Matthew 22 is the twenty-second chapter in the

Gospel of Matthew The Gospel of Matthew), or simply Matthew. It is most commonly abbreviated as "Matt." is the first book of the New Testament of the Bible and one of the three synoptic Gospels. It tells how Israel's Messiah, Jesus, comes to his people and form ...

in the

New Testament The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chris ...

section of the Christian

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus ...

. Jesus continues his final ministry in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

before his Passion. Teaching in the

Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

, Jesus enters into debate successively with the

Pharisees The Pharisees (; he, פְּרוּשִׁים, Pərūšīm) were a Jewish social movement and a school of thought in the Levant during the time of Second Temple Judaism. After the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Pharisaic beliefs b ...

, allied with the

Herodians The Herodians (''Herodiani'') were a sect of Hellenistic Jews mentioned in the New Testament on two occasions — first in Galilee, and later in Jerusalem — being hostile to Jesus (, ; ; cf. also , , ). In each of these cases their name is co ...

, the

Sadducees The Sadducees (; he, צְדוּקִים, Ṣədūqīm) were a socio- religious sect of Jewish people who were active in Judea during the Second Temple period, from the second century BCE through the destruction of the Temple in 70 CE. T ...

, and a lawyer, ultimately silencing them all.

Text

The original text was written in

Koine Greek Koine Greek (; Koine el, ἡ κοινὴ διάλεκτος, hē koinè diálektos, the common dialect; ), also known as Hellenistic Greek, common Attic, the Alexandrian dialect, Biblical Greek or New Testament Greek, was the common supra-reg ...

. This chapter is divided into 46 verses. The narrative can be divided into the following subsections: * Parable of the Great Banquet (22:1–14) * Render unto Caesar... (22:15–22) *Marriage at the Resurrection (22:23–33) *

Great Commandment The Great Commandment (or Greatest Commandment) is a name used in the New Testament to describe the first of two commandments cited by Jesus in , , and in answer to him in : Most Christian denominations consider these two commandments as, toget ...

(22:34–40) *"Is the Messiah the son of David?" (22:41–46)

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are: *

Codex Vaticanus The Codex Vaticanus ( The Vatican, Bibl. Vat., Vat. gr. 1209), designated by siglum B or 03 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), δ 1 ( von Soden), is a fourth-century Christian manuscript of a Greek Bible, containing the majority of the Greek Old ...

(AD 325-350) *

Codex Sinaiticus The Codex Sinaiticus ( Shelfmark: London, British Library, Add MS 43725), designated by siglum [Aleph] or 01 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 2 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscript ...

(330-360) *

Codex Bezae The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, designated by siglum D or 05 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 5 (in the von Soden of New Testament manuscript), is a codex of the New Testament dating from the 5th century writ ...

(c. 400) *

Codex Washingtonianus The Codex Washingtonianus or Codex Washingtonensis, designated by W or 032 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 014 ( Soden), also called the ''Washington Manuscript of the Gospels'', and ''The Freer Gospel'', contains the four biblical gospels an ...

(c. 400) *

Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus The Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (Paris, National Library of France, Greek 9) designated by the siglum C or 04 {in the Gregory-Aland numbering of New Testament manuscripts), δ 3 (in the von Soden numbering of New Testament manuscripts), is a ma ...

(c. 450) *

Codex Purpureus Rossanensis The Rossano Gospels, designated by 042 or Σ (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 18 ( Soden), held at the cathedral of Rossano in Italy, is a 6th-century illuminated manuscript Gospel Book written following the reconquest of the Italian peninsu ...

(6th century) *

Codex Sinopensis The Sinope Gospels, designated by O or 023 (in the Gregory-Aland numbering), ε 21 ( Soden), also known as the Codex Sinopensis, is a fragment of a 6th-century illuminated Greek Gospel Book. Along with the Rossano Gospels, the Sinope Gospels h ...

(6th century; extant verses 1-7, 13-14, 32-34)

Old Testament references

* : * : * : * :

Psalm The Book of Psalms ( or ; he, תְּהִלִּים, , lit. "praises"), also known as the Psalms, or the Psalter, is the first book of the ("Writings"), the third section of the Tanakh, and a book of the Old Testament. The title is derived f ...

