Matthew 12 · Verse 25

Matthew 12:25

And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
Matthew 12:25, King James Version

Matthew 12:25 in other translations

BSBKnowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand.
WEBKnowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.
ASVAnd knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
YLTAnd Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, ‘Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and no city or house having been divided against itself, doth stand,
DARBYBut he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not subsist.
BBEAnd having knowledge of their thoughts he said to them, Every kingdom having division in itself is made waste, and every town or house having division in itself will come to destruction.
WebsterAnd Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself, is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself, shall not stand.

What does Matthew 12:25 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
25. And Jesus knew their thoughts--"called them" (Mr 3:23). and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand--"house," that is, "household"

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 25. 25. And Jesus knew their thoughts, etc. To know the thoughts of the heart belongs only to God, Ps 139:2, Jer 17:10.

Every kingdom, etc. Their subtle and cunning device was completely foiled, and Jesus made their argument recoil on their own heads. A kingdom, or a family, can prosper only by living in harmony. The different parts and members must unite in promoting the same objects. If divided--if one part undoes what the other does--it must fall. So with the kingdom of Satan. It is your doctrine that Satan has possessed these whom I have cured. It is, also, your doctrine that he has helped me to cure them. If so, then he has helped me to undo what he had done. He has aided me to cast himself out--that is, to oppose and discomfit himself. At this rate, how can there be any stability in his kingdom? It must fall; and Satan must have less than human prudence.

(x) "thoughts" Ps 139:2, Jn 2:24,25

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 25 Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation - Our Lord's argument was thus: - "The welfare of any kingdom, city, or family, depends on its concord and unanimity; Satan, like every other potentate, must wish to rule his empire in peace and security; how then can he be in league with me, who oppose his authority, and am destroying his kingdom?" The reasoning of the Pharisees, Mat 12:24, was not expressed, and Jesus, knowing their thoughts, gave them ample proof or his omniscience. This, with our Lord's masterly confutation of their reasonings, by a conclusion drawn from their own premises, one would have supposed might have humbled and convinced these men; but the most conclusive reasoning, and the most astonishing miracles, were lost upon a people who were obstinately determined to disbelieve every thing good, relative to Christ. How true the saying - He came unto his own, and his own received him not!

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 12:22-30

A soul under Satan's power, and led captive by him, is blind in the things of God, and dumb at the throne of grace; sees nothing, and says nothing to the purpose. Satan blinds the eyes by unbelief, and seals up the lips from prayer. The more people magnified Christ, the more desirous the Pharisees were to vilify him. It was evident that if Satan aided Jesus in casting out devils, the kingdom of hell was divided…

Read the full comment on Matthew 12:22-30 →

Matthew 12:25 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.

ΕἰδὼςEidōsknowing
δὲdenowG1161
τὰςtastheG3588
ἐνθυμήσειςenthumēseisthoughtsG1761
αὐτῶνautōnof themG846
εἶπενeipenHe saidG2036
αὐτοῖς·autoisto them;G846
πᾶσαpasaEveryG3956
βασιλείαbasileiakingdomG932
μερισθεῖσαmeristheisahaving been dividedG3307
καθ᾽kath᾽againstG2596
ἑαυτῆςhe'autēsitselfG1438
ἐρημοῦται,erēmoutaiis brought to desolation,G2049
καὶkaiandG2532
πᾶσαpasaeveryG3956
πόλιςpoliscityG4172
ἢēorG2228
οἰκίαoikiahouseG3614
μερισθεῖσαmeristheisahaving been dividedG3307
καθ᾽kath᾽againstG2596
ἑαυτῆςhe'autēsitselfG1438
οὐounotG3756
σταθήσεται.stathēsetaiwill stand.G2476

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

Cross references for Matthew 12:25

  • Galatians 5:15

    But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

  • Jeremiah 17:10

    I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.

  • Matthew 9:4

    And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?

  • Mark 3:23-27

    And he called them unto him, and said unto them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan? And if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan rise up against himself, and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end. …

  • 1 Corinthians 2:11

    For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

  • Luke 11:17-22

    But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth. If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges. But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. …

  • Isaiah 9:21

    Manasseh, Ephraim; and Ephraim, Manasseh: and they together shall be against Judah. For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand is stretched out still.

  • Psalms 139:2

    Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.

  • Mark 2:8

    And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

  • Hebrews 4:13

    Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

  • Revelation 16:19

    And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell: and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.

  • Isaiah 19:2-3

    And I will set the Egyptians against the Egyptians: and they shall fight every one against his brother, and every one against his neighbour; city against city, and kingdom against kingdom. And the spirit of Egypt shall fail in the midst thereof; and I will destroy the counsel thereof: and they shall seek to the idols, and to the charmers, and to them that have familiar spirits, and to the wizards.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Jesus.
9:4; Ps 139:2; Jer 17:10; Am 4:13; Mr 2:8; Joh 2:24,25; 21:17
1Co 2:11; Heb 4:13; Re 2:23
Every kingdom.
Isa 9:21; 19:2,3; Mr 3:23-26; Lu 11:17,18; Ga 5:15; Re 16:19
Re 17:16,17

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

Context

  • Matthew 12:24

    But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

  • Matthew 12:25

    And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:

  • Matthew 12:26

    And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?

Read all of Matthew 12

Matthew 12:25 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y Jesús, como sabía los pensamientos de ellos, les dijo: Todo reino dividido contra sí mismo, es desolado; y toda ciudad ó casa dividida contra sí misma, no permanecerá.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et Jésus, connaissant leurs pensées, leur dit: Tout royaume divisé contre lui-même sera réduit en désert; et toute ville ou maison divisée contre elle-même ne subsistera pas.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Da er aber ihre Gedanken wußte, sprach er zu ihnen: Jedes Reich, das wider sich selbst entzweit ist, wird verwüstet; und jede Stadt oder jedes Haus, das wider sich selbst entzweit ist, wird nicht bestehen.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Jesus autem sciens cogitationes eorum, dixit eis: Omne regnum divisum contra se desolabitur: et omnis civitas vel domus divisa contra se, non stabit.