geve: but to them for whom it is prepared of my father.
And he saith to them, `Of my cup indeed ye shall drink, and with the baptism that I am baptized with ye shall be baptized; but to sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but -- to those for whom it hath been prepared by my father.'
They sayde vnto him: Yee that we maye. And he sayde vnto them: My cuppe truly shal ye drynke, & with the baptyme yt I shal be baptysed withall, shal ye be baptysed: Neuertheles to syt vpon my right honde & on my left, is not myne to geue, but vnto the for who it is prepared of my father.
he replied, ye shall indeed drink of my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: but to sit on my right hand, and on my left, I cannot grant to any but those whom my father has destin'd thereto.
Jesus said, "Come to think of it, you are going to drink my cup. But as to awarding places of honor, that's not my business. My Father is taking care of that."
Jesus said, "You will go through some of the same suffering I will, but to ride at my left and right for eternity is not for me to decide. These positions of authority on the Boss's ranch are given by the Boss himself, not granted as favors."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Ye: Acts 12:2, Romans 8:17, 2 Corinthians 1:7, Colossians 1:24, 2 Timothy 2:11, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 1:9
to sit: Rather, "to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine to give, except to them for whom it is prepared of my Father."
for: Matthew 25:34, Mark 10:40, 1 Corinthians 2:9, Hebrews 11:16
Reciprocal: Joshua 19:51 - These are Ezekiel 23:32 - drink Daniel 11:33 - yet Zechariah 4:12 - What be Matthew 26:35 - Though Luke 14:28 - counteth Acts 1:7 - which Philippians 3:10 - and the fellowship Hebrews 6:2 - the doctrine
Gill's Notes on the Bible
And he saith unto them, ye shall drink indeed of my cup,.... Not of the selfsame, but of what was like unto it; meaning, that they should endure much persecution for his name's sake, as all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must expect in one shape or another. Thus James, who was one of these persons, was slain with the sword by Herod; John, the other, was imprisoned, and beaten by the order of the Jewish sanhedrim, was banished into the isle of Patmos by Domitian; and, some say, was cast into a cauldron of boiling oil, though saved in it: so that these words seem to be a prophecy of what they should suffer for Christ, instead of enjoying places of worldly honour and profit under him, they were seeking for.
And be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with: this clause is here, and in the former verse, omitted by the Vulgate Latin, and Ethiopic versions, and in some Greek copies, and is thought to be transcribed hither out of Mark's Gospel; but the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions have it, and so has Munster's Hebrew Gospel, and it appears in many Greek copies. James, being bathed in his own blood, when killed with the sword, and John being cast into a vessel of scalding oil, these are fitly expressed by a baptism.
But to sit on my right hand, and on my left, is not mine, to give; in the sense in which they asked it, since he was no temporal prince; nor was his kingdom of this world; nor had he any such external favours, or worldly honours: and as to the true and spiritual sense of such a phrase, it was not a point to be fixed now by him, as man, and according to his own will; as who should reign with him in the kingdom of heaven, who should sit down on the same throne with him, and enjoy all the glories and happiness of the world to come; and though, as mediator, all this glory was given to him, and he had it in his hands to give to others, yet to none
but those for whom, says he, it is prepared of my Father: for this is the true reading and sense of the last clause; signifying, that eternal life, or the heavenly glory, is a kingdom prepared by his Father, from the foundation of the world, and not for anybody, and every person, but for some only, according to his Father's sovereign will and pleasure; and that this is an affair that was fixed by him, in his eternal counsels and purposes, and in the covenant of his grace, and not to be adjusted now; nor was the designation of it to be, nor will the distribution of it be according to the merits of men, but the free grace of God; and though he, as mediator, was appointed to bestow both grace and glory on men, yet only on those the Father had given to him, for whom grace was laid up in him, and glory prepared.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
See also Mark 10:35-45.
Matthew 20:20
Then came to him give mother of Zebedeeâs 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 desirous to see her sons honored.