The Wedding Feast (22:1–14)

R. T. France Richard Thomas France (1938–2012), known as R. T. France or Dick France, was a New Testament scholar and Anglican cleric. He was Principal of Wycliffe Hall, Oxford, from 1989 to 1995. He also worked for the London School of Theology. ...

suggests that the theological theme of replacement is very strong in this

parable A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, w ...

, when ''those who had been invited'' but refused the repeated invitations, and even murdered the messengers, were substituted by the ''new people'' from unlikely groups, from ''the street corners'', including ''both good and bad'', as the guests. Dale Allison notes that the passage consists of an introduction (verse 1), the parable itself (verses 2-13b) and a commentary (verses 13c and 14: ''there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, for many are called, but few are chosen'').Allison, D. Jr., ''Matthew'', in Barton, J. and Muddiman, J. (2001)
The Oxford Bible Commentary
pp. 872-4 Protestant biblical commentator Heinrich Meyer creates a similar break in verse 13, with the final words of the king in the story being "take him away, and cast him into outer darkness" and Jesus adding the remark ''there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth''.Meyer, H. A. W.
Meyer's NT Commentary: Matthew 22
accessed 14 March 2021

Verse 1

:''And Jesus answered and spoke to them again by parables and said:'' Meyer suggests that Jesus' reply, "by way of rejoinder", was his answer to the chief priests' and scribes' desire to arrest him in the previous verse. A number of modern English translations lack wording corresponding to the gr, Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς, ''kai apokritheis'': for example, the

Jerusalem Bible ''The Jerusalem Bible'' (JB or TJB) is an English translation of the Bible published in 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd. As a Catholic Bible, it includes 73 books: the 39 books shared with the Hebrew Bible, along with the seven deuterocanonica ...

reads: ''Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again'' and the

New International Version The New International Version (NIV) is an English translation of the Bible first published in 1978 by Biblica (formerly the International Bible Society). The ''NIV'' was created as a modern translation, by Bible scholars using the earliest a ...

reads ''Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying: ...'' The Revised Geneva Translation (2019) maintains the wording ''Then Jesus answered, and spoke to them again in parables, saying...''

Verse 5

:''But they made light of it and went their ways, one to his own farm, another to his business.'' Those invited to the wedding feast declined to attend. Meyer suggests that those who left "having paid no attention" formed the majority, while "the rest", in verse 6, formed a smaller "remainder" of the invitees.

Verse 13

:''Then the king said to the servants, 'Bind him hand and foot, ake him away, andcast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth'. The words "take him away, and" (ἄρατε αὐτὸν καὶ) are missing from the critical ''

Novum Testamentum Graece (''The New Testament in Greek'') is a critical edition of the New Testament in its original Koine Greek, forming the basis of most modern Bible translations and biblical criticism. It is also known as the Nestle–Aland edition after its m ...

''. Meyer argues that "the word ἄρατε, not being needed to complete the picture, was struck out. The reading of the

Received text ''Textus Receptus'' (Latin: "received text") refers to all printed editions of the Greek New Testament from Erasmus's ''Novum Instrumentum omne'' (1516) to the 1633 Elzevir edition. It was the most commonly used text type for Protestant denom ...

hich includes these wordsought to be maintained".

Roman taxation (22:15–22)

A trap was laid for Jesus by the Pharisees and the Herodians concerning the Roman poll-tax, which was fiercely opposed by patriotic Jews, but Jesus exposed those who asked the question as ''hypocrites''. France notes that they carried the ''

denarius The denarius (, dēnāriī ) was the standard Roman silver coin from its introduction in the Second Punic War to the reign of Gordian III (AD 238–244), when it was gradually replaced by the antoninianus. It continued to be minted in very ...

'': the coin bears Caesar's ''idolatrous'' portrait with the ''inscription'' "Son of God".

Verse 19

:''

esus said, Esus, Hesus, or Aisus was a Brittonic and Gaulish god known from two monumental statues and a line in Lucan's '' Bellum civile''. Name T. F. O'Rahilly derives the theonym ''Esus'', as well as ''Aoibheall'', ''Éibhleann'', ''Aoife'', and ...

