For those who want to know what Jesus really said, how he said it, why crowds came to hear him, and shades of meaning lost or hidden in translation.

Home

Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 23:8 But do not let yourself be called Rabbi:

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

Spoken to
audience

Matthew 23:8 ὑμεῖς δὲ μὴ κληθῆτε Ῥαββεί, εἷς γάρ ἐστιν ὑμῶν ὁ διδάσκαλος, πάντες δὲ ὑμεῖς ἀδελφοί ἐστε:

KJV Verse

Matthew 23:8 But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher, and you are all brothers.

What His Listeners Heard:

You yourselves, however, are not to be named "Rabbi." Because one is yours, this teacher. However, all you yourselves are brothers.

Lost In Translation:

The use of "Christ" in the KJV is a defect of the Greek source they used. The emphasis on the plural "you" used as a subject is more like "you yourselves."

The negative is a negative of opinion that has the sense of "not want." It is not a command, but it is the negative used with commands.

The "your" used with "teachers" is unusual, for Jesus, because it comes before the subject. He does this to emphasize possession, the sense is "one is yours, this teacher."

KJV w/Translation Issues :

But be(WN) not ye (MW) called Rabbi: for one is your (MW) Master(WW), even(IW)  Christ(OS); and all ye (MW) are brethren.

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.

Free Subscriptions

Regular emails from Substack, subscribe to Rediscovering Jesus's Words.

 

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.