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Today's Verse Analysis

Sermon on Mount, law and fulfillment, visible and hidden, temporary and permanent, worry and trust

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KJV Verse

Matthew 6:29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 6:29  Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these.

What His Listeners Heard:

I tell you, however, that not even Solomon with all that fame of his wrapped himself like one of these.

Lost In Translation:

First, there is a hidden connection between the lily and Solomon because lilies decorated the columns of his temple. In Greek, the word "lily" has the same root as "judge." In Jesus's era, people were judged by their clothing. This verse makes the social context of clothing, introduced in the previous verse, Matthew 6:28, much clearer. The key connection here is between the flowers of the previous verse, the judgment of others,  and the reputation of the wisest Jewish king.

The Greek word translated as "glory/splendor" primarily means, as a noun, "expectation" or "reputation." It has a variety of meanings as a verb, but only in the NT is it commonly rendered as "glory." It is not the Greek word that means "splendor," "glory," or "majesty" in a kingly sense or any of the Greek words that mean "glory" in the sense of "brilliance." The English word that seems to capture most of the meanings of this word is "recognition" both in the sense of seeing something familiar and honoring someone. In Christ's time, people and their roles were recognized by their clothing. So the connection between the context, clothing, and recognition was much clearer in Christ's time.

The verb translated as "arrayed" has means "to throw around oneself," "surround," and "to put on" but it is not the verb translated as "put on" in Matthew 6:25. In Jesus's era, the outer coats, capes, and shawls were what indicated status. Those whose were wrapped around or draped, so perhaps "draped" or "wrapped" captures the idea in English. However, since Solomon's temple columns were decorated with lilies, the "surround himself" has a double meaning referring tot those columns.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

And(IW) yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his (MW) glory(WW) was(CW) not arrayed(WW) like one of these.

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.