Spoken to:
The Sermon on the Mount, invisible and visible, worthwhile and worthless, acting and speaking
KJV:
Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
NIV :
Matthew 7:22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
LISTENERS HEARD:
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Master! Master! By this, your name, weren't we luminaries? And by this, your name, we tossed out demons, and, by this your name, we performed many powerful deeds.
MY TAKE:
We cannot trust what people say about what they do nor how they describe their ability or motivation.
GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page):
GREEK ORDER:
πολλοὶ ἐροῦσίν μοι ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ Κύριε κύριε,
Many say to m on that the day, ‘Master! Master!
οὐ “τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι ἐπροφητεύσαμεν,”
-n’t by that your name Were -we, luminaries?
καὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δαιμόνια ἐξεβάλομεν,
And by this your name, demons we have tossed out ,
καὶ τῷ σῷ ὀνόματι δυνάμεις πολλὰς ἐποιήσαμεν;
but, by your name, powers many we produced.
LOST IN TRANSLATION:
Notice that Christ references "that day" but without a context for what day that could be. The assumption is that this refers to a time in the future, but there is not predicate for it in the text. To have this word make sense, it must refer to some time frame of reference spoken by someone else.
The form of the "by your name" phrase is also instructive because it is not the way Jesus usually says these words but a more typical way that they would be said in Greek. For more about this particular phrase and Jesus's use of it, read this article where it is examined in detail.
The verb translated as "prophesy" is an untranslated Greek word that means "be illuminated" or "be a shining light." We have adapted the Greek word and assigned our meanings to them. There was never any sense of "fortelling the future."
The nountranslated as "wonder works/miracles" is from the same root as the verb translated as "can" that actually means "to have the ability or power." The sense of the noun is "power" or "capability."
# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES:
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "say" here is a different word than the "say" in the previous verse.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "day" is not shown in the English translation.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something happening at a point in time past, present, or future.
- UW - Untranslated Word -- The word "prophesy" means "to be a divine spokesperson." It is not an translation but the untranslated Greek word adopted into English.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "name" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before second "name" is not shown in the English translation.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something happening at a point in time past, present, or future.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "devils" is usually translated as "demons."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before third "name" is not shown in the English translation.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "wonderful" doesn't exist in the source.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "work" should be "powers" or "capabilities."
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES:
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "say" here is a different word than the "say" in the previous verse.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "day" is not shown in the English translation.
- UW - Untranslated Word -- The word "prophesy" means "to be a divine spokesperson." It is not a translation but the untranslated Greek word adopted into English.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "name" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before second "name" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before third "name" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "miracles" should be "powers" or "capabilities."
EACH WORD of KJV :
Many - The word for "many" is an adjective, used here as a plural masculine noun. The sense is many people.
will - -- This helping verb "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
say - (CW) The word translated as "say" is the future from of the most common verb used to describe speaking but in this form, it is more commonly the present tense of another verb, which means both "to love" (in the erotic sense) and "to pour forth" and "vomit." Only the following phrase ("in that day") make the meaning clear because of the verb's tense. However, this is a different verb than the "say" in the previous verse, Matthew 7:21.
to -- This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object.
me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me", though the form has other uses in Greek.
in - The word translated as "in" means "on" as well, which works better in English with a reference to time.
that - The word translated as "that" is usually used to refer to a person. It is not the normal demonstrative article or pronoun. The problem here is the "that" reference doesn't seem to refer back to any previous "day" reference. The form matches the word "day" below, which is feminine.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
day, - The word translated as "day" also means a "time of life." The phrase "in that day" is closer to "In these people's time," an idea that we express in English as "when their time comes" and not in a good way.
Lord, Lord, - The word translated as "lord" is the same word that is often translated as "Lord" or "the Lord" in the NT. It also means "lord", "master," "master of the house," and "head of the family." It is the specific terms for the master of slaves or servants, but it was a common term of respect both for those in authority and who were honored. It was the term people used to address Christ, even though he had no formal authority. Today, we would say "boss" or "chief".
have -- (WT) This verb is used for the past perfect tense, but that is not the tense of the verb .
we -- This is from the first-person, plural form of the verb.
not - The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. This is humorous because these people are not stating facts, but their opinions, and should be using a different negative.
prophesied - (UW) The verb translated as "prophesy" is an untranslated Greek word that means "be illuminated" or "be a shining light." It does not actually mean "to make prophesies" or "fortell the future." This has a broader meaning in the original Greek than in English. In English, it is limited to foreseeing the future, but in Greek, it means "being an interpreter for the gods," and, not surprisingly, "being a quack doctor." The tense is not the past perfect.
in - There is no preposition "in" in the three phrases translated as "in your name." It is just the Greek for "your name" in the dative case. These references could be either the "instrumental dative" ("by means of your name") or the beneficial dative ("for the benefit of your name").
