Matthew 6:1 - Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Here it says to "Take heed," which literally means pay attention. Pay attention that you do not your alms, and the Greek word for alms means acts of mercy. Some transcripts have righteousness.
Matthew 6:9 - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Here's where the Greek enhances the meaning of this verse. Hallowed means sanctify or set apart. Set apart your name in my life today. May your name be glorified and may all that the people see in my life today is your name. May it be represented correctly!
Matthew 6:25 - Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Jesus says, "take no thought for your life." This comes from the Greek word MERIMNAO. If you've never heard that word before, it means to occupy the attention of the mind. If we connect this with what the bible teaches, and we take the phrase "take no thought" understanding that it means to occupy the attention of the mind, it shows us that we only have the capacity to serve one thing. So, if our minds are occupied with other things, and we are only supposed to be serving the one person (Christ), we have a problem! In Matthew 6:25-30, Jesus goes on to say, and He mentions three necessities. He says why are you anxious about what you eat, or what you drink, or about your clothing? He says that even if you don't have clothes or food or drink, that we are not to be occupied with it, (MERIMNA).
Matthew 6:27 - Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Again, the word for "taking thought" is MERIMNA, worries and cares that are occupying the attention of our minds.
Matthew 12:23 - And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
Now, the phrase "son of David" is another phrase for the Messiah, the son of David. But in the Greek text, the negative participle that is used means that the question is expecting the answer no. This is not the son of David, is it?
What they are saying is that He's doing all the things that Messiah is supposed to do when He comes, but it can't be Him!
Matthew 12:30 - He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Two things I want to share with you about the Greek. Do you see the word "is," the third word in the verse? That's actually a Present Participle, and it denotes continuous action. He that is not continually with me is against me. And he that is not continually gathering with me is scattering. So, in other words if you are not continuously gathering together and following Christ, Jesus said you are against me.
There's no gray area and no middle ground! Jesus said you are either following me or you are against me. He didn't say you have to reject me to be against me. Jesus said, if you're not following me, you are against me.
Matthew 12:40 - For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
He says the only sign that you're to receive is the sign of Jonah, for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, and it is not a whale. The Greek word means a great fish. And they have found down through history, large fish from this area with parts of human beings inside, so it is possible. But this was a miracle. A great fish swallowed Jonah and spit him up on the shores of Nineveh.
I am going to stop here for the night. I will try and pick back up tomorrow.
Matthew 8:26 - And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Jesus gets up and He rebukes. He says to them, why are ye fearful? The word fearful in Greek is not the word for fear. It's a word that means to be without courage. This could be better translated, "Why are you without courage, O little faith ones?"
Matthew 9:17 - Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
The word bottle is the word skins. These are not bottles that we know.
Matthew 9:32 - As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
When He went out, they brought to him a dumb man (somebody who couldn't speak). The Greek word would be translated MUTE. His condition was that he was demonized. He was mute because of the demon.
Matthew 10:16 - Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
The word "harmless" in the Greek means artless. It literally means don't use your own ingenuity. In other words, God is not impressed when we use our ideas to do His work. Be wise as serpents. How is the serpent wise? Well, he is very alert and he watches and doesn't make quick reactions. We are to observe and be artless as doves. Jesus said that's the kind of person I will use.
Matthew 12:20 - A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
These are long stemmed reeds that are hollow on the inside, and they break really easy. So, when Jesus comes upon somebody that has a very frail weak condition like one of these weeds, He's not going to break them. He is going to help them.
A smoking flax is a wick of a lamp that is smoldering, but it's not lit.
Matthew 8:16 - When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
It says when evening had come, and the other gospel writers tell us that this was the Sabbath when Peter's mother-in-law was healed. So, at six o'clock, at sundown, they brought many who were possessed with devils.
The condition: Those three words "possessed with devils," are represented by one Greek word. In fact, never in the Greek text does it say demon possession. It just says "demonized." It is just one word, demonized.
Matthew 8:17 - That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
This, you may already know. But in the King James text, and we see this in Chapter 1 with what we call the ancestry line, the lineage, in that the King James text, when it mentions names, it's a transliteration of the Greek word. For instance, in Matthew Chapter 1, it talks about Tamar. King James says Thamar and that is because that is the Greek word, Thamar. And so, when it's making reference to Isaiah, he says Esaias because that is the Greek word, but he is talking about Isaiah the prophet. Just general information!
Matthew 8:24 - And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Here's something we may not catch in our English text:
Here are the circumstances. They got in the boat, and there arose a great "tempest" in the sea. The word tempest is the Greek word SEISMOS. It's where our English word seismic comes from. What this text is telling us is that there was a great earthquake in the sea, so much that the ship was covered with the waves. It wasn't just raining and the boat filling up.
Reading this in English, we see "great tempest" and big waves, but we don't realize that an earthquake was the cause!
Matthew 8:5 - And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Notice the person that's coming. He is a centurion. A centurion is a Roman soldier. He is a Gentile. The word centurion means 100. He is the commander of 100 men. And the centurion is in charge of the garrison of Roman soldiers there in Capernaum. Just general information I wanted to share.
