Matthew / Chapter 3

Matthew 3

17 verses • SBL Greek New Testament 1 tradition available

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

Matthew 3 introduces John the Baptist as a wilderness prophet calling Israel to repentance in preparation for the coming kingdom of heaven. John's preaching, dress, and diet deliberately evoke the prophet Elijah. He confronts the Pharisees and Sadducees, warns that Abrahamic descent alone guarantees nothing, and baptizes the people in the Jordan. The chapter climaxes with Jesus's baptism, where the heavens open, the Spirit descends like a dove, and a voice from heaven declares Jesus to be God's beloved Son.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

John the Baptist bridges the Old and New Testaments — his message, dress (camel hair, leather belt), and wilderness setting deliberately mirror Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), and he quotes Isaiah 40:3 as his own mission statement. The baptism scene is one of the few passages where Father, Son, and Spirit appear simultaneously. The heavenly voice combines Psalm 2:7 ('You are my Son') with Isaiah 42:1 ('in whom I delight'), fusing royal and servant identities in a single declaration. John's insistence that 'I need to be baptized by you' reveals an awareness of Jesus's superior status that creates theological tension with Jesus's submission to the baptism.

Translation Friction

John's phrase 'brood of vipers' (genneemata echidnon) is shockingly hostile for a prophet addressing fellow Jews. We preserve the confrontational force. The phrase 'kingdom of heaven' (basileia ton ouranon) is Matthew's distinctive circumlocution for 'kingdom of God' — we preserve Matthew's form. Jesus's reason for being baptized ('to fulfill all righteousness') is theologically dense and deliberately left somewhat unexplained by the text. The phrase 'Spirit of God descending like a dove' (v. 16) is ambiguous about whether the dove is a visual form or a simile for the manner of descent.

Connections

Isaiah 40:3 (the voice in the wilderness) is the foundational text. Elijah typology connects to 2 Kings 1:8 and Malachi 4:5. The baptism connects to Israel's Red Sea crossing and Jordan crossing under Joshua. The heavenly voice draws on Psalm 2:7 and Isaiah 42:1. The Spirit descending connects to Isaiah 11:2 (the Spirit resting on the Messiah) and Genesis 1:2 (the Spirit hovering over the waters at creation). **Tradition comparisons:** The Latin Vulgate shaped Western theology here: Paenitentiam agite (do penance) rather than 'repent' (change your mind) was one of the most contested Vulgate renderings in history. Luther's first of the 95 Theses (1517) attacked this translation, a... See the [Vulgate Matthew](/vulgate/matthew).

Matthew 3:1

Ἐν δὲ ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις παραγίνεται Ἰωάννης ὁ βαπτιστὴς κηρύσσων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τῆς Ἰουδαίας

In those days, John the Baptist appeared, proclaiming in the wilderness of Judea,

KJV In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The historical present paraginetai ('appears, arrives') creates narrative immediacy — John bursts onto the scene. The title ho baptistees ('the Baptist, the one who baptizes') identifies John by his distinctive practice. The wilderness (eremos) of Judea is the barren region west of the Dead Sea, a place associated with divine encounter and prophetic calling throughout Israel's history.
Matthew 3:2

λέγων· Μετανοεῖτε· ἤγγικεν γὰρ ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.

"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near!"

KJV And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Notes & Key Terms 2 terms

Key Terms

μετανοέω metanoeo
"repent" — to change one's mind, to turn around, to repent

The Greek emphasizes a cognitive transformation ('change of mind'), while the underlying Hebrew concept teshuvah emphasizes relational return. Both dimensions are present in John's call.

βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν basileia ton ouranon
"kingdom of heaven" — kingdom of heaven, reign of heaven, God's sovereign rule

Matthew's distinctive phrase, used over 30 times in this Gospel. The other Gospels use 'kingdom of God.' Both refer to the same reality — God's sovereign reign breaking into the present world order.