thy - This is from the second-person singular pronoun in the dative form.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
name? - The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, but It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." It is the symbol of the person rather than the person. More about Christ's use of the word "name" in this article.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
in - There is no preposition "in" in the three phrases translated as "in your name." It is just the Greek for "your name" in the dative case. These references could be either the "instrumental dative" ("by means of your name") or the beneficial dative ("for the benefit of your name").
thy - This is from the second-person singular pronoun in the dative form.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
name - The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, but It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." It is the symbol of the person rather than the person. More about Christ's use of the word "name" in this article.
have -- (WT) This verb is used for the past perfect tense, but that is not the tense of the verb.
cast out - "Cast out" is a verb that means "throw out." Depending on the context, it can mean "toss out", "turn out," or "take out." It is usually translated as "cast out" in the NT.
devils? -- (CW) "Devils" is the Greek word usually translated in the NT as "demons". (A different word is usually translated as "devil". More in this article about demons and related words in the Gospels here.) Jesus usually used this term in the context of curing people's mental disorders. People in his time attributed such disorder to "evil spirits" so that is how Christ talked about them. It is actually used as a contrast to the word translated as "good works" below.
and - -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
in - There is no preposition "in" in the three phrases translated as "in your name." It is just the Greek for "your name" in the dative case. These references could be either the "instrumental dative" ("by means of your name") or the beneficial dative ("for the benefit of your name").
thy - This is from the second-person singular pronoun in the dative form.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
name - The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, but It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." It is the symbol of the person rather than the person. More about Christ's use of the word "name" in this article.
done -- The Greek word translated as "done" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
many -- The word translated as "many" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
wonderful -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "wonderful" in the Greek source.
works? - (WW) The word translated as "works" means "power" and "ability." It means both the spiritual power to create miracles and the kind of earthly power held by the wealthy or armies. This is not the Greek word translated normally as "works."
EACH WORD of NIV :
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’
Many - The word for "many" is an adjective, used here as a plural masculine noun. The sense is many people.
will - -- This helping verb "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.
say - (CW) The word translated as "say" is the future from of the most common verb used to describe speaking but in this form, it is more commonly the present tense of another verb, which means both "to love" (in the erotic sense) and "to pour forth" and "vomit." Only the following phrase ("in that day") make the meaning clear because of the verb's tense. However, this is a different verb than the "say" in the previous verse, Matthew 7:21.
to -- This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object.
me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me", though the form has other uses in Greek.
in - The word translated as "in" means "on" as well, which works better in English with a reference to time.
that - The word translated as "that" is usually used to refer to a person. It is not the normal demonstrative article or pronoun. The problem here is the "that" reference doesn't seem to refer back to any previous "day" reference. The form matches the word "day" below, which is feminine.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
day, - The word translated as "day" also means a "time of life." The phrase "in that day" is closer to "In these people's time," an idea that we express in English as "when their time comes" and not in a good way.
Lord, Lord, - The word translated as "lord" is the same word that is often translated as "Lord" or "the Lord" in the NT. It also means "lord", "master," "master of the house," and "head of the family." It is the specific terms for the master of slaves or servants, but it was a common term of respect both for those in authority and who were honored. It was the term people used to address Christ, even though he had no formal authority. Today, we would say "boss" or "chief".
did -- This helping verb is used for the past tense, which works here.
we -- This is from the first-person, plural form of the verb.
not - The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It makes a negative statement of fact. This is humorous because these people are not stating facts, but their opinions, and should be using a different negative.
prophesy - (UW) The word translated as "prophesied" doesn't actually mean "to make prophesies", but "to be a prophet." This has a broader meaning in the original Greek than in English. In English, it is limited to foreseeing the future, but in Greek, it means "being an interpreter for the gods," and, not surprisingly, "being a quack doctor." The tense is not the past perfect.
in - There is no preposition "in" in the three phrases translated as "in your name." It is just the Greek for "your name" in the dative case. These references could be either the "instrumental dative" ("by means of your name") or the beneficial dative ("for the benefit of your name").
your - This is from the second-person singular pronoun in the dative form.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
name? - The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, but It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." It is the symbol of the person rather than the person. More about Christ's use of the word "name" in this article.
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
in - There is no preposition "in" in the three phrases translated as "in your name." It is just the Greek for "your name" in the dative case. These references could be either the "instrumental dative" ("by means of your name") or the beneficial dative ("for the benefit of your name").
your - This is from the second-person singular pronoun in the dative form.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
name - The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, but It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." It is the symbol of the person rather than the person. More about Christ's use of the word "name" in this article.
drive out - "Drive out" is a verb that means "throw out." Depending on the context, it can mean "toss out", "turn out," or "take out." It is usually translated as "cast out" in the NT.
demons -- "Devils" is the Greek word usually translated in the NT as "demons". (A different word is usually translated as "devil". More in this article about demons and related words in the Gospels here.) Jesus usually used this term in the context of curing people's mental disorders. People in his time attributed such disorder to "evil spirits" so that is how Christ talked about them. It is actually used as a contrast to the word translated as "good works" below.
and - -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is best translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as".
