Matthew 24:26
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
Matthew 24:26 in other translations
| BSB | So if they tell you, ‘There He is in the wilderness,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. |
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| WEB | “If therefore they tell you, ‘Behold, he is in the wilderness,’ don’t go out; or ‘Behold, he is in the inner rooms,’ don’t believe it. |
| ASV | If therefore they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the wilderness; go not forth: Behold, he is in the inner chambers; believe it not. |
| YLT | ‘If therefore they may say to you, Lo, in the wilderness he is, ye may not go forth; lo, in the inner chambers, ye may not believe; |
| DARBY | If therefore they say to you, Behold, he is in the desert, go not forth; behold, he is in the inner chambers, do not believe it. |
| BBE | If, then, they say to you, See, he is in the waste land; go not out: See, he is in the inner rooms; put no faith in it. |
| Webster | Wherefore, if they shall say to you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not. |
What does Matthew 24:26 mean?
Barnes' Notes
Verse 26. Behold, he is in the desert. The Jews had formed the expectation that the Messiah would appear suddenly, from some unexpected quarter. Hence many would be looking to the desert places, expecting that he would come from them. Accordingly, most of the impostors and pretended prophets led their people into the deserts.
Go not forth. Do not follow them. They will only deceive you.
In the secret chambers. Concealed in some house, or some retired part of the city. Many would, doubtless, pretend that the Messiah was concealed there; and, either for the purpose of encouraging or deceiving the people, would pretend that they had discovered him.
Go not forth. Do not follow them. They will only deceive you.
In the secret chambers. Concealed in some house, or some retired part of the city. Many would, doubtless, pretend that the Messiah was concealed there; and, either for the purpose of encouraging or deceiving the people, would pretend that they had discovered him.
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 26 If they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert - Is it not worthy of remark that our Lord not only foretold the appearance of these impostors, but also the manner and circumstances of their conduct? Some he mentions as appearing in the desert. Josephus says, Ant. b. xx. c. 7, and War, book ii. c. 13: That many impostors and cheats persuaded the people to follow them to the desert, promising to show them signs and wonders done by the providence of God, is well attested. An Egyptian false prophet, mentioned by Josephus, Ant. b. xx. c. 7, and in the Acts, Act 21:38, led out into the Desert four thousand men, who were murderers, but these were all taken or destroyed by Felix. Another promised salvation to the people, if they would follow him to the Desert, and he was destroyed by Festus, Ant. b. xx. c. 7. Also, one Jonathan, a weaver, persuaded a number to follow him to the Desert, but he was taken and burnt alive by Vespasian. See War, b. vii. c. 11. As some conducted their deluded followers to the Desert, so did others to the secret chambers. Josephus mentions a false prophet, War, b. vi. c. 5, who declared to the people in the city, that God commanded them to go up into the temple, and there they should receive the signs of deliverance. A multitude of men, women, and children, went up accordingly; but, instead of deliverance, the place was set on fire by the Romans, and 6,000 perished miserably in the flames, or in attempting to escape them.
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 24:4-28
The disciples had asked concerning the times, When these things should be? Christ gave them no answer to that; but they had also asked, What shall be the sign? This question he answers fully. The prophecy first respects events near at hand, the destruction of Jerusalem, the end of the Jewish church and state, the calling of the Gentiles, and the setting up of Christ's kingdom in the world; but it also looks to the…
Matthew 24:26 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.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Wherefore.Our Lord not only foretells the appearance of these impostors,
but also the manner and circumstance of their conduct.
Accordingly, Josephus says that many impostors persuaded the
people to follow them to the desert, promising them signs and
wonders done by the providence of God. (See also Ac 21:38).
One persuaded the people to go up into the temple, which being
set on fire by the Romans, 6,000 perished in the flames.
he is in the desert.
3:1; Isa 40:3; Lu 3:2,3; Ac 21:38
he is in the desert.
3:1; Isa 40:3; Lu 3:2,3; Ac 21:38
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Matthew 24:25
Behold, I have told you before.
- Matthew 24:26
Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
- Matthew 24:27
For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
Matthew 24:26 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Así que, si os dijeren: He aquí en el desierto está; no salgáis: He aquí en las cámaras; no creáis. |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Si donc on vous dit: Voici, il est au désert, ne sortez pas; voici, il est dans les chambres intérieures, ne le croyez pas. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Wenn sie nun zu euch sagen: Siehe, er ist in der Wüste! so gehet nicht hinaus; siehe, in den Gemächern! so glaubet nicht. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Si ergo dixerint vobis: Ecce in deserto est, nolite exire; Ecce in penetralibus, nolite credere. |