Translator Notes

  1. The verb metanoeite ('repent') means a radical change of mind and direction, corresponding to the Hebrew teshuvah ('return'). The perfect tense eggiken ('has drawn near, has come close') indicates that the kingdom's approach has already begun — it is not merely future but pressing into the present. 'Kingdom of heaven' (basileia ton ouranon) is Matthew's distinctive phrase, using 'heaven' as a reverential circumlocution for 'God,' reflecting Jewish practice of avoiding direct use of the divine name.

Latin Vulgate (Jerome, 384 CE)

"Do penance, for the kingdom of heaven has drawn near"

Paenitentiam agite (do penance) rather than 'repent' (change your mind) was one of the most contested Vulgate renderings in history. Luther's first of the 95 Theses (1517) attacked this translation, arguing that the Greek metanoeite means an inner change of mind, not an outward act of penance. This single rendering was a catalyst for the Reformation.

Matthew 3:3

οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ῥηθεὶς διὰ Ἠσαΐου τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ.

This is the one spoken of through the prophet Isaiah, who said: "A voice crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight.'"

KJV For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The quotation from Isaiah 40:3 is foundational to all four Gospels' presentation of John. In its original context, the voice calls for a highway through the desert for God's return to Zion after the exile. Matthew applies this to John preparing the way for Jesus. The phrase 'in the wilderness' modifies 'crying out' (as in the Septuagint and the Gospels), though in the Hebrew of Isaiah 40:3 it modifies 'prepare' — 'in the wilderness prepare the way.' This difference in punctuation shifts the emphasis from the location of the preparation to the location of the prophet.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] References Isaiah 40:3 — the TCR OT rendering of that text provides the Hebrew source and explains the translation decisions involved.
Matthew 3:4

αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰωάννης εἶχεν τὸ ἔνδυμα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τριχῶν καμήλου καὶ ζώνην δερματίνην περὶ τὴν ὀσφὺν αὐτοῦ, ἡ δὲ τροφὴ ἦν αὐτοῦ ἀκρίδες καὶ μέλι ἄγριον.

Now John wore clothing made of camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

KJV And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. John's appearance deliberately mirrors Elijah's description in 2 Kings 1:8 — a hairy garment with a leather belt. This visual allusion would be immediately recognized by Matthew's audience. Locusts were permitted food under Jewish dietary law (Leviticus 11:22). The wilderness diet emphasizes John's ascetic separation from settled society and his prophetic identity.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes 2 Kings 1:8. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Echoes Leviticus 11:22. See the TCR's OT rendering for the Hebrew behind this passage and the translation rationale.
Matthew 3:5

τότε ἐξεπορεύετο πρὸς αὐτὸν Ἱεροσόλυμα καὶ πᾶσα ἡ Ἰουδαία καὶ πᾶσα ἡ περίχωρος τοῦ Ἰορδάνου,

Then Jerusalem and all Judea and the entire region around the Jordan went out to him,

KJV Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imperfect tense exeporeueto ('were going out') describes a continuous stream of people, not a single event. The hyperbolic 'all Judea' and 'the entire region' (pasa, repeated) conveys the scale of John's popular impact. The Jordan River region was associated with Israel's entry into the promised land under Joshua.
Matthew 3:6

καὶ ἐβαπτίζοντο ἐν τῷ Ἰορδάνῃ ποταμῷ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐξομολογούμενοι τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν.

Received baptism by him in the Jordan, openly admitting their sins.

