They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house.”
Parallel Translations
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They were offended by him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his own country, and in his own house.”
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And they were offended by him. The Iesus sayd to the a Prophet is not with out honoure save in hys awne countre and amonge his awne kynne.
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And they were offended with him. Then Iesus said to them, A Prophet is not without honour, saue in his owne countrey, and in his owne house.
Examined in Scripture Analysis
Contradictions (1)
Questions where the Bible appears to say two different things, with the passages on each side set together.
Cross-references (16)
Passages linked to Matthew 13:57 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- John 4:44 For Jesus himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
- Luke 4:24 He said, “Most certainly I tell you, no prophet is acceptable in his hometown.
- Matthew 11:6 Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”
- Isaiah 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of suffering and acquainted with disease. He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him.
- Isaiah 49:7 Yahweh, the Redeemer of Israel, and his Holy One, says to him whom man despises, to him whom the nation abhors, to a servant of rulers: “Kings shall see and rise up, princes, and they shall worship, because of Yahweh who is faithful, even the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you.”
- John 6:61 But Jesus knowing in himself that his disciples murmured at this, said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble?
- Isaiah 8:14 He will be a sanctuary, but for both houses of Israel, he will be a stumbling stone and a rock that makes them fall. For the people of Jerusalem, he will be a trap and a snare.
- Luke 2:34-35 and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary, his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which is spoken against. Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”
- Luke 7:23 Blessed is he who finds no occasion for stumbling in me.”
- John 6:42 They said, “Isn’t this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then does he say, ‘I have come down out of heaven?’ ”
- Acts 7:51-52 “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do. Which of the prophets didn’t your fathers persecute? They killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One, of whom you have now become betrayers and murderers.
- 1 Corinthians 1:23-28 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews, and foolishness to Greeks, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God; because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For you see your calling, brothers, that not many are wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, and not many noble; but God chose the foolish things of the world that he might put to shame those who are wise. God chose the weak things of the world that he might put to shame the things that are strong. God chose the lowly things of the world, and the things that are despised, and the things that don’t exist, that he might bring to nothing the things that exist,
- Mark 6:3 Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judah, and Simon? Aren’t his sisters here with us?” They were offended at him.
- Acts 3:22-23 For Moses indeed said to the fathers, ‘The Lord God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him in all things whatever he says to you. It will be that every soul that will not listen to that prophet will be utterly destroyed from among the people.’
- Acts 7:37-39 This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord our God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brothers, like me.’ This is he who was in the assembly in the wilderness with the angel that spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received living revelations to give to us, to whom our fathers wouldn’t be obedient, but rejected him, and turned back in their hearts to Egypt,
- Mark 6:14 King Herod heard this, for his name had become known, and he said, “John the Baptizer has risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.”
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (11 sources)
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John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus…
57 And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house.
Ver. 57. A prophet is not without honour, &c.] This was an ordinary saying of our Saviour’s, recorded by all four evangelists, and is therefore much to be marked. How common is it for familiarity to breed contempt! for men to scorn their own things, because at hand, though never so excellent and useful, to admire foreign things, though nothing comparable. Our corrupt nature heeds nothing we enjoy, as the eye seeth nothing that lies on it. Copy of the best things breeds satiety. God therefore usually teacheth us the worth of them by the want. Bona a tergo fere formosissima, Good things are most beautiful on the backside.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain They were offended at him - They looked on…
They were offended at him - They looked on him as a mean, ignoble man, not worthy to be regarded. John iv, 44; Luke vii, 23.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 57. And they were offended in him.] They…
Verse 57. And they were offended in him.] They took offence at him, εσκανδαλιζοντο εν αυτω, making the meanness of his family the reason why they would not receive him as a prophet, though they were astonished at his wisdom, and at his miracles, Mt 13:54. So their pride and their envy were the causes of their destruction.
A prophet is not without honour] This seems to have been a proverbial mode of speech, generally true, but not without some exceptions. The apparent meanness of our Lord was one pretence why they rejected him; and yet, God manifested in the flesh, humbling himself to the condition of a servant, and to the death of the cross, is the only foundation for the salvation of a lost world. Perhaps our Lord means, by prophet, in this place, himself alone, as if he had said, My ministry is more generally reputed, and my doctrine better received, in any other part of the land than in my own country, among my own relatives; because, knowing the obscurity of my birth, they can scarcely suppose that I have these things from heaven.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain And they were offended in him - That is,…
And they were offended in him - That is, they took offence at his humble birth, and at the indigent circumstances of his family. They were too proud to be taught by one who, in family connections, they took to be their equal or inferior. People always look with envy on those of their own rank who advance pretensions to uncommon wisdom or superior power.
