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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 21:27 Neither shall I tell you by what authority...

Jesus is asked for his authority by the chief priests and elders. And he asks them a question first but they cannot answer it.

Spoken to
The Pharisees

Matthew 21:27 Οὐδὲ ἐγὼ λέγω ὑμῖν ἐν ποίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ ταῦτα ποιῶ.

KJV Verse

Matthew 21:27 Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 21:27 Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.

What His Listeners Heard:

Neither do I myself tell you in whose power I perform these.

Lost In Translation:

Jesus seems to be having fun with word sounds here. He uses the "ego lego" construction when "ego" is already understood. He also uses "poia...poio" (what...I do) alliteration. What is interesting is that when his questioners admit that "they do not know" the answer to his question, he refuses to answer theirs. The implication is that their ignorance makes it unnecessary for him to answer. However, in his response, his phrasing implies the truth: that he is doing these things under the power of someone else.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Neither tell I (MW) you by what authority I do these things.

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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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.