MAT 20:25 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) [ref]but Yeshua called them over and said, “You all know that the rulers of other nations practice total control over their people, as do other powerful people.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT But Jesus, having summoned them, said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and the great ones exercise authority over them.

UST So, Jesus told his apprentices to come to him. He said to them, “You understand that the people who govern the non-Jews dominate them. Further, important people among them control everyone else.

BSB But Jesus called them aside [and] said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and [their] superiors exercise authority over them.

BLB And Jesus having summoned them, said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and the great ones exercise authority over them.

AICNT But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

OEB Jesus, however, called the ten to him, and said, ‘The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them as you know, and their high officials oppress them.

WEBBE But Jesus summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

WMBB But Yeshua summoned them, and said, “You know that the rulers of the nations lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

NET But Jesus called them and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them.

LSV and Jesus having called them near, said, “You have known that the rulers of the nations exercise lordship over them, and those [who are] great exercise authority over them,

FBV Jesus called them together and told them, “You know that foreign rulers lord it over their subjects, and powerful leaders oppress them.

TCNT So Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

T4T So Jesus called all of us together and said to us, “You know that those who rule the non-Jews enjoy showing them that they are powerful. Their chief rulers enjoy commanding the people under them.

LEB But Jesus called them to himself and[fn] said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions exercise authority over them.

20:25 *Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“called … to himself”) has been translated as a finite verb

BBE But Jesus said to them, You see that the rulers of the Gentiles are lords over them, and their great ones have authority over them.

Moff but Jesus called them and said,
⇔ "You know the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,
⇔ and their great men overbear them:

Wymth But Jesus called them to Him, and said, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them.

ASV But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.

DRA But Jesus called them to him, and said: You know that the princes of the Gentiles lord it over them; and they that are the greater, exercise power upon them.

YLT and Jesus having called them near, said, 'Ye have known that the rulers of the nations do exercise lordship over them, and those great do exercise authority over them,

Drby But Jesus having called them to [him], said, Ye know that the rulers of the nations exercise lordship over them, and the great exercise authority over them.

RV But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them.
(But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye/You_all know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. )

SLT But Jesus, having called them, said, Ye know that the rulers rule over their nations, and the great exercise authority over them.

Wbstr But Jesus called them to him , and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.

KJB-1769 But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them.
(But Jesus called them unto him, and said, Ye/You_all know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion over them, and they that are great exercise authority upon them. )

KJB-1611 But Iesus called them vnto him, and said, Ye know that the princes of the Gentiles exercise dominion ouer them, and they that are great, exercise authoritie vpon them.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps But Iesus called them vnto him, and sayde: Ye know that the princes of the gentiles haue dominion ouer them: and they that are great, exercise aucthoritie vpon them.
(But Yesus/Yeshua called them unto him, and said: Ye/You_all know that the princes of the gentiles have dominion over them: and they that are great, exercise authority upon them.)

Gnva Therefore Iesus called them vnto him, and saide, We knowe that the lordes of the Gentiles haue domination ouer them, and they that are great, exercise authoritie ouer them.
(Therefore Yesus/Yeshua called them unto him, and said, We know that the lords of the Gentiles have domination over them, and they that are great, exercise authority over them. )

Cvdl But Iesus called them vnto him, and sayde: Ye knowe that ye prynces of the worlde haue domynacion of the people, and the greatest exercise power amonge the.
(But Yesus/Yeshua called them unto him, and said: Ye/You_all know that ye/you_all princes of the world have domynacion of the people, and the greatest exercise power among them.)

TNT But Iesus called them vnto him and sayde: Ye knowe that the lordes of the gentyls have dominacion over them. And they that are great exercise power over them.
(But Yesus/Yeshua called them unto him and said: Ye/You_all know that the lords of the gentiles have domination over them. And they that are great exercise power over them. )

Wycl But Jhesus clepide hem to hym, and seide, Ye witen, that princis of hethene men ben lordis of hem, and thei that ben gretter, vsen power on hem.
(But Yhesus called hem to him, and said, Ye/You_all perceive, that princes of heathen men been lords of hem, and they that been greater, usen power on hem.)

