Matthew 11 · Verse 3

Matthew 11:3

And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Matthew 11:3, King James Version

Matthew 11:3 in other translations

BSBto ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
WEBand said to him, “Are you he who comes, or should we look for another?”
ASVand said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?
YLTsaid to him, ‘Art thou He who is coming, or for another do we look?'
DARBYand said to him, Art thou the coming one? or are we to wait for another?
BBETo say to him, Are you he who is to come, or are we waiting for another?
WebsterAnd said to him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

What does Matthew 11:3 mean?

Barnes' Notes
Verse 3. Art thou he that should come. That is, art thou the Messiah, or the Christ. The Jews expected a Saviour. His coming had been long foretold, Gen 49:10, Is 9:1-6, 11:1-5, 35:4-6, 53:1-12, Dan 9:24-27. See also Jn 6:14. Comp. De 18:18,19. In Common language, therefore, he was familiarly described as he that was to come. Luke adds here, (Lk 7:21) that at the time when the messengers came to him, Jesus cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits. An answer was, therefore, ready to the inquiries of John.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 3 Art thou he that should come - Ο ερχομενος, he that cometh, seems to have been a proper name of the Messiah; to save or deliver is necessarily implied. See on Luk 7:19 (note). There is some difficulty in what is here spoken of John. Some have thought he was utterly ignorant of our Lord's Divine mission, and that he sent merely for his own information; but this is certainly inconsistent with his own declaration, Luk 3:15, etc.; Joh 1:15, Joh 1:26, Joh 1:33, Joh 3:28, etc. Others suppose he sent the message merely for the instruction of his disciples; that, as he saw his end approaching, he wished them to have the fullest conviction that Jesus was the Messiah, that they might attach themselves to him. A third opinion takes a middle course between the two former, and states that, though John was at first perfectly convinced that Jesus was the Christ, yet, entertaining some hopes that he would erect a secular kingdom in Judea, wished to know whether this was likely to take place speedily. It is very probable that John now began, through the length of his confinement, to entertain doubts, relative to his kingdom, which perplexed and harassed his mind; and he took the most reasonable way to get rid of them at once, viz. by applying to Christ himself. Two of his disciples - Instead of δυο, two, several excellent MSS., with both the Syriac, Armenian, Gothic, and one copy of the Itala, have δια, by; he sent by his disciples.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 11:2-6

Some think that John sent this inquiry for his own satisfaction. Where there is true faith, yet there may be a mixture of unbelief. The remaining unbelief of good men may sometimes, in an hour of temptation; call in question the most important truths. But we hope that John's faith did not fail in this matter, and that he only desired to have it strengthened and confirmed. Others think that John sent his disciples to…

Read the full comment on Matthew 11:2-6 →

Matthew 11:3 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.

εἶπενeipensaidG2036
αὐτῷ·autōto Him;G846
σὺsuYou yourselfG4771
εἶeiareG1510
ὁhotheG3588
ἐρχόμενος,erchomenoscoming [One],G2064
ἢēorG2228
ἕτερονheteronanotherG2087
προσδοκῶμεν;¶prosdokōmenare we to look for?G4328

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

Cross references for Matthew 11:3

  • John 11:27

    She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

  • Malachi 3:1

    Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.

  • Hebrews 10:37

    For yet a little while, and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry.

  • Deuteronomy 18:15-18

    The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken; According to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly, saying, Let me not hear again the voice of the Lord my God, neither let me see this great fire any more, that I die not. And the Lord said unto me, They have well spoken that which they have spoken. I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.

  • Micah 5:2

    But thou, Beth–lehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.

  • Amos 9:11-12

    In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old: That they may possess the remnant of Edom, and of all the heathen, which are called by my name, saith the Lord that doeth this.

  • John 6:14

    Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world.

  • John 7:31

    And many of the people believed on him, and said, When Christ cometh, will he do more miracles than these which this man hath done?

  • Zechariah 9:9

    Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.

  • John 7:41-42

    Others said, This is the Christ. But some said, Shall Christ come out of Galilee? Hath not the scripture said, That Christ cometh of the seed of David, and out of the town of Bethlehem, where David was?

  • Genesis 3:15

    And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

  • Zephaniah 3:14-17

    Sing, O daughter of Zion; shout, O Israel; be glad and rejoice with all the heart, O daughter of Jerusalem. The Lord hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the Lord, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more. In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem, Fear thou not: and to Zion, Let not thine hands be slack. The Lord thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy; he will rest in his love, he will joy over thee with singing.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Context

  • Matthew 11:2

    Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples,

  • Matthew 11:3

    And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?

  • Matthew 11:4

    Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:

Read all of Matthew 11

Matthew 11:3 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Diciendo: ¿Eres tú aquél que había de venir, ó esperaremos á otro?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
et lui dit: Es-tu celui qui vient, ou devons-nous en attendre un autre?
German
Elberfelder 1871
und ließ ihm sagen: Bist du der Kommende, oder sollen wir eines anderen warten?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
ait illi: Tu es, qui venturus es, an alium exspectamus?