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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 20:26 But it shall not be so among you...

After answering the question about the places of James and John, the other apostles were made at them for asking for special places.

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 20:26 οὐχ οὕτως ἐστὶν ἐν ὑμῖν: ἀλλ᾽ ὃς ἂν θέλῃ ἐν ὑμῖν μέγας γενέσθαι ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος,

KJV Verse

Matthew 20:26 But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

NIV Verse:

Matthew 20:26 Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

What His Listeners Heard:

Not, in this way, is it among you. Instead, that one, when he desires among you great to become, he will be your attendant.

Lost In Translation:

The verse doesn't say "he must" be your servant, but that he "will be your attendant." It is a prediction of the future, not a command. I notice that all Biblical translations except the NAS get the verb form wrong, making it into a "must" or "let." The word meaning "attendant" is related to nursing someone to health.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

But(OS) it shall(WT) not be so among you: but(CW) whosoever will(WW) be(WF) great among you, let(OS) him be your minister;

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

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See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.