Matthew 16:19

Last updated
Matthew 16:19
  16:18
16:20  
Meister des Perikopenbuches Heinrichs II. 001.jpg
The depiction of the commission to Peter from the Pericopes of Henry II, an 11th-century illuminated manuscript from the Holy Roman Empire
Book Gospel of Matthew
Christian Bible part New Testament
Jesus presents the Keys of the kingdom to Saint Peter (detail from a painting by Pietro Perugino, 1481/82) Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (crop).jpg
Jesus presents the Keys of the kingdom to Saint Peter (detail from a painting by Pietro Perugino, 1481/82)

Matthew 16:19 is the nineteenth verse in sixteenth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It records the words spoken by Jesus to Simon Peter. It is from this passage that Saint Peter is often said to be the gatekeeper of heaven.

Contents

Content

In Koine Greek it reads

δώσω σοι τὰς κλεῖδας τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.
Dōsō soi tas kleidas tēs Basileias tōn Ouranōn, kai ho ean dēsēs epi tēs Gēs estai dedemenon en tois Ouranois, kai ho ean lysēs epi tēs Gēs estai lelymenon en tois Ouranois.

The exact translation varies slightly depending on the version of the Bible, but it is generally translated into English as:

"I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 16:19

Analysis

The Keys of the kingdom and the Kingdom of Heaven are popular Christian concepts and are quite significant in multiple denominations. While the "Kingdom of Heaven" is referenced elsewhere in the Bible, the "Keys of the Kingdom" is only referenced in this passage. "Keys" symbolize "authority" (cf. Isaiah 22:22: "key of the house of David". [1]

The keys of the kingdom is given to Peter, which is explicated to mean that Peter has the authority to bind and loose (cf. Matthew 18:18). [2] This is not to be understood as a statement about exorcism or the forgiveness of sins (cf. John 20:23), but Peter, being a sort of 'supreme rabbi of the kingdom', is given teaching authority, that 'his decisions stand'. [2]

The verbs in future perfect tense—'will have been bound', 'will have been loosed'—suggest that 'the heavenly decision preceded Peter's declaration of it on earth'. [3] "Bind" and "loose" are judicial terms denoting "forbid" and "permit". [1] This expression is to contrast Peter's authority in teaching with that of the Pharisees and the scribes (cf. Matthew 23:13). [1] In Matthew 18:18 the same authority is given to all of his disciples.

Cultural references

This is a very popular line from the Bible and is referenced in many different forms.

Books

Music

Film

Other

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lord's Prayer</span> Christian prayer taught by Jesus

The Lord's Prayer, also known by its incipit Our Father, is a central Christian prayer that Jesus taught as the way to pray. Two versions of this prayer are recorded in the gospels: a longer form within the Sermon on the Mount in the Gospel of Matthew, and a shorter form in the Gospel of Luke when "one of his disciples said to him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples'". Regarding the presence of the two versions, some have suggested that both were original, the Matthean version spoken by Jesus early in his ministry in Galilee, and the Lucan version one year later, "very likely in Judea".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">League of Corinth</span> Historic federation of Greek states

The League of Corinth, also referred to as the Hellenic League, was a federation of Greek states created by Philip II in 338–337 BC. The League was created in order to unify Greek military forces under Macedonian leadership (hegemony) in their combined conquest of the Persian Achaemenid Empire.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Codex Bezae</span> Handwritten copy of the New Testament in Greek and Latin

The Codex Bezae Cantabrigiensis, designated by siglum Dea or 05, δ 5, is a bi-lingual Greek and Latin manuscript of the New Testament written in an uncial hand on parchment. It contains most of the four Gospels and Acts, with a small fragment of 3 John. Using the study of comparative writing styles (palaeography), it is currently dated to the 5th century.

<i>Sanctus</i> Hymn in Christian liturgy

The Sanctus is a hymn in Christian liturgy. It may also be called the epinikios hymnos when referring to the Greek rendition and parts of it are sometimes called "Benedictus". Tersanctus is another, rarer name for the Sanctus. The same name is sometimes used for the Trisagion.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 5:15–16</span> New Testament verses

Matthew 5:15 and Matthew 5:16 are the fifteenth and sixteenth verses of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. They are part of the Sermon on the Mount, and form one of a series of metaphors often seen as adding to the Beatitudes. Verse 14 compared the disciples to a city upon a hill which cannot be hidden. These verses present a similar analogy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 6:1</span> Verse of the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 6:1 is the first verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse begins the discussion of how even good deeds can be done for the wrong reasons.

