Matthew 13:11 KJV
He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto you
to know the mysteries
of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it is not given.
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Other translations
New International Version
He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
New Living Translation
He replied, “You are permitted to understand the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but others are not.
English Standard Version
And he answered them, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
Berean Study Bible
He replied, “The knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.
Berean Literal Bible
And answering He said to them, “Because it has been granted to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of the heavens, but to them it has not been granted.
New King James Version
He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.
New American Standard Bible
And Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
NASB 1995
Jesus answered them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
NASB 1977
And He answered and said to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
Amplified Bible
Jesus replied to them, “To you it has been granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been granted.
Word by word
It is given
Better, it has been given, as by the special act of God.
To the disciples it was given to know these truths.
This was important for them, as they were to carry the gospel around the globe.
To know the mysteries
The Greek word, like “parable,” has passed into modern languages, and has suffered some change of meaning in the process.
Strictly speaking, it does not mean, as we sometimes use it, something “awfully obscure” (the definition given in Johnson’s Dictionary), but one which, kept a secret from others, has been revealed to the initiated.
Interpreted by our Lord’s teaching up to this time, the mysteries of the kingdom may be referred to
▪︎ the new birth of water and the Spirit (John 3:5),
▪︎ the judgment to be exercised hereafter by the Son of Man (John 5:25),
▪︎ the power of the Son of Man to forgive sins (John 9:6),
▪︎ the new ideas (no other word will express the fact so well) which He had proclaimed as to the Sabbath (John 12:8), and fasting, and prayer, and alms (John 6:1-18).
Those ideas had been proved occasions of offence, and therefore, for the present, the Teacher falls back upon a method of more exoteric instruction.
The mysteries of the kingdom
As said the word “mystery,” in the Bible, properly means a thing that is “concealed,” or that “has been concealed.” It does not mean that the thing was “incomprehensible,” or even difficult to be understood.
The thing might be “plain” enough if revealed, but it means simply that it “had” not been before made known.
Thus the “mysteries of the kingdom” do not mean any doctrines incomprehensible in themselves considered, but simply doctrines about the preaching of the gospel and the establishment of the new kingdom of the Messiah, which “had not” been understood, and which were as yet concealed from the great body of the Jews (See Romans 16:25; 11:25; Ephesians 3:3-4,9).
The word “mysteries” in Scripture is not used in its classical sense — of religious secrets, nor yet of things incomprehensible, or in their own nature difficult to be understood — but in the sense of things of purely divine revelation, and, usually, things darkly announced under the ancient economy, and during all that period darkly understood, but fully published under the Gospel (1 Corinthians 2:6-10; Ephesians 3:3-9).
Of this nature was the truth that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles; that the Jewish polity was to cease; that the Messiah was to die, etc.
“The mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,” mean those glorious Gospel truths which at that time only the more advanced disciples could appreciate, and they but partially.
But to them it is not given
But to them, to the wise and prudent, to the Scribes and Pharisees, to the multitude, to the bulk and generality of the people, to the rest that were blinded, it is not given.
To the others it was not given.
They were too gross, too earthly; they had too, grovelling conceptions of the Messiah’s kingdom to understand these truths, even if communicated to them.
They were not to preach the gospel, and hence our Saviour was at particular pains to instruct his apostles in the system which they were to preach.
The Pharisees, and Jews generally, were not prepared to receive the system, and would not have believed it, and therefore he purposely employed a kind of teaching which was intended for his apostles only.
Mark calls them “them that are without”; who are not in the number of God’s elect; nor within the covenant of grace, nor among the disciples of Christ; referring to a common way of speaking among the Jews, who used to call the Gentiles, all without their land, “they that are without”; and indeed all within themselves that despised the rules and judgment of the wise men: but Christ here calls the wise men themselves such.
Now our Lord, who was privy to the secret and sovereign dispensation of God, who, of his own will and pleasure, had determined to give a spiritual and saving knowledge of divine things to some, and deny it to others, made this the rule of his conduct in his ministry; that is to say, he preached in parables to some without an explication, whilst he spoke plainly to others; and, if in parables, yet gave them an interpretation, and an understanding of them.
Parable
Parables serve the double purpose of revealing and concealing;
▪︎ Presenting “the mysteries of the kingdom” to those who are allowed to know and can and will relish them, though in a small a degree, and in a new light.
▪︎ But to those who are insensible to spiritual things it is giving only, as so many tales, some temporary entertainment.
Greek
He replied ☆ ἀποκριθεὶς (apokritheis) ☆ Verb – Aorist Participle Passive – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ From apo and krino; to conclude for oneself, i.e. to respond; by Hebraism to begin to speak.
εἶπεν (eipen) ☆ Verb – Aorist Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.
‹αὐτοῖς› (autois) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural ☆ He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.
The knowledge ☆ γνῶναι (gnōnai) ☆ Verb – Aorist Infinitive Active ☆ A prolonged form of a primary verb; to ‘know’ in a great variety of applications and with many implications.
Of the ☆ τὰ (ta) ☆ Article – Accusative Neuter Plural ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Mysteries ☆ μυστήρια (mystēria) ☆ Noun – Accusative Neuter Plural ☆ From a derivative of muo; a secret or ‘mystery’.
Of the ☆ τῆς (tēs) ☆ Article – Genitive Feminine Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Kingdom ☆ βασιλείας (basileias) ☆ Noun – Genitive Feminine Singular ☆ From basileus; properly, royalty, i.e. rule, or a realm.
Of ☆ τῶν (tōn) ☆ Article – Genitive Masculine Plural ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Heaven ☆ οὐρανῶν (ouranōn) ☆ Noun – Genitive Masculine Plural ☆ Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.
Has been given ☆ δέδοται (dedotai) ☆ Verb – Perfect Indicative Middle or Passive – 3rd Person Singular ☆ To offer, give; I put, place. A prolonged form of a primary verb; to give.
to you ☆ Ὑμῖν (Hymin) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Dative 2nd Person Plural ☆ You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.
But ☆ δὲ (de) ☆ Conjunction ☆ A primary particle; but, and, etc.
Not ☆ οὐ (ou) ☆ Adverb ☆ No, not. Also ouk, and ouch a primary word; the absolute negative adverb; no or not.
To them ☆ ἐκείνοις (ekeinois) ☆ Demonstrative Pronoun – Dative Masculine Plural ☆ That, that one there, yonder. From ekei; that one (neuter) thing); often intensified by the article prefixed.
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