KJV And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb ebaptizonto ('were being baptized') is imperfect passive, indicating an ongoing process. The Greek baptizo means 'to immerse, dip, submerge.' Confession of sins (exomologoumenoi) accompanied the immersion, making it a public act of repentance, not merely a ritual washing. Jewish purification rites involved water, but John's baptism was distinctive in linking immersion to moral repentance and eschatological preparation.
Matthew 3:7

Ἰδὼν δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων ἐρχομένους ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα αὐτοῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς;

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

KJV But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phrase genneemata echidnon ('brood of vipers') is devastatingly hostile — they are not merely compared to snakes but identified as the offspring of venomous serpents. The rhetorical question implies that their appearance at the baptism is insincere — they are seeking to escape judgment without genuine repentance. The 'coming wrath' (mellouses orgees) refers to eschatological judgment. The Pharisees and Sadducees rarely appear together; their joint presence may indicate that both wings of the religious establishment are under indictment.
Matthew 3:8

ποιήσατε οὖν καρπὸν ἄξιον τῆς μετανοίας,

Therefore produce fruit worthy of repentance,

KJV Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The singular karpon ('fruit') in the SBLGNT (versus the KJV's plural 'fruits') treats repentance as producing a unified result — a transformed life, not merely individual good deeds. The adjective axion ('worthy, fitting, corresponding to') demands that the fruit match the claim. John requires evidence, not merely words.
Matthew 3:9

καὶ μὴ δόξητε λέγειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς· Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ· λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι δύναται ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ.

And do not presume to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones.

KJV And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. John strikes at the core of Jewish ethnic confidence — descent from Abraham was considered a guarantee of covenant standing. John insists that biological lineage without moral transformation is worthless. The reference to 'these stones' (ton lithon touton) may involve a wordplay in Aramaic (the spoken language): 'stones' (avanim) and 'children' (banim) sound alike. God's ability to create children from stones also evokes the creation of Adam from earth.
Matthew 3:10

ἤδη δὲ ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται· πᾶν οὖν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.

Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.

KJV And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The present tense keitai ('is laid, is lying') indicates that judgment is not approaching — it has arrived. The axe is already positioned. The tree-and-fruit metaphor recurs throughout Matthew (7:16-20, 12:33, 21:19) as a standard image for the moral evaluation of people. Fire (pyr) represents eschatological judgment.
Matthew 3:11

ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμᾶς βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι εἰς μετάνοιαν, ὁ δὲ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος ἰσχυρότερός μού ἐστιν, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς τὰ ὑποδήματα βαστάσαι· αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί.

I baptize you with water for repentance, but the one coming after me is more powerful than I am — I am not worthy to carry his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

KJV I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

πνεῦμα ἅγιον pneuma hagion
"Holy Spirit" — spirit, wind, breath; when modified by hagion: Holy Spirit

The Spirit here is an agent of both purification and judgment. The association with fire reinforces the purging, refining quality of the Spirit's work.

Translator Notes

  1. John contrasts his water baptism with the coming one's baptism 'with the Holy Spirit and fire' (en pneumati hagio kai pyri). Whether 'Spirit and fire' describes one baptism (the Spirit as purifying fire) or two (blessing for the repentant, judgment for the unrepentant) is debated. The sandal-carrying metaphor indicates slave-level service — John considers himself unworthy even of the lowest task for the one who follows him. The Greek ischyroteros ('more powerful, stronger') emphasizes raw divine authority.
Matthew 3:12

οὗ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ διακαθαριεῖ τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συνάξει τὸν σῖτον αὐτοῦ εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ.

His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire."

KJV Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The agricultural metaphor of winnowing — tossing grain into the air so the wind separates wheat from chaff — depicts divine judgment as a sorting process. The Greek ptyon ('winnowing fork/shovel') is a large fork used to throw grain. 'Unquenchable fire' (pyri asbesto) intensifies the judgment beyond ordinary burning — this fire cannot be extinguished. The imagery connects to Malachi 3:2-3, where the messenger's coming involves refining fire.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Malachi 3:2-3. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
Matthew 3:13

Τότε παραγίνεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰορδάνην πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ.

Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him.

KJV Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The historical present paraginetai ('arrives') mirrors the same verb used for John's appearance in verse 1, creating a structural parallel. Jesus comes specifically for baptism (tou baptisthenai, a purpose infinitive), making this a deliberate, intentional act rather than a chance encounter.
Matthew 3:14

ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων· Ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με;

But John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?"