Matthew 8:6 - And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
This phrase "sick of the palsy" is one Greek word (PARALUTIKOS) which means paralytic. This is the condition of his servant. So, this centurion comes, beseeching him, and saying that his servant lies home sick of the palsy. He is a paralytic. He's paralyzed and he's grievously tormented. This is where I believe the translators could have given us a better understanding in their translation by saying, "my servant lieth at home paralyzed, grievously tormented. I am not saying that the translation is wrong, but I'll leave it up to you to decide whether saying "sick of the palsy" or "paralyzed" would mean more to us in our English text.
Matthew 8:15 - And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
Here we see the completeness. Jesus touched her, and the fever left her. Notice the completeness in that the fever left her. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose up and ministered unto Him.
Here is something you may not catch without going to the Greek text. The word ministered in Greek, DIAKANOS, is the verb form of our English word deacon. It is the verb form; therefore, it is not calling her a deacon. But it's describing her serving. And it's in the Imperfect Tense which means that she rose up immediately and the fever was gone.
Matthew 6:34 - Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Take no thought! Again, the word MERIMNAO, the occupation of the attention of our minds? Jesus says don't even worry about it. Don't worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Where is our focus right now?
Matthew 7:24 - Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
About the word "rock" in this verse, we see the word rock throughout our English Bible, and we know what a rock is, right? But here's something we might not catch without the Greek. Rock used here is the word PETRA. It's the same thing that Jesus told Peter in Matthew Chapter 16 where He says, "Upon this rock (PETRA) I will build my church."
I mention this because there are groups that say this is referring to Peter, that the church is built upon Peter. It wasn't Peter! Peter is PETROS. PETRA is a completely different word. It is the designation for Christ and His word in scripture. Jesus says that everybody that hears these saying of mine and does them will be like a wise man that built his house upon a rock (PETRA) and when the storm comes (which is judgment), his house will stand.
Matthew 7:28 - And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Where is says "the people were astonished," this would be the multitudes that began to follow Jesus at the end of Chapter 4. They are the same people that were going to be astonished here at the end of Chapter 7. These are the multitudes that were listening, not the disciples.
Secondly, the word astonished is in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek, which means that it was a continuous past action. They were continually amazed!
Continuation in Matthew, (Part 8):
Matthew 6:1 - Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Here it says to "Take heed," which literally means pay attention. Pay attention that you do not your alms, and the Greek word for alms means acts of mercy. Some transcripts have righteousness.
Matthew 6:9 - After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Here's where the Greek enhances the meaning of this verse. Hallowed means sanctify or set apart. Set apart your name in my life today. May your name be glorified and may all that the people see in my life today is your name. May it be represented correctly!
Matthew 6:25 - Therefore I say unto you, take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Jesus says, "take no thought for your life." This comes from the Greek word MERIMNAO. If you've never heard that word before, it means to occupy the attention of the mind. If we connect this with what the bible teaches, and we take the phrase "take no thought" understanding that it means to occupy the attention of the mind, it shows us that we only have the capacity to serve one thing. So, if our minds are occupied with other things, and we are only supposed to be serving the one person (Christ), we have a problem! In Matthew 6:25-30, Jesus goes on to say, and He mentions three necessities. He says why are you anxious about what you eat, or what you drink, or about your clothing? He says that even if you don't have clothes or food or drink, that we are not to be occupied with it, (MERIMNA).
Matthew 6:27 - Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
Again, the word for "taking thought" is MERIMNA, worries and cares that are occupying the attention of our minds.
Matthew 12:23 - And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David?
Now, the phrase "son of David" is another phrase for the Messiah, the son of David. But in the Greek text, the negative participle that is used means that the question is expecting the answer no. This is not the son of David, is it?
What they are saying is that He's doing all the things that Messiah is supposed to do when He comes, but it can't be Him!
Matthew 12:30 - He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Two things I want to share with you about the Greek. Do you see the word "is," the third word in the verse? That's actually a Present Participle, and it denotes continuous action. He that is not continually with me is against me. And he that is not continually gathering with me is scattering. So, in other words if you are not continuously gathering together and following Christ, Jesus said you are against me.
There's no gray area and no middle ground! Jesus said you are either following me or you are against me. He didn't say you have to reject me to be against me. Jesus said, if you're not following me, you are against me.
Matthew 12:40 - For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
He says the only sign that you're to receive is the sign of Jonah, for as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, and it is not a whale. The Greek word means a great fish. And they have found down through history, large fish from this area with parts of human beings inside, so it is possible. But this was a miracle. A great fish swallowed Jonah and spit him up on the shores of Nineveh.
I am going to stop here for the night. I will try and pick back up tomorrow.
Blessings to you all in Christ our Savior!
Matthew 8:26 - And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.
Jesus gets up and He rebukes. He says to them, why are ye fearful? The word fearful in Greek is not the word for fear. It's a word that means to be without courage. This could be better translated, "Why are you without courage, O little faith ones?"
