Matthew 11:3 KJV
And said unto him,
Art thou he that should come,
or do we look for another?
Study
Other translations
New International Version
to ask him, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?”
New Living Translation
“Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?”
English Standard Version
and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
Berean Study Bible
to ask Him, “Are You the One who was to come, or should we look for someone else?”
Berean Literal Bible
said to Him, “Are You the coming [One], or are we to look for another?”
New King James Version
and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or do we look for another?”
New American Standard Bible
and said to Him, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for someone else?”
NASB 1995 and NASB 1977
and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?”
Amplified Bible
and asked Him, “Are You the Expected One (the Messiah), or should we look for someone else [who will be the promised One]?”
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Doubts
Whether the doubts were John’s own, or whether it disturbed the minds of his disciples, he certainly took the wisest and most hopeful way in which to secure their removal.
If a man is an intelligent man he is sure to have doubts;
doubts come in the process of thinking; but everything depends on the way in which a man deals with his doubts.
▪︎ He may foster them;
▪︎ he may indulge them;
▪︎ or he may make earnest effort to secure their removal.
▪︎ He may keep them to himself, and grow proud of them;
▪︎ or he may take them to Jesus, and get them solved and dissipated
Art thou he that should come?
Some say to have ways to prove that not John, but his disciples were the ones who were doubting
Calvin and others keep it that there are no adequate grounds for assuming that the Baptist sent the disciples only to remove their doubts. They hold that the question comes from him; and the answer is sent to him.
I think that the question of who was doubting, is of no importance, and I don’t believe that this story was put in the Bible, so we could waste our time with discussions about who was doubting.
Fact is that at times, we ourselves may have doubts as well, so we are no better than he was, or they were. Also a fact is that this portion of the Bible gives us a great example of where to go with our doubts.
Art thou he that should come? This question means: “Are You the Messiah (Hebrew), or the Christ (Greek)?
The Jews expected a Saviour.
His coming had been long foretold (Genesis 49:10; Isaiah 9:1-6; 11:1-5; 35:4-6; 53:1-12; Daniel 9:24-27. See also John 6:14. Compare Deuteronomy 18:18-19.
In common language, therefore, he was familiarly described as “he that was to come.” Luke adds here Luke 7:21, that at the time when the messengers came to him, Jesus “cured many of their infirmities, and plagues, and of evil spirits.”
An answer was therefore ready to the inquiries of John.
Greek
Ask ☆ εἶπεν (eipen) ☆ Verb – Aorist Indicative Active – 3rd Person Singular ☆ Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.
Him ☆ αὐτῷ (autō) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular ☆ He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.
Are ☆ εἶ (ei) ☆ Verb – Present Indicative Active – 2nd Person Singular ☆ I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.
You ☆ Σὺ (Sy) ☆ Personal / Possessive Pronoun – Nominative 2nd Person Singular ☆ You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.
The ☆ ὁ (ho) ☆ Article – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.
Was to come ☆ ἐρχόμενος (erchomenos) ☆ Verb – Present Participle Middle or Passive – Nominative Masculine Singular ☆ To come, go.
Or ☆ ἢ (ē) ☆ Conjunction ☆ Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than.
Look for ☆ προσδοκῶμεν (prosdokōmen) ☆ Verb – Present Indicative Active – 1st Person Plural ☆ To expect, wait for, await, think, anticipate. From pros and dokeuo; to anticipate; by implication, to await.
Someone else ☆ ἕτερον (heteron) ☆ Adjective – Accusative Masculine Singular ☆ (a) of two: another, a second, (b) other, different, (c) one’s neighbor. Of uncertain affinity; other or different.
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