Notice that Jesus characterizes David as speaking "in spirit." This is not meant to be cryptic but clearly understood by his listeners that he was speaking knowledge given to him from a higher power. Modern Bible's add "the" before the "Spirit" to make it a reference to the third person of the Trinity, but this is not what Jesus said. It is interesting that the KJV translates this verse accurately word-for-word, but that so much is added in the NIV to make it more palatable to today's dogma.
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
Jesus asks who the Messiah's father is. They respond "David" and this is Jesus's answer.
Spoken to
The Pharisees
KJV Verse
Matthew 22:43 How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
NIV Verse:
Matthew 22:43 “How is it then that David, speaking by the Spirit, calls him ‘Lord’? For he says,
What His Listeners Heard:
How then in divine inspiration, did David call him "lord," saying:
Lost In Translation:
KJV w/Translation Issues :
How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying,
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.