"Show Me the tax money".'' :''So they brought Him a denarius''. The "tax money" was τὸ νόμισμα τοῦ κήνσου (''to nomisma tou kēnsou''), associated with the Roman census ( Luke 2:1-5,

Acts 5 Acts 5 is the fifth chapter of the Acts of the Apostles in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the growth of the early church and the obstacles it encountered.Halley, Henry H., ''Halley's Bible Handbook'': an abbreviated Bible ...

:37).

The Resurrection (22:23–33)

The

held no belief in afterlife, because they maintained that it was not taught in any of

Moses Moses hbo, מֹשֶׁה, Mōše; also known as Moshe or Moshe Rabbeinu ( Mishnaic Hebrew: מֹשֶׁה רַבֵּינוּ, ); syr, ܡܘܫܐ, Mūše; ar, موسى, Mūsā; grc, Mωϋσῆς, Mōÿsēs () is considered the most important pr ...

' five books, the only authoritative Scriptures they accepted. Jesus pointed out that the basis of the belief in resurrection can be found within the books of Moses, specifically citing .

The Greatest Commandment (22:34–40)

A question is asked by a lawyer, one of the Pharisees: :''Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?'' France describes the combination of and as a brilliantly creative idea, as it brings the focus on the two halves of the

Ten Commandments The Ten Commandments (Biblical Hebrew עשרת הדברים \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדְּבָרִים, ''aséret ha-dvarím'', lit. The Decalogue, The Ten Words, cf. Mishnaic Hebrew עשרת הדיברות \ עֲשֶׂרֶת הַדִּבְ ...

as a foundation of life, and sums up that duty as ''love'', that is, a God-like attitude beyond the specific requirements of the Law. The Jerusalem Bible suggests that the reference to a lawyer is not original but borrowed from Luke 10:25, ''There was a lawyer who, to disconcert

esus Esus, Hesus, or Aisus was a Brittonic and Gaulish god known from two monumental statues and a line in Lucan's '' Bellum civile''. Name T. F. O'Rahilly derives the theonym ''Esus'', as well as ''Aoibheall'', ''Éibhleann'', ''Aoife'', and ...

...''

'Son of David?' (22:41–46)

:''While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them,'' Jesus now asks a question of the Pharisees.

Johann Bengel Johann Albrecht Bengel (24 June 1687 – 2 November 1752), also known as ''Bengelius'', was a Lutheran pietist clergyman and Greek-language scholar known for his edition of the Greek New Testament and his commentaries on it. Life and career Be ...

suggests that this was not merely the Pharisees gathering together as a group, but gathering "solemnly", having assembled in verse 34 as a result of them hearing that the Sadducees had been "put to silence". In his answer, France suggests that Jesus was warning the people against judging his ministry in traditional terms, because far from being enthroned in Jerusalem as a king like David, he would soon be put to death on the cross, where he would be known at last not as a Son of David (a title that ceases to exist), but as ' Son of God' ( Matthew 27:54). Similarly,

Wilhelm de Wette Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette (12 January 1780 – 16 June 1849) was a German theologian and biblical scholar. Life and education Wilhelm Martin Leberecht de Wette was born 12 January 1780 in Ulla (now part of the municipality of Nohra), Thuri ...

suggests that Jesus' object was "to awaken a higher idea of His (non-political) mission", but according to Meyer, in opposition to de Wette, this view "is not favoured by the context, which represents Jesus as victor over His impudent and crafty foes, who are silenced and then subjected to the castigation" which is described next, in chapter 23.

Verse 46

:''And no one was able to answer Him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare question Him anymore. This verse ends the "Son of David" dialogue; the

states that no-one in the gathering "could think of anything to say in reply".Matthew 22:46, Jerusalem Bible It also closes off the whole narrative from Matthew 21:23 onwards, where Jesus has been addressed with "question after question".

References

Sources

* *

External links

* King James Bible - Wikisource
English Translation with Parallel Latin Vulgate''Online Bible'' at GospelHall.org
(ESV, KJV, Darby, American Standard Version, Bible in Basic English)
Multiple bible versions at ''Bible Gateway''
(NKJV, NIV, NRSV etc.) {{Gospel of Matthew Gospel of Matthew chapters