Matthew 28:18 All power is given unto me

Spoken to:

Apostles

Jesus appears to disciples on a mountain in Galilee

KJV:

Matthew 28:18 All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.

NIV :

Matthew 28:18 All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

LISTENERS HEARD:

All authority in sky and on the planet has been given to me.

MY TAKE:

Jesus didn't have all power before from his nature. It was given to him after death.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page):

Matthew 28:18 Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ [τῆς] γῆς:

LOST IN TRANSLATION:

There are two different words that are translated as "power" and authority in Matthew. The one used here is most frequently translated as "authority" and Jesus usually uses it to refer to his power. This word also means "an abundance of resources." The first time, in Matthew 9:6 as his "power to forgive sins on earth." The other word for power is often translated as "mighty works" but it is used to refer specifically to the power of God in Matthew 22:29.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES:

WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "in" should be something more like "upon."
OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "the" exists the source we use today but not in the KJV Greek source.

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES:

WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "has" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "earth" is not shown in the English translation.

EACH WORD of KJV :

All - - The word translated as "all" is from the Greek adjective meaning "all", "the whole", "every," and similar ideas. When it is used as a noun, we would say "everything." As an adverb, it means "in every way", "on every side," and "altogether."

power - The term translated as "power" isn't the "power" of skill or energy but of authority, control, and the ability to choose.

is -- This helping verb "is" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

given - - The verb translated as "is given" means "to give", "to grant", "to hand over", "appoint", "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give." It is passive. It also begins this verse so it looks almost like a question.

unto -- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me," though the form has other uses in Greek.

in - The first word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among."

heaven - - The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article.

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

in - (WW) The second word translated as "in" is different than the first and means "against", "before", "by" or "on." This is an odd translation error because Jesus always says "upon the earth" not in the earth.

OS -- Outdated Source -- No Greek word meaning "the" existed here in the KJV Greek source but the one we use today has it.

earth. - The word translated as "earth" means the physical planet, not society, which Jesus describes as the world. See this article for more on these words.

EACH WORD of NIV :

authority - The term translated as "power" isn't the "power" of skill or energy but of authority, control, and the ability to choose.

in - The first word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among."

and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").

on - (WW) The second word translated as "in" is different than the first and means "against", "before", "by" or "on." This is an odd translation error because Jesus always says "upon the earth" not in the earth.

missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

earth. - The word translated as "earth" means the physical planet, not society, which Jesus describes as the world. See this article for more on these words.

has - -- (WT) This helping verb "has" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

been -- This helping verb "been" indicates that the verb is passive. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

to -- This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

me -- The "me" is in the indirect object form on the first-person pronoun, so usually "to me," though the form has other uses in Greek.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV :

Ἐδόθη [147 verses](verb 3rd sg aor ind pass) "Is given" is from didomi, which means "to give", "to grant", "to hand over", "appoint", "establish," and "to describe." -- The verb translated as "given" means "to give", "to grant", "to hand over", "appoint", "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."

μοι [96 verses](pron 1st sg masc dat) "Me" is from the regular first-person pronoun in Greek.

πᾶσα [212 verses](adj sg fem nom) "All" is from pas, which means "all", "the whole", "every", "anyone", "all kinds," and "anything." In the adverbial form, it means "every way", "on every side", "in every way," and "altogether." --

ἐξουσία [23 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Power" is from exousia which means "control", "the power of choice", "permission", "the power of authority", "the right of privilege", "abundance of means," and "abuse of power." --

ἐν [413 verses](prep) "In" is from en, which means "in", "on", "at", "by", "among", "within", "surrounded by", "in one's hands", "in one's power," and "with".

οὐρανῷ [111 verses](noun sg masc dat) "Heaven" is from the Greek ouranos, which means "heaven as in the vault of the sky", "heaven as the seat of the gods", "the sky", "the universe," and "the climate." -

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just.

ἐπὶ [138 verses](prep) "In" is from epi. which means "on", "upon", "at", "by", "before", "across," and "against."

[τῆς] [821 verses](article sg fem gen) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").

γῆς: [59 verses](noun sg fem gen) "Earth" is from ge, which means "the element of earth", "land (country)", "arable land", "the ground," and "the world" as the opposite of the sky. Like our English word "earth," it means both dirt and the planet. --

Matthew 22:29 You err, not knowing the scriptures,

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings:

"It has been given to me," he said, "all the authority in the sky and on the planet. "

Front Page Date:

Jan 8 2022