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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

Jesus is speaking to a crowd including his disciples about scribes and Pharisees.

Spoken to
audience

Matthew 23:11 ὁ δὲ μείζων ὑμῶν ἔσται ὑμῶν διάκονος.

KJV Verse

Matthew 23:11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.

What His Listeners Heard:

the one, however, higher than you will be your underling.

Lost In Translation:

The translation of the word "greatest" means "greater." Indeed, "greatest" is not a term Jesus ever used because it would refer to the Father. The word means "greater" and the form of the following "you" means "than you." However, it also means "higher," which is important in the meaning of the next verse, Matthew 23:12.

The word translated as "servant" is misleading because the KJV almost always translates a different Greek word, actually meaning "slave," as servant. I suspect that those hearing it heard something like our word "underling," contrasting its meaning with the "higher" above. Also notice, that it is not God that is served but people serving each other.
 

KJV w/Translation Issues :

 But he(CW) [that is(IW)] greatest(CW) among(WW) you shall be your servant(CW).

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.

About this Site

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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Do Your Own Research

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.