Luth Aber JEsus rief sie zu sich und sprach: Ihr wisset, daß die weltlichen Fürsten herrschen, und die Oberherren haben Gewalt.
(But Yesus shouted they/she/them to/for itself/yourself/themselves and spoke: You(pl) know, that the weltlichen prince(s)/ruler(s) reign/prevail, and the Oberherren have violence.)

ClVg Jesus autem vocavit eos ad se, et ait: Scitis quia principes gentium dominantur eorum: et qui majores sunt, potestatem exercent in eos.
(Yesus however he_called them to himself, and he_said: Scitis because leaders nations dominantur their: and who/which elders are, power exercent in/into/on them. )

UGNT ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς εἶπεν, οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.
(ho de Yaʸsous proskalesamenos autous eipen, oidate hoti hoi arⱪontes tōn ethnōn katakurieuousin autōn, kai hoi megaloi katexousiazousin autōn.)

SBL-GNT ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς εἶπεν· Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.
(ho de Yaʸsous proskalesamenos autous eipen; Oidate hoti hoi arⱪontes tōn ethnōn katakurieuousin autōn kai hoi megaloi katexousiazousin autōn.)

RP-GNT Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς εἶπεν, Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.
(Ho de Yaʸsous proskalesamenos autous eipen, Oidate hoti hoi arⱪontes tōn ethnōn katakurieuousin autōn, kai hoi megaloi katexousiazousin autōn.)

TC-GNT Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτοὺς εἶπεν, Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν.
(Ho de Yaʸsous proskalesamenos autous eipen, Oidate hoti hoi arⱪontes tōn ethnōn katakurieuousin autōn, kai hoi megaloi katexousiazousin autōn. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 20:20–28: The mother of James and John asked Jesus for something

In this section, Jesus again dealt with the issue of who is important. In 18:1–4, the disciples had asked Jesus “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus had answered them there. Here, the mother of James and John asked Jesus to give her two sons the most important positions in his kingdom. Jesus again responded to the disciples’ concern to become important people.

Jesus said that the most important person in his kingdom is the person who behaves like a servant rather than like someone in charge. He finished by saying that he himself came to help other people rather than to ask other to help him. He showed that the values in his kingdom are different than the values here on earth.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

The Request of the Mother of James and John (NRSV)

The mother of James and John asks Jesus to make her sons the most people in his kingdom

Jesus Teaches about Serving Others (NLT)

There is a parallel passage for this section in Mark 10:35–45.

20:25a

But Jesus called them aside and said,

So Jesus called his disciples together and said,
Jesus told all of them to gather together. Then he said to them,

But: There is a mild contrast here. The disciples were concerned about who among them would be the leader. Jesus was concerned about teaching them to be servants. The Greek indicates this contrast with the conjunction that the BSB translates as But.

Some English versions do not translate this conjunction. Other versions use the word “So” here. You should connect this verse to the previous verses in a way that is natural in your language.

Jesus called them aside: This clause indicates that Jesus asked the disciples to gather around him. The pronoun them probably refers to all twelve disciples. It does not just refer to the two brothers.

Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

Jesus called them all together (GNT)

Jesus asked the disciples to gather around him

20:25b–c

(combined)

“You^(plur) know that the chiefs and big men of other nations rule/govern their people.

Verse 20:25b and 20:25c are a parallelism. This means that they are two ways of saying the same thing. Notice the parallel parts in these two statements:

^25bYou know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, ^25cand their great ones exercise authority over them.

Jesus repeated this idea in order to emphasize it. You should show this emphasis in a way that is natural in your language. Some languages can repeat the idea. In other languages, it may be more natural to combine the two parts and translate them together. For example:

You know that the chiefs and big men of the Gentiles rule the people under them.

20:25b

“You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them,

“You^(plur) know that the Gentile rulers rule over their people,
“You^(plur) know that the kings/chiefs of the non-Jews reign over their people.

