Matthew 11 · Verse 8

Matthew 11:8

But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.

Matthew 11:8, King James Version

Matthew 11:8 in other translations

BSB	Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothing are found in kings’ palaces.
WEB	But what did you go out to see? A man in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
ASV	But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft raiment are in kings’ houses.
YLT	‘But what went ye out to see? --a man clothed in soft garments? lo, those wearing the soft things are in the kings' houses.
DARBY	But what went ye out to see? a man clothed in delicate raiment? behold, those who wear delicate things are in the houses of kings.
BBE	But what went you out to see? a man delicately clothed? Those who have fair robes are in kings' houses.
Webster	But what went ye out to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? Behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses.

What does Matthew 11:8 mean?

Barnes' Notes

Verse 8. Clothed in soft raiment. The kind of raiment here denoted was the light, thin clothing worn by effeminate persons. It was made commonly of fine linen, and was worn chiefly for ornament. Christ asks them whether they were attracted by anything like that. He says that the desert was not the place to expect it. In the palaces of kings, in the court of Herod, it might be expected; but not in the place where John was. This kind of clothing was an emblem of riches, splendour, effeminacy, feebleness of character. He meant to say that John was a man of a different stamp: coarse in exterior; hardy in his character; firm in his virtue; fitted to endure trials and privations, and thus qualified to be the forerunner of the toiling and Suffering Messiah.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 8 A man clothed in soft raiment? - A second excellency in John was, his sober and mortified life. A preacher of the Gospel should have nothing about him which savours of effeminacy and worldly pomp: he is awfully mistaken who thinks to prevail on the world to hear him and receive the truth, by conforming himself to its fashions and manners. Excepting the mere color of his clothes, we can scarcely now distinguish a preacher of the Gospel, whether in the establishment of the country, or out of it, from the merest worldly man. Ruffles, powder, and fribble seem universally to prevail. Thus the Church and the world begin to shake hands, the latter still retaining its enmity to God. How can those who profess to preach the doctrine of the cross act in this way? Is not a worldly-minded preacher, in the most peculiar sense, an abomination in the eyes of the Lord? Are in kings' houses - A third excellency in John was, he did not affect high things. He was contented to live in the desert, and to announce the solemn and severe truths of his doctrine to the simple inhabitants of the country. Let it be well observed, that the preacher who conforms to the world in his clothing, is never in his element but when he is frequenting the houses and tables of the rich and great.

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 11:8 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.

ἀλλὰallaButG235

τίtiwhatG5101

ἐξήλθατεexēlthatedid you go outG1831

ἰδεῖν;ideinto see?G1492

ἄνθρωπονanthrōponA manG444

ἐνeninG1722

μαλακοῖςmalakoisdelicateG3120

ἠμφιεσμένον;ēmphiesmenondressed?G294

ἰδοὺidouBeholdG2400

οἱhoithoseG3588

τὰta<the>G3588

μαλακὰmalakadelicate [clothing]G3120

φοροῦντεςphorounteswearingG5409

ἐνeninG1722

τοῖςtoistheG3588

οἴκοιςoikoishousesG3624

τῶνtōn<the>G3588

βασιλέωνbasileōnof kingsG935

εἰσίν·eisinare;G1510

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

Cross references for Matthew 11:8

Matthew 3:4
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.
2 Kings 1:8
And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite.
2 Corinthians 11:27
In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
Zechariah 13:4
And it shall come to pass in that day, that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:
Isaiah 20:2
At the same time spake the Lord by Isaiah the son of Amoz, saying, Go and loose the sackcloth from off thy loins, and put off thy shoe from thy foot. And he did so, walking naked and barefoot.
1 Corinthians 4:11
Even unto this present hour we both hunger, and thirst, and are naked, and are buffeted, and have no certain dwellingplace;
Revelation 11:3
And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

A man.
3:4; 2Ki 1:8; Isa 20:2; Zec 13:4; 1Co 4:11; 2Co 11:27; Re 11:3

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

Context

Matthew 11:7
And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind?
Matthew 11:8
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses.
Matthew 11:9
But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet.

Read all of Matthew 11

Matthew 11:8 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Mas ¿qué salisteis á ver? ¿un hombre cubierto de delicados vestidos? He aquí, los que traen vestidos delicados, en las casas de los reyes están.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Mais qu’êtes-vous allés voir? Un homme vêtu de vêtements précieux? Voici, ceux qui portent des choses précieuses sont dans les maisons des rois.
German Elberfelder 1871	Aber was seid ihr hinausgegangen zu sehen? einen Menschen, mit weichen Kleidern angetan? Siehe, die die weichen Kleider tragen, sind in den Häusern der Könige.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Sed quid existis videre? hominem mollibus vestitum? Ecce qui mollibus vestiuntur, in domibus regum sunt.