in - There is no preposition "in" in the three phrases translated as "in your name." It is just the Greek for "your name" in the dative case. These references could be either the "instrumental dative" ("by means of your name") or the beneficial dative ("for the benefit of your name").
your - This is from the second-person singular pronoun in the dative form.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this", "that", "these", "those"). See this article for more.
name - The Greek word translated as "name" is much more complicated than it might at first appear. It can simply mean a "name" as in English, but It doesn't mean the thing itself, but what people call it. For example, it can mean a "false name," or "a pretense" as we say "this is a marriage in name only." It can also mean representing another person's authority, as we say, "he is acting in the name of the boss." It is the symbol of the person rather than the person. More about Christ's use of the word "name" in this article.
perform -- The Greek word translated as "perform" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. It is not as broad a word as the English "do", which covers all actions, productive or not.
many -- The word translated as "many" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
miracles - (WW) The word translated as "works" means "power" and "ability." It means both the spiritual power to create miracles and the kind of earthly power held by the wealthy or armies. This is not the Greek word translated normally as "works."
COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV :
πολλοὶ (adj pl masc nom ) "Many" is from polys, which means "many (in number)", "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb, it means "far", "very much", "a great way," and "long."
ἐροῦσίν (3rd pl fut ind act) "Will say" is from eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise," and "to offer."
μοι (pron 1st sg dat) "To me" is from moi, which means "I", "me", and "my".
ἐν (prep) "In" is from en, which means "in", "on", "at", "by", "among", "within", "surrounded by", "in one's hands", "in one's power," and "with".
ἐκείνῃ (adj sg fem dat) "That" is ekeinos (kakeinos), which means "the person there", "that person", "that thing", "in that case", "in that way", "at that place," and "in that manner."
τῇ (article sg fem dat) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). --
ἡμέρᾳ (noun sg fem dat) "Day" is from hemera, which, as a noun, means "day" "a state or time of life", "a time (poetic)", "day break" and "day time." It is also and also has a second meaning, of "quiet", "tame (animals)", "cultivated (crops)," and "civilized (people)."
Κύριε κύριε, (noun sg masc voc) "Lord" is from kyrios (kurios), which means "having power", "being in authority" and "being in possession of." It also means "lord", "master of the house," and "head of the family."
οὐ (partic) "Not" is from ou which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
“τῷ (article sg neut dat) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
σῷ (adj sg neut dat) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your."
ὀνόματι (noun sg neut dat) "Name" is from onoma, which means "name." It means both the reputation of "fame," and "a name and nothing else," as opposed to a real person. Acting in someone's name means to act on their behalf, as their representative.
ἐπροφητεύσαμεν,” [4 verses](1st pl aor ind act) "Have we...prophesied" is propheteuo, which means means "be illuminated" or "be a shining light." It does not actually mean "to make prophesies" or "fortell the future." It means "to be an interpreter of the gods", "to be an intermediary in asking", "to be one with oracular power", "to hold the office of prophet", "to be a quack doctor," and "to have a spiritual impulse to teach, refute, reprove, admonish, comfort others."
καὶ (conj) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and." 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."
τῷ (article sg neut dat) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
σῷ (adj sg neut dat ) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your."
ὀνόματι (noun sg neut dat) "Name" is from onoma, which means "name." It means both the reputation of "fame," and "a name and nothing else," as opposed to a real person. Acting in someone's name means to act on their behalf, as their representative.
δαιμόνια (noun pl neut nom) "Devils" is from daimonion, which means "divinity", "divine power", "a lower divine being," and "evil spirit." This form is usually an adjective that means "belonging to a demon."
ἐξεβάλομεν, (1st pl aor ind act) "Cast out" is from ekballo and means "throw out", "cast out of a place,"and "expose." Ek means "out of", "from," and "away from." Ballo is "to throw" or "to scatter."
καὶ (conj) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and." 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."
τῷ (article sg neut dat ) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."
σῷ (adj sg neut dat ) "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your." "Thy" is from sou which means "you" and "your."
ὀνόματι (noun sg neut dat ) "Name" is onoma, which means "name." It means both the reputation of "fame," and "a name and nothing else," as opposed to a real person. Acting in someone's name means to act on their behalf, as their representative.
δυνάμεις (noun pl fem acc) "Works" is from dynamis which means "power", "might", "influence", "authority", "capacity", "elementary force", "force of a word," and "value of money." Elemental forces are forces such as heat and cold.
πολλὰς (noun pl fem acc) "Many" is from polys, which means "many (in number)", "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb, it means "far", "very much", "a great way," and "long."
ἐποιήσαμεν; (1st pl aor ind act) "Done" is from poieo, which means "to make", "to produce", "to create", "to bring into existence", "to bring about", "to cause", "to render", "to consider", "to prepare", "to make ready," and "to do." -- The Greek word translated as "to do" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "rendering" as service.
Wordplay:
A play of the word "demons" which in Christ's time meant something like a "mental disability" against the word translated as "wonderful work" which means "abilities."