Matthew 11 · Verse 28

Matthew 11:28

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Matthew 11:28, King James Version

Matthew 11:28 in other translations

BSB	Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
WEB	“Come to me, all you who labor and are heavily burdened, and I will give you rest.
ASV	Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
YLT	‘Come unto me, all ye labouring and burdened ones, and I will give you rest,
DARBY	Come to me, all ye who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest.
BBE	Come to me, all you who are troubled and weighted down with care, and I will give you rest.
Webster	Come to me, all ye that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

What does Matthew 11:28 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

28. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest--Incomparable, ravishing sounds these--if ever such were heard in this weary, groaning world! What gentleness, what sweetness is there in the very style of the invitation--"Hither to Me"; and in the words, "All ye that toil and are burdened," the universal wretchedness of man is depicted, on both its sides--the active and the passive forms of it.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 28. All ye that labour and are heavy laden. He here, perhaps, refers primarily to the Jews, who groaned under the weight of their ceremonial laws, and the traditions of the ciders, Acts 15:10. He tells them, that by coming to him, and embracing the new system of religion; they would be freed from these burdensome rites and ceremonies. There can be no doubt, however, that he meant here chiefly to address the poor, lost, ruined sinner; the man burdened with a consciousness of his transgressions, trembling at his danger, and seeking deliverance. For such there is relief. Christ tells them to come to him, to believe in him, and to trust him, and him only, for salvation. Doing this he will give them rest--rest from their sins; from the alarms of conscience; from the terrors of the law; and from the fears of eternal death.

(c) "labour" Is 55:1-4

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 28 Come unto me - This phrase in the new covenant implies simply, believing in Christ, and becoming his disciple, or follower. All ye that labor and are heavy laden - The metaphor here appears to be taken from a man who has a great load laid upon him, which he must carry to a certain place: every step he takes reduces his strength, and renders his load the more oppressive. However, it must be carried on; and he labors, uses his utmost exertions, to reach the place where it is to be laid down. A kind person passing by, and, seeing his distress, offers to ease him of his load, that he may enjoy rest. The Jews, heavily laden with the burdensome rites of the Mosaic institution, rendered still more oppressive by the additions made by the scribes and Pharisees, who, our Lord says, (Mat 23:4), bound on heavy burdens; and laboring, by their observance of the law, to make themselves pleasing to God, are here invited to lay down their load, and receive the salvation procured for them by Christ. Sinners, wearied in the ways of iniquity, are also invited to come to this Christ, and find speedy relief. Penitents, burdened with the guilt of their crimes, may come to this Sacrifice, and find instant pardon. Believers, sorely tempted, and oppressed by the remains of the carnal mind, may come to this blood, that cleanseth from all unrighteousness; and, purified from all sin, and powerfully succored in every temptation, they shall find uninterrupted rest in this complete Savior. All are invited to come, and all are promised rest. If few find rest from sin and vile affections, it is because few come to Christ to receive it.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 11:25-30

It becomes children to be grateful. When we come to God as a Father, we must remember that he is Lord of heaven and earth, which obliges us to come to him with reverence as to the sovereign Lord of all; yet with confidence, as one able to defend us from evil, and to supply us with all good. Our blessed Lord added a remarkable declaration, that the Father had delivered into his hands all power, authority, and…

Read the full comment on Matthew 11:25-30 →

Matthew 11:28 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.

ΔεῦτεDeuteComeG1205

πρόςprostoG4314

μεmeMeG3165

πάντεςpantesallG3956

οἱhoiyou who [are]G3588

κοπιῶντεςkopiōntestoilingG2872

καὶkaiandG2532

πεφορτισμένοι,pephortismenoiburdened,G5412

κἀγὼkagōand I myselfG1473

ἀναπαύσωanapausōwill give restG373

ὑμᾶς.humasto you.G4771

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

Cross references for Matthew 11:28

Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.
John 7:37
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
John 6:37
All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.
Galatians 5:1
Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
Isaiah 55:1-3
Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.
Revelation 22:17
And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Jeremiah 6:16
Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.
Isaiah 48:17-18
Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea:
Psalms 116:7
Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee.
Isaiah 28:12
To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Isaiah 45:22-25
Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
Matthew 23:4
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Come.
Isa 45:22-25; 53:2,3; 55:1-3; Joh 6:37; 7:37; Re 22:17
all.
23:4; Ge 3:17-19; Job 5:7; 14:1; Ps 32:4; 38:4; 90:7-10
Ec 1:8,14; 2:22,23; 4:8; Isa 1:4; 61:3; 66:2; Mic 6:6-8; Ac 15:10
Ro 7:22-25; Ga 5:1
and I.
29; Ps 94:13; 116:7; Isa 11:10; 28:12; 48:17,18; Jer 6:16
2Th 1:7; Heb 4:1

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

Context

Matthew 11:27
All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.
Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Matthew 11:29
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

Read all of Matthew 11

Matthew 11:28 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Venid á mí todos los que estáis trabajados y cargados, que yo os haré descansar.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Venez à moi, vous tous qui vous fatiguez et qui êtes chargés, et moi, je vous donnerai du repos.
German Elberfelder 1871	Kommet her zu mir, alle ihr Mühseligen und Beladenen, und ich werde euch Ruhe geben.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Venite ad me omnes qui laboratis, et onerati estis, et ego reficiam vos.