Worshipping him - Showing him respect; respectfully saluting him. In the original, kneeling. See the notes at Matthew 8:2.
Matthew 20:21
Grant that these my two sons may sit ... - They were still looking for a temporal kingdom.
They expected that he would reign on the earth with great pomp and glory. They anticipated that he would conquer as a prince and a warrior. They wished to be distinguished in the day of his triumph. To sit on the right and left hand of a prince was a token of confidence, and the highest honor granted to his friends, 1 Kings 2:19; Psalms 110:1; 1 Samuel 20:25. The disciples, here, had no reference to the kingdom of heaven, but only to the kingdom which they supposed he was about to set up on the earth.
Matthew 20:22
Ye know not what ye ask - You do not know the nature of your request, nor what would be involved in it.
You suppose that it would be attended only with honor and happiness if the request was granted, whereas it would require much suffering and trial.
Are ye able to drink of the cup ... - To drink of a cup, in the Scriptures, often signifies to be afflicted, or to be punished, Matthew 26:39; Isaiah 51:17, Isaiah 51:22; Psalms 73:10; Psalms 75:8; Jeremiah 25:15; Revelation 16:9. The figure is taken from a feast, where the master of a feast extends a cup to those present. Thus God is represented as extending to his Son a cup filled with a bitter mixture - one causing deep sufferings, John 18:11. This was the cup to which he referred.
The baptism that I am baptized with - This is evidently a phrase denoting the same thing. Are ye able to suffer with me - to endure the trials and pains which shall come upon you and me in endeavoring to build up my kingdom? Are you able to bear it when sorrows shall cover you like water, and you shall be sunk beneath calamities as floods, in the work of religion? Afflictions are often expressed by being sunk in the floods and plunged in deep waters, Psalms 69:2; Isaiah 43:2; Psalms 124:4-5; Lamentations 3:54.
Matthew 20:23
Ye shall indeed drink of my cup ... - You will follow me, and you will partake of my afflictions, and will suffer as I shall.
This was fulfilled. James was slain with the sword by Herod, Acts 12:2. John lived many years; but he attended the Saviour through his sufferings, and was himself banished to Patmos, a solitary island, for the testimony of Jesus Christ - a companion of others in tribulation, Revelation 1:9.
Is not mine to give ... - The translation of this place evidently does not express the sense of the original. The translation expresses the idea that Jesus has nothing to do in bestowing rewards on his followers. This is at variance with the uniform testimony of the Scriptures, Matthew 25:31-40; John 5:22-30. The correct translation of the passage would be, âTo sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, except to those for whom it is prepared by my Father.â The passage thus declares that Christ would give rewards to his followers, but only to such as should be entitled to them according to the purpose of his Father. Much as he might be attached to these two disciples, yet he could not bestow any such signal favors on them out of the regular course of things. Rewards were prepared for his followers, and in due time they should be bestowed. He would bestow them according as they had been provided from eternity by God the Father, Matthew 25:34. The correct sense is seen by leaving out that part of the verse in italics, and this is one of the places in the Bible where the sense has been obscured by the introduction of words which have nothing to correspond with them in the original. See a similar instance in 1 John 2:23.
Matthew 20:24
The ten heard it - That is, the ten other apostles.
They were moved with indignation - They were offended at their ambition, and at their desire to be exalted above their brethren.
The word âitâ refers not to what Jesus said, but to their request. When the ten heard the request which they had made they were indignant.
Matthew 20:25-27
But Jesus called them unto him - That is, he called all the apostles to him, and stated the principles on which they were to act.
The princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them - That is, over their subjects. âYou know that such honors are customary among nations. The kings of the earth raise their favorites to posts of trust and power they give authority to some over others; but my kingdom is established in a different manner. All are to be on a level. The rich, the poor, the learned, the unlearned, the bond, the free, are to be equal. He will be the most distinguished that shows most humility, the deepest sense of his unworthiness, and the most earnest desire to promote the welfare of his brethren.â
Gentiles - All who were not Jews - used here to denote the manner in which human governments are constituted.
