Matthew 11 · Verse 12

Matthew 11:12

And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

Matthew 11:12, King James Version

Matthew 11:12 in other translations

BSB	From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been subject to violence, and the violent lay claim to it.
WEB	From the days of John the Baptizer until now, the Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
ASV	And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and men of violence take it by force.
YLT	‘And, from the days of John the Baptist till now, the reign of the heavens doth suffer violence, and violent men do take it by force,
DARBY	But from the days of John the baptist until now, the kingdom of the heavens is taken by violence, and the violent seize on it.
BBE	And from the days of John the Baptist till now, the kingdom of heaven is forcing its way in, and men of force take it.
Webster	And from the days of John the Baptist, until now, the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.

What does Matthew 11:12 mean?

Barnes' Notes

Verse 12. And from the days of John, etc. That is, from the days when John began to preach. It is not known how long this was, but it was not probably more than a year. Our Saviour here simply states a fact. He says there was a great rush, or a crowd pressing to hear John. Multitudes went out to hear him, as if they were about to take the kingdom of heaven by force. See Mt 3:5. So, says he, it has continued. Since the kingdom of heaven, or the gospel, has been preached, there has been a rush to it. Men have been earnest about it; they have come pressing to obtain the blessing, as if they would take it by violence. There is allusion here to the manner in which cities were taken. Besiegers pressed upon them with violence, and demolished the walls. With such earnestness and violence, he says, men had pressed around him and John, since they began to preach. There is no allusion here to the manner in which individual sinners seek salvation; but it is a simple record of the fact that multitudes had thronged around him and John to hear the gospel.

(1) "take it" or, "is gotten by force; and they that thrust men, take it." (l) "of heaven" Lk 16:16, Eph 6:11-13

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 12 The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence - The tax-gatherers and heathens, whom the scribes and Pharisees think have no right to the kingdom of the Messiah, filled with holy zeal and earnestness, seize at once on the proffered mercy of the Gospel, and so take the kingdom as by force from those learned doctors who claimed for themselves the chiefest places in that kingdom. Christ himself said, The tax-gatherers and harlots go before you into the kingdom of God. See the parallel place, Luk 7:28-30. He that will take, get possession of the kingdom of righteousness, peace, and spiritual joy, must be in earnest: all hell will oppose him in every step he takes; and if a man be not absolutely determined to give up his sins and evil companions, and have his soul saved at all hazards, and at every expense, he will surely perish everlastingly. This requires a violent earnestness.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 11:7-15

What Christ said concerning John, was not only for his praise, but for the people's profit. Those who attend on the word will be called to give an account of their improvements. Do we think when the sermon is done, the care is over? No, then the greatest of the care begins. John was a self-denying man, dead to all the pomps of the world and the pleasures of sense. It becomes people, in all their appearances, to be…

Read the full comment on Matthew 11:7-15 →

Matthew 11:12 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἀπὸapoFromG575

δὲdethenG1161

τῶνtōntheG3588

ἡμερῶνhēmerōndaysG2250

ἸωάννουIōannouof JohnG2491

τοῦtoutheG3588

βαπτιστοῦbaptistouBaptistG910

ἕωςhe'ōsuntilG2193

ἄρτιartinowG737

ἡhētheG3588

βασιλείαbasileiakingdomG932

τῶνtōnof theG3588

οὐρανῶνouranōnheavensG3772

βιάζεται,biazetaiis taken by violence,G971

καὶkaiand [the]G2532

βιασταὶbiastaiviolentG973

ἁρπάζουσινharpazousinclaimG726

αὐτήν.autēnit.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 11:12

Luke 16:16
The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached, and every man presseth into it.
Luke 13:24
Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
Ephesians 6:11-13
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Philippians 2:12
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
John 6:27
Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
Luke 7:29-30
And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not baptized of him.
Matthew 21:23-32
And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things. The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him? But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

from.
21:23-32; Lu 7:29,30; 13:24; 16:16; Joh 6:27; Eph 6:11-13
Php 2:12
suffereth violence, and the violent take. or, is gotten byforce, and they that thrust men take, etc.

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Matthew 11:11
Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
Matthew 11:12
And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force.
Matthew 11:13
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John.

Read all of Matthew 11

Matthew 11:12 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Desde los días de Juan el Bautista hasta ahora, al reino de los cielos se hace fuerza, y los valientes lo arrebatan.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Mais, depuis les jours de Jean le baptiseur jusqu’à maintenant, le royaume des cieux est pris par violence, et les violents le ravissent.
German Elberfelder 1871	Aber von den Tagen Johannes des Täufers an bis jetzt wird dem Reiche der Himmel Gewalt angetan, und Gewalttuende reißen es an sich.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	A diebus autem Joannis Baptistæ usque nunc, regnum cælorum vim patitur, et violenti rapiunt illud.