The Power of the Keys, also known as the Office of the Keys, is a responsibility given to St. Peter to usher in the Kingdom of God on the Day of Pentecost, and a responsibility given to the other apostles by Jesus, according to Matthew 16:19 and Matthew 18:18. It is understood as a responsibility to admit or exclude from church membership (excommunicate), to set church policy and teachings (dogma), to render binding interpretations of Sacred Scripture, and to bind and loose sins. The verb 'to loose' is used this way in John 20:23, Revelation 1:5 and by the Early Church Fathers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 6:19–20</span> Verses of the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 6:19 and 6:20 are the nineteenth and twentieth verses of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and are part of the Sermon on the Mount. These verses open the discussion of wealth. These verses are paralleled in Luke 12:33.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 6:23</span> Verse of the Bible in the Gospel of Matthew

Matthew 6:23 is the twenty-third verse of the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount.

Matthew 16 is the sixteenth chapter in the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament section of the Christian Bible. Jesus begins a journey to Jerusalem from the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi, near the southwestern base of Mount Hermon. Verse 24 speaks of his disciples "following him".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keys of Heaven</span> Metaphorical keys of Saint Peter

The Keys of Heaven, also called Saint Peter's keys, refers to the metaphorical keys of the office of Saint Peter, the keys of Heaven, or the keys of the kingdom of Heaven. It is explicitly referenced in the Bible in Matthew 16:19.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 12:40</span> Bible verse

Matthew 12:40 is the 40th verse in the twelfth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew 28:18</span>

Matthew 28:18 is the eighteenth verse of the twenty-eighth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse is part of the Great Commission narrative, containing the emphatic declaration of Jesus' absolute authority over the universe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papyrus 86</span> New Testament manuscript

Papyrus 86, designated by siglum 𝔓86, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Gospel of Matthew. The manuscript palaeographically has been assigned to the 4th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Papyrus 100</span> New Testament manuscript

Papyrus 100, designated by siglum 𝔓100, is an early copy of the New Testament in Greek. It is a papyrus manuscript of the Epistle of James. The surviving texts of James are verses 3:13-4:4; 4:9-5:1, they are in a fragmentary condition. The manuscript has been assigned paleographically to the late 3rd century, or early 4th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annunciation to the shepherds</span> Scene from the Nativity

The annunciation to the shepherds is an episode in the Nativity of Jesus described in the Bible in Luke 2, in which angels tell a group of shepherds about the birth of Jesus. It is a common subject of Christian art and of Christmas carols.

Textual variants in the New Testament manuscripts arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to the text that is being reproduced. Textual criticism of the New Testament has included study of its textual variants.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keys of the kingdom</span> Christian concept of eternal church authority

The keys of the kingdom is a Christian concept of eternal church authority. Christians believe it was established in the 1st century AD, initially through Saint Peter then through the rest of the 12 Apostles. The latter, continuing with the early Church Fathers, would eventually comprise the early church and its doctrine. It is this authority, having been given the keys, that subsequent doctrinal points have been built upon.

Codex Sinaiticus and Codex Vaticanus, two of the great uncial codices, representatives of the Alexandrian text-type, are considered excellent manuscript witnesses of the text of the New Testament. Most critical editions of the Greek New Testament give precedence to these two chief uncial manuscripts, and the majority of translations are based on their text. Nevertheless, there are many differences between these two manuscripts. A recent scientific comparative study of interest published on these two Alexandrian codices is "The Relationship between Vaticanus & Sinaiticus and the Majority Text in Galatians" by Dr. Graham G. Thomason and "THE SIGNIFICANCE OF SPLIT TEXT-TYPES FOR THE RECOVERY OF THE ORIGINAL TEXT OF THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT" by Dr LESLIE McFALL - both are freely made available on the internet. Historically, the true character of these two Alexandrian manuscripts was quickly and thoroughly challenged by Dean John William Burgon's exhaustive analysis: "It is in fact easier to find two consecutive verses in which these two MSS differ the one from the other, than two consecutive verses in which they entirely agree."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textual variants in the Gospel of Matthew</span> Differences in New Testament manuscripts

Textual variants in the Gospel of Matthew are the subject of the study called textual criticism of the New Testament. Textual variants in manuscripts arise when a copyist makes deliberate or inadvertent alterations to a text that is being reproduced. An abbreviated list of textual variants in this particular book is given in this article below.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Coogan 2007, p. 32 New Testament.
  2. 1 2 Allison 2007, p. 865.
  3. France 1994, p. 926.

Sources