Minister - A servant. The original word is deacon - a word meaning a servant of any kind; one especially who served at the table, and, in the New Testament, one who serves the church, Acts 6:1-4; 1 Timothy 3:8. Preachers of the gospel are called ministerâs because they are the servants of God and of the church 1Co 3:5; 1 Corinthians 4:1; 2Co 3:6; 2 Corinthians 6:4; Ephesians 4:12; an office, therefore, which forbids them to lord it over Godâs heritage, which is the very opposite of a station of superiority, and which demands the very lowest degree of humility.
Matthew 20:28
Even as the Son of man ... - See the notes at Matthew 8:20. Jesus points them to his own example. He was in the form of God in heaven, Philippians 2:6. He came to people in the form of a servant, Philippians 2:7. He came not with pomp and glory, but as a man in humble life; and since he came he had not required them to minister to him. âHe labored for them.â He strove to do them good. He provided for their needs; fared as poorly as they did; went before them in dangers and sufferings; practiced self-denial on their account, and for them was about to lay down his life. See John 13:4-5.
To give his life a ransom for many - The word âransomâ means literally a price paid for the redemption of captives. In war, when prisoners are taken by an enemy, the money demanded for their release is called a ransom; that is, it is the means by which they are set at liberty. So anything that releases anyone from a state of punishment, or suffering, or sin, is called a ransom. People are by nature captives to sin. They are sold under it. They are under condemnation, Ephesians 2:3; Romans 3:9-20, Romans 3:23; 1 John 5:19. They are under a curse, Galatians 3:10. They are in love with sin They are under its withering dominion, and are exposed to death eternal, Ezekiel 18:4; Psalms 9:17; Psalms 11:6; Psalms 68:2; Psalms 139:19; Matthew 25:46; Romans 2:6-9. They must have perished unless there had been some way by which they could he rescued. This was done by the death of Jesus - by giving his life a ransom. The meaning is, that he died in the place of sinners, and that God was willing to accept the pains of his death in the place of the eternal suffering of the redeemed. The reasons why such a ransom was necessary are:
1.That God had declared that the sinner shall die; that is, that he would punish, or show his hatred to, all sin.
2.That all people had sinned, and, if justice was to take its regular course, all must perish.
3.That man could make no atonement for his own sins. All that he could do, were he holy, would be only to do his duty, and would make no amends for the past. Repentance and future obedience would not blot away one sin.
- No man was pure, and no angel could make atonement. God was pleased, therefore, to appoint his only-begotten Son to make such a ransom. See John 3:16; 1 John 4:10; 1 Peter 1:18-19; Revelation 13:8; John 1:29; Ephesians 5:2; Hebrews 8:2-7; Isaiah 53:1-12; This is commonly called the atonement. See the notes at Romans 5:2.
For many - See also Matthew 26:28; Joh 10:15; 1 Timothy 2:6; 1Jo 2:2; 2 Corinthians 5:14-15; Hebrews 2:9.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 20:23. Is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. — The common translation, in which the words, it shall be given to them; are interpolated by our translators, utterly changes and destroys the meaning of the passage. It represents Christ (in opposition to the whole Scriptures) as having nothing to do in the dispensing of rewards and punishments; whereas, our Lord only intimates that, however partial he may be to these two brethren, yet seats in glory can only be given to those who are fitted for them. No favour can prevail here; the elevated seat is for him who is filled with the fulness of God. The true construction of the words is this: - Î¿Ï Îº εÏιν εμον Î´Î¿Ï Î½Î±Î¹, αλλ' οÌÎ¹Ï Î·ÏÎ¿Î¹Î¼Ï Ïαι Ï ÌÏο ÏÎ¿Ï ÏαÏÏÎ¿Ï Î¼Î¿Ï , To sit on my right hand and on my left, is not mine to give, except to them for whom it is prepared of my Father. According to the prediction of Christ, these brethren did partake of his afflictions: James was martyred by Herod, Acts 12:2; and John was banished to Patmos, for the testimony of Christ, Revelation 1:9.
