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 10:24 The disciple is not above [his] master

Sending of Apostles, the student's situation

Spoken to
Apostles

Matthew 10:24 Οὐκ ἔστιν μαθητὴς ὑπὲρ τὸν διδάσκαλον οὐδὲ δοῦλος ὑπὲρ τὸν κύριον αὐτοῦ.

KJV Verse

Matthew 10:24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 10:24 The student is not above the teacher, nor a servant above his master.

What His Listeners Heard:

There isn't really a student above the teacher nor a bondsman above the owner.

Lost In Translation:

Jesus contrasts two ideas here:

  1. the difference in knowledge between one who learns one who teaches and,
  2. the difference in authority between a slave and his owner.

He contrast the same Greek terms in a number of other verses making this same point.

In the earlier verse, Matthew 10:22, the word "under" or "beneath" was emphasized. In this verse, the focus on its opposite, "above." Followers were beneath in that verse and their master is above them in this verse.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

 The(IW) disciple is not above his(WW) master(WW), nor the(IW) servant above his (MW) lord.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "students" is translated as plural but it is singular.
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "are" is translated as plural but it is singular.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "greater" should be something more like "above."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "their" should be something more like "the."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "and" should be something more like "nor."
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "sales" is translated as plural but it is singular.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "greater" should be something more like "above."
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "their" is translated as plural but it is singular.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" is not shown in the English translation.
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.