Seeing a fig tree by the road, he came to it, and found nothing on it but leaves. He said to it, “Let there be no fruit from you forever!” Immediately the fig tree withered away.
World English Bible
Matthew 21:19
This verse is examined in more than one Scripture Analysis section. Each lens is shown on its own terms, in the section's own words; GEBible reaches no verdict of its own.
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WEB World English Bible Public Domain ✓ - Modern English
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- F35 Family 35 New Testament Wilbur Pickering's Byzantine-priority New Testament, with text-critical commentary notes · CC BY-SA 4.0
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Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (2)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
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When did Jesus curse the fig tree?
Mark 11:12-17 has Jesus curse the barren fig tree on the way *into* Jerusalem, *then* enter the temple and cleanse it. Matthew 21:12-19 reverses the sequence: Jesus first cleanses the temple, then leaves to Bethany, and only the next morning curses the fig tree.
Critical scholarship: Leans toward a genuine contradiction.
Chronology
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
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When did the cursed fig tree die?
Matthew 21:19-20 says the fig tree 'presently' withered after Jesus cursed it, and the disciples marveled at the speed: 'How soon is the fig tree withered away!' Mark 11:13-14, 20-21 has the disciples observe the cursed tree only the *next morning*, withered from the roots — and Peter has to remind Jesus what he said the day before.
Critical scholarship: Leans toward a genuine contradiction.
Chronology
More on this question
The proposed answers and sources for each reading are on the question page.
Each section sets the viewpoints side by side; you weigh the evidence. Here, "critical scholarship" means academic study, not a value judgment. How this is built →
Other verses examined for the same kind of question or claim
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Cite this page
This citation refers to this GEBible page — the verse and the analysis gathered here. To cite the underlying scholarship, cite those sources directly.
"Matthew 21:19 — Scripture Analysis" GEBible, https://gebible.app/analysis/verse/matthew/21/19?version=WEB (retrieved 27 August 2026).