Matthew 9:17 - Neither do men put new wine into old bottles: else the bottles break, and the wine runneth out, and the bottles perish: but they put new wine into new bottles, and both are preserved.
The word bottle is the word skins. These are not bottles that we know.
Matthew 9:32 - As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
When He went out, they brought to him a dumb man (somebody who couldn't speak). The Greek word would be translated MUTE. His condition was that he was demonized. He was mute because of the demon.
Matthew 10:16 - Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.
The word "harmless" in the Greek means artless. It literally means don't use your own ingenuity. In other words, God is not impressed when we use our ideas to do His work. Be wise as serpents. How is the serpent wise? Well, he is very alert and he watches and doesn't make quick reactions. We are to observe and be artless as doves. Jesus said that's the kind of person I will use.
Matthew 12:20 - A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.
These are long stemmed reeds that are hollow on the inside, and they break really easy. So, when Jesus comes upon somebody that has a very frail weak condition like one of these weeds, He's not going to break them. He is going to help them.
A smoking flax is a wick of a lamp that is smoldering, but it's not lit.
Matthew 8:16 - When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
It says when evening had come, and the other gospel writers tell us that this was the Sabbath when Peter's mother-in-law was healed. So, at six o'clock, at sundown, they brought many who were possessed with devils.
The condition: Those three words "possessed with devils," are represented by one Greek word. In fact, never in the Greek text does it say demon possession. It just says "demonized." It is just one word, demonized.
Matthew 8:17 - That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.
This, you may already know. But in the King James text, and we see this in Chapter 1 with what we call the ancestry line, the lineage, in that the King James text, when it mentions names, it's a transliteration of the Greek word. For instance, in Matthew Chapter 1, it talks about Tamar. King James says Thamar and that is because that is the Greek word, Thamar. And so, when it's making reference to Isaiah, he says Esaias because that is the Greek word, but he is talking about Isaiah the prophet. Just general information!
Matthew 8:24 - And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.
Here's something we may not catch in our English text:
Here are the circumstances. They got in the boat, and there arose a great "tempest" in the sea. The word tempest is the Greek word SEISMOS. It's where our English word seismic comes from. What this text is telling us is that there was a great earthquake in the sea, so much that the ship was covered with the waves. It wasn't just raining and the boat filling up.
Reading this in English, we see "great tempest" and big waves, but we don't realize that an earthquake was the cause!
Matthew 8:5 - And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him,
Notice the person that's coming. He is a centurion. A centurion is a Roman soldier. He is a Gentile. The word centurion means 100. He is the commander of 100 men. And the centurion is in charge of the garrison of Roman soldiers there in Capernaum. Just general information I wanted to share.
Matthew 8:6 - And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.
This phrase "sick of the palsy" is one Greek word (PARALUTIKOS) which means paralytic. This is the condition of his servant. So, this centurion comes, beseeching him, and saying that his servant lies home sick of the palsy. He is a paralytic. He's paralyzed and he's grievously tormented. This is where I believe the translators could have given us a better understanding in their translation by saying, "my servant lieth at home paralyzed, grievously tormented. I am not saying that the translation is wrong, but I'll leave it up to you to decide whether saying "sick of the palsy" or "paralyzed" would mean more to us in our English text.
Matthew 8:15 - And he touched her hand, and the fever left her: and she arose, and ministered unto them.
Here we see the completeness. Jesus touched her, and the fever left her. Notice the completeness in that the fever left her. He touched her hand, the fever left her, and she rose up and ministered unto Him.
Here is something you may not catch without going to the Greek text. The word ministered in Greek, DIAKANOS, is the verb form of our English word deacon. It is the verb form; therefore, it is not calling her a deacon. But it's describing her serving. And it's in the Imperfect Tense which means that she rose up immediately and the fever was gone.
Matthew 6:34 - Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Take no thought! Again, the word MERIMNAO, the occupation of the attention of our minds? Jesus says don't even worry about it. Don't worry about tomorrow. Let tomorrow take care of itself. Where is our focus right now?
Matthew 7:24 - Therefore, whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
About the word "rock" in this verse, we see the word rock throughout our English Bible, and we know what a rock is, right? But here's something we might not catch without the Greek. Rock used here is the word PETRA. It's the same thing that Jesus told Peter in Matthew Chapter 16 where He says, "Upon this rock (PETRA) I will build my church."
I mention this because there are groups that say this is referring to Peter, that the church is built upon Peter. It wasn't Peter! Peter is PETROS. PETRA is a completely different word. It is the designation for Christ and His word in scripture. Jesus says that everybody that hears these saying of mine and does them will be like a wise man that built his house upon a rock (PETRA) and when the storm comes (which is judgment), his house will stand.
Matthew 7:28 - And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:
Where is says "the people were astonished," this would be the multitudes that began to follow Jesus at the end of Chapter 4. They are the same people that were going to be astonished here at the end of Chapter 7. These are the multitudes that were listening, not the disciples.
Secondly, the word astonished is in the Imperfect Tense in the Greek, which means that it was a continuous past action. They were continually amazed!
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