You know that: Here Jesus stated something that the disciples already knew. He did not have to explain what he was talking about.

the rulers: The Greek word that the BSB translates as rulers refers to people who are in charge of others. In this context, it probably refers to people in charge of other countries.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the leaders

chiefs/kings

of the Gentiles: Jews used the word Gentiles to refer to all the people groups beside themselves. This word also occurs in 20:19a.

Here are some other ways to translate this word:

the non-Jewish people (NCV)

people who are not Jews

lord it over them: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as lord it over comes from the Greek noun which means “lord” or “master.” As a verb, this word refer to the action that a lord or master does. He rules over his people.

There are at least two ways to interpret this verb:

It is used in a neutral sense to simply mean rule. It is what rulers do. They rule/reign over their people. For example:

have power over (GNT) (GNT, GW, KJV)

It is used in a negative sense to mean abuse their power. For example:

love to show their power (NCV) (CEV, NCV)

Many English versions translate this verb using the same word as the noun “lord.” So it is not possible to tell which interpretation they follow.

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This verb does not necessarily have a negative meaning associated with it.Recent scholarship (Kenneth W. Clark, “The Meaning of [κατα] κυριεύειν,” in Studies in New Testament Language and Text (ed. J. K. Elliott; NovTSup 44; Leiden: Brill, 1976), 100–105) suggests that the verb with and without κατα attached mean essentially the same thing in their various contexts. Many other commentators [e.g. Osborne (741), Nolland (822), Davies and Allison (3.92), Carson (432)] agree that there should be no negative connotation to this word.

Jesus contrasted great men in this world with great men in the kingdom of God. Great men in this world rule over people. People serve them. Great men in the kingdom of God serve others. Jesus contrasted ruling and serving, not abusing power and serving.

them: The pronoun them refers to people governed by the rulers.

20:25c

and their superiors exercise authority over them.

and their great men have authority over them.
Their big men govern them.

their superiors: This phrase refers to men of high status who are in authority. It is parallel to “the rulers of the Gentiles” in 20:25b.

Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

great men (NJB)

those in high positions (NET)

their important leaders (NCV)

exercise authority over them: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as exercise authority over comes from the noun which means “authority.” As a verb, this word refers to the action that a man of authority does. He has/exercises authority over his people.

This verb is parallel to the verb “lord it over” in 20:25b. You should translate it in a similar way. For example:

have authority/power

rule/reign

govern

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

δὲ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτούς εἶπεν Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καί οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν)

Here, the word But introduces the next thing that happened. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces the next event, or you could leave But untranslated. Alternate translation: [Then]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν, καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν

the rulers ˱of˲_the pagans ˓are˒_exercising_lordship ˱over˲_them the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ὁ Δέ Ἰησοῦς προσκαλεσάμενος αὐτούς εἶπεν Οἴδατε ὅτι οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύουσιν αὐτῶν καί οἱ μεγάλοι κατεξουσιάζουσιν αὐτῶν)

These two clauses mean basically the same thing. The second emphasizes the meaning of the first by repeating the same idea with different words. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could connect the clauses with a word other than and in order to show that the second clause is repeating the first one, not saying something additional. Alternatively, you could combine the two clauses Alternate translation: [the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them; indeed, the great ones exercise authority over them] or [the rulers of the Gentiles and the great ones lord it over them]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

κατακυριεύουσιν & κατεξουσιάζουσιν

˓are˒_exercising_lordship & ˓are˒_exercising_authority

The words translated as lord it over and exercise authority over refer to using power to control and dominate others. The words do not indicate whether the rulers and the great ones are doing good or bad things with their power. If possible, use words or phrases that refer to total control and domination but that do not imply good or bad use of that control and domination. Alternate translation: [reign absolutely over … have complete authority over]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

κατεξουσιάζουσιν

˓are˒_exercising_authority

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of authority, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [rule over] or [control]

Parallel MAT 20:25

Section 20:20–28: The mother of James and John asked Jesus for something

20:25a

20:25b–c

20:25b

20:25c