A prophet is not without honour ... - This seems to be a proverbial expression. Jesus advances it as a general truth. There might be some exceptions to it, but He was not an exception. Everywhere else he had been more honored than at home. There they knew his family. They had seen his humble life. They had been his companions. They were envious of his wisdom, and were too proud to be taught by him. A case remarkably similar to this occurs in the history of the discovery of America. Columbus, a native of Genoa, had by patient study conceived the idea that there was a vast continent which might be reached by sailing to the west. Of this his countrymen had no belief. Learned people had long studied the science of geography, and they had never imagined that such a continent could exist; and they were indignant that He, an obscure man, should suppose that he “possessed wisdom superior to all the rest of mankind united.” It was accordingly a fact that he was obliged to seek for patrons of his undertaking out of his own country; that there he received his first honors; and to other kingdoms the discoveries of the obscure Genoese gave their chief wealth and highest splendor.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 57. Offended in him — They were stumbled at…
57. Offended in him — They were stumbled at this apparent superiority in one they would have to be no better than themselves. A stupid pride blinded their hearts.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (57) They were offended in him.—The word is used…
(57) They were offended in him.—The word is used in the same sense as in Mat_11:6. They could not reconcile the new wisdom and the claim which the teaching implied with the obscurity and commonness of the earlier life, and so they did not believe.
A prophet is not without honour . . . The words in St. Mark include “among his kindred.” The proverb seems to have been one often on our Lord’s lips, and obviously tells of a prolonged experience of indifference and unbelief in all their many forms. In Joh_4:44, it appears, in a context which presents some difficulty, as giving the reason why our Lord, on leaving Judæa, went into Galilee.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain And they were offended in him. (Mat_5:29, note) Their…
And they were offended in him. (Mat_5:29, note) Their knowledge of the earthly conditions of his youth proved a stumbling block to their faith. But Jesus said unto them. He accepts the fact, but reminds them that they were under a special temptation thus to reject him. Even in his reproof he will call them to rise above their position. A prophet is not without honour. There will ever be some to honour him. He who speaks forth the mind of God shall not totally fail in any place save one. An encouragement and a warning. Save in his own country (en th patridi). Better omit own, for autou is not genuine here (contrast Mark), and the insertion of idia before patridi , is not supported by enough authority. Mark adds, "and among his own kin." And in his own house. Possibly Jeremiah"s experience (Jer_11:21 Jer_12:6) gave rise to this proverb. (On Joh_4:44, cf. ver. 54, note)
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 57. And they were offended in him. Made to…
57. And they were offended in him. Made to stumble. Led into error. They could not see how one so humble, and of so humble a family, could be so great a teacher. Jesus said, A prophet, etc. A proverb that is quoted and applied.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Paul E. Kretzmann 1924 · Public Domain Christ’s behavior in this crisis:
Christ’s behavior in this crisis:
v. 57. And they were offended in Him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country and in his own house.
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v. 58. And He did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.
The offense which they took discredited only themselves; their pride and their envy caused their own destruction. Christ therefore merely calls to their mind the proverbial saying as to a prophet’s being without honor in his own home. Their unbelief grieved Him very deeply. He had made every effort in their behalf, but their rejection made further endeavors useless. The number of His miracles was greatly reduced, restricted to the few exceptional cases in which belief was evident. The unbelief and contempt of the people of Nazareth drove Jesus out of their midst; they did not recognize God’s visitation of grace.
Summary.Christ teaches the people, but especially His disciples, by means of the parables of the fourfold soil, of the wheat and the tares, of the grain of mustard seed, of the hidden treasure, of the pearl of great price, of the net with fish, and of the householder, and makes a visit to Nazareth, where He is rejected.
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 They were offended by him
They were offended by him
This can be stated in active form. AT: "The people of Jesus' hometown took offense at him" or "The people rejected Jesus" (See: Active or Passive)
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A prophet is not without honor
This can be stated in positive form. AT: "A prophet receives honor everywhere" or "People everywhere honor a prophet" (See: Double Negatives)
his own country
"his own region" or "his own hometown"
in his own family
"in his own home"
He did not do many miracles there
"Jesus did not do many miracles in his own hometown"
translationWords
Jesus
prophet
miracle
believe
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 13:57 They were deeply offended. Dwelling on Jesus’ all-too-common…
13:57 They were deeply offended. Dwelling on Jesus’ all-too-common heritage (John 6:42), they could not see his uncommon significance.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.