KJV But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The imperfect tense diekolyen ('was trying to prevent, kept preventing') indicates ongoing resistance, not a single objection. John recognizes the incongruity — the greater should baptize the lesser, not the reverse. This exchange is unique to Matthew and addresses the theological puzzle of why the sinless one submitted to a baptism of repentance.
Matthew 3:15

ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἄφες ἄρτι· οὕτως γὰρ πρέπον ἐστὶν ἡμῖν πληρῶσαι πᾶσαν δικαιοσύνην. τότε ἀφίησιν αὐτόν.

But Jesus answered him, "Allow it for now, for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented.

KJV And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

δικαιοσύνη dikaiosyne
"righteousness" — righteousness, justice, right standing, conformity to God's will

A central term in Matthew, especially in the Sermon on the Mount (5:6, 10, 20; 6:1, 33). Here it refers to the divine plan that both John and Jesus must carry out — Jesus's baptism is part of God's righteous purposes.

Translator Notes

  1. Jesus's reply is his first spoken words in Matthew's Gospel. The phrase 'fulfill all righteousness' (plerosai pasan dikaiosynen) is theologically dense — it connects to Matthew's theme of fulfillment and to the concept of dikaiosyne ('righteousness') that will dominate the Sermon on the Mount. The 'us' (heemin) includes both John and Jesus in a shared mission. 'Righteousness' here likely means conformity to God's will and purposes rather than personal moral achievement.
Matthew 3:16

βαπτισθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εὐθὺς ἀνέβη ἀπὸ τοῦ ὕδατος· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἠνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ οἱ οὐρανοί, καὶ εἶδεν τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ καταβαῖνον ὡσεὶ περιστερὰν καὶ ἐρχόμενον ἐπ' αὐτόν·

After Jesus was baptized, he immediately came up out of the water, and suddenly the heavens were opened to him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on him.

KJV And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him:

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ pneuma tou theou
"Spirit of God" — Spirit of God, divine Spirit, God's presence and power

The Spirit's descent upon Jesus corresponds to the anointing of kings and prophets in the Old Testament. The Spirit 'coming upon' someone signifies divine empowerment for a mission.

Translator Notes

  1. The opening of the heavens (aneochtheesan hoi ouranoi) echoes Ezekiel 1:1 and Isaiah 64:1 — moments when the barrier between heaven and earth is breached. The phrase 'like a dove' (hosei peristeran) is ambiguous: it may describe the Spirit's visual form or the gentle manner of descent. The verb erchomenon ('coming') combined with ep' auton ('upon him') echoes Isaiah 11:2, where the Spirit 'rests upon' the messianic branch. This is a royal anointing scene — the Spirit's descent constitutes Jesus's commissioning.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Ezekiel 1:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 64:1. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  4. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 11:2. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
Matthew 3:17

καὶ ἰδοὺ φωνὴ ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν λέγουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα.

And just then a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, and I am completely delighted with him.

KJV And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός huios mou ho agapetos
"my beloved Son" — my son the beloved, my dear son, my unique/only son

The adjective agapetos ('beloved') may carry the sense of 'only' or 'unique' (as in the Septuagint of Genesis 22:2, where Isaac is called Abraham's agapetos son). The declaration establishes Jesus's divine sonship as the foundation for his ministry.

Translator Notes

  1. The heavenly voice combines two Old Testament texts: Psalm 2:7 ('You are my Son') — a royal enthronement psalm — and Isaiah 42:1 ('my chosen one in whom my soul delights') — the first Servant Song. The fusion declares Jesus simultaneously as Davidic king and Suffering Servant. Matthew has 'This is' (houtos estin, third person, a public declaration) where Mark has 'You are' (sy ei, second person, addressed to Jesus). The verb eudokesa ('I am well pleased, I have delighted') is aorist, possibly indicating a timeless or pre-temporal delight rather than a response to the baptism alone.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalm 2:7. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Isaiah 42:1. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
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