Matthew 22:7  But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth:

Spoken to: 

audience

After his opponents leave, Jesus addresses the crowd telling a parable comparing the realm of the skies to a man, a king.

KJV: 

Matthew 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.

NIV : 

Matthew 22:7 The king was enraged. He sent his army and destroyed those murderers and burned their city.

LISTENERS HEARD: 

The king, however, was infuriated and, dispatching those armies of his, he destroyed those slayers there and set fire to that city of theirs.

MY TAKE: 

No one gets away with anything.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

This is another example of Jesus using dramatically strong language to portray the events in the story. Three Greek words here, "armies," "murderers," and "burned" are used only here. Both this parable, and the previous one, starting at Matthew 21:33,  are like Shakespearean tragedies where the main actors all end up dead. Only the owner/king is left alive at the end. Notice that Jesus is not condemning the violence on the part of the land owner or king in either parable. He portrays it as inevitable. Many modern Christian clerics may condemn the death penalty for murderers, but Jesus took it for granted that those who killed would end up dying at the hands of those who held power.
 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

10
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "when" doesn't exist in the source.
  • OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "heard thereof" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
  • WV - Wrong Voice - The verb here, "was wroth" is translated as active but it should be passive, "was made angry."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "send forth" is not the common word usually translated as "send forth."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "sent forth" is not an active verb but a participle, "dispatching."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "armies" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "and" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "murderers" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "up" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "city" is not shown in the English translation.

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

6
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "send forth" is not the common word usually translated as "send forth."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "sent forth" is not an active verb but a participle, "dispatching."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "armies" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "and" doesn't appear here but before the verb for "sent."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "murderers" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "city" is not shown in the English translation.

EACH WORD of KJV : 

But  - The Greek word translated as "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.

when -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "when" in the Greek source.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." . The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

king  - "The king" is translated from a Greek word that means a "king" or "chief."

heard thereof, -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "heard thereof," in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

was -- This helping verb "was" indicates that the verb is the past tense, but the verb is not the past but a form that indicates a specific point in time, past, present, or future.

wroth:  - (WV) "Wroth" is from a word that means "to be made angry," "to be provoked to anger," and "to be irritated." It is in the passive, so "was made angry."

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

he  - -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

sent  forth - (CW, WF) "Sent forth" is from pempô, which means "to send," "to send forward," "to shoot," and "to escort." However, it is in the form of a verb adjective modifying "king." This is the second most common word Jesus uses that is translated as "send," but this one doesn't have the prefix that has the sense of "forth."

his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

armies,  - "Armies" is from an uncommon word that "expedition," "campaign," "armament," "army," and "host." It is in the plural. It is only used by Jesus here.

and -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "and" in the Greek source.

destroyed  - "Destroyed" is from a very strong form of "to destroy," "to kill," "to slay," and "to lose." It is translated as "lost" and "perish" elsewhere in Matthew. It means "to destroy utterly." It also means "to ruin" a woman.

those - The word translated as "those" is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

murderers,  - "Murderers" is from a word that means "slayer," "murderer," "destroyer." Jesus only uses this words once.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

burned - "Burned" is from a verb that means "to set fire to."

up   - (IW) This word implies total destruction, but the verb only means to set fire to.

their  - -- The word translated as "their" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. This pronoun follows the noun so "of theirs."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

city.  - -- The Greek word for "city" meant not only a city but a nation, culture, or a society. It worked something like the word "community" today.

EACH WORD of NIV : 

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.

The -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." . The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

king  - "The king" is translated from a Greek word that means a "king" or "chief."

was -- This helping verb "was" indicates that the verb is the past tense, but the verb is not the past but a form that indicates a specific point in time, past, present, or future.

enraged:  - "Enraged" is from a word that means "to be made angry," "to be provoked to anger," and "to be irritated." It is in the passive, so "was made angry."

He  - -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

sent  - (CW, WF) "Sent " is from pempô, which means "to send," "to send forward," "to shoot," and "to escort." However, it is in the form of a verb adjective modifying "king." This is the second most common word Jesus uses that is translated as "send."

his -- The word translated as "his" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. This pronoun follows the noun so "of his."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

armies,  - "Armies" is from an uncommon word that "expedition," "campaign," "armament," "army," and "host." It is in the plural. It is only used by Jesus here.

and -- (WP) The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

destroyed  - "Destroyed" is from a very strong form of "to destroy," "to kill," "to slay," and "to lose." It is translated as "lost" and "perish" elsewhere in Matthew. It means "to destroy utterly." It also means "to ruin" a woman.

those - The word translated as "those" is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

murderers,  - "Murderers" is from a word that means "slayer," "murderer," "destroyer." Jesus only uses this words once.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

burned - "Burned" is from a verb that means "to set fire to.

their  - -- The word translated as "their" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. This pronoun follows the noun so "of theirs."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

city.  - -- The Greek word for "city" meant not only a city but a nation, culture, or a society. It worked something like the word "community" today.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

(article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one."

δὲ (conj) "But" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").

βασιλεὺς [27 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Kings" is basileus, which means a "king," "chief," "prince," "lord," "master," "a great man," and "the first and most distinguished of any class." It is a form of the world used for "kingdom." -

ὠργίσθη, [6 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind pass) "Wrote" is orgizo, which means "to be made angry," "to be provoked to anger," and "to be irritated."

καὶ (conj/adv) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just." -

πέμψας [39 verses](part sg aor act masc nom) "He sent forth" is pempo, which means "send," "send forth," "send away," "conduct," and "escort."

τὰ (article pl neut acc)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

στρατεύματα [1 verse](noun pl neut acc) "Armies" is strateuma, which means "expedition," "campaign," "armament," "army," and "host."

αὐτοῦ (adj sg masc gen) "His" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

ἀπώλεσεν [43 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Destroyed" is apollymi, which means "to demolish," "to lay waste," "to lose," "to perish," "to die," "to cease to exist," and "to be undone."

τοὺς (article pl masc acc)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

φονεῖς [1 verse](noun pl masc acc) "Murderers" is phoneus, which means "slayer," "murderer," "destroyer."

ἐκείνους [107 verses](adj pl masc acc) "Those" is ekeinos, which means "the person there," "that person," "that thing," "in that case," "in that way," "at that place," and "in that manner."

καὶ (conj/adv) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."

τὴν (article sg fem acc)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

πόλιν [26 verses](noun sg fem acc) "City" is polis, which means "city," "citadel," "one's city," "one's country," "community," "state," "state affairs," and "civic duties." -- The Greek word for "city" meant not only a city but a nation, culture, or a society. It worked something like the word "community" today.

αὐτῶν (adj pl masc gen) "Their" is from autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord."

ἐνέπρησεν. [1 verse] (verb 3rd sg aor ind act) "Burned up" is from empimprēmi, which, means "kindle," "set on fire," and in the passive, "to be set on fire," and "to be inflamed."

Related Verses: 

Possible Symbolic Meaning: 

Notice again the three steps in the actions taken by both the invited guests and king. The invited follow the pattern of physical (taking), mental (treating spitefully), and ending with emotional (killing.) The king's pattern is a different. He sent his army (mental), then killed (emotional), and then burned the city (physical).

Front Page Date: 

Jun 30 2021