Matthew 3:17
Encyclopedia
Matthew 3:17 is the seventeenth, and final, verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
. Jesus
has just been baptized by John the Baptist
and in this verse God
announces that Jesus is his son.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
The World English Bible
translates the passage as:
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:17
This verse ends the baptism scene. The voice is generally presumed to be that of God the Father
. This is one of only two times in the Gospel of Matthew where God intervenes directly, the other being Matthew 17:5. This is in contrast to most of the Old Testament where God's direct actions occur regularly. Hill notes that the word beloved can be interpreted as meaning only. The entire message is often seen as a reference to Psalm 2:7. There is also a possible link to Isaiah 42:1, which also speaks of a beloved of whom God is pleased. Matthew uses this verse at 12:8, and it is translated in the same manner as it is here. There are also possible links to Genesis 22:2 and Exodus 4:22.
Jesus' divine status was earlier implied at Matthew 1:18
, but it does not become known to those around him until much later in the narrative. There is thus a debate over whether the voice in this verse was public pronouncement. In Luke the baptism occurs in front of a large crowd, but he and Mark both make the announcement seem private by having the message read "you are my son." Matthew's "this is my son" makes it seem as though all present were addressed. In Matthew no crowds are mentioned, and only Jesus and John are noted as being at the Jordan. The gospel is thus internally consistent, but is somewhat difficult to reconcile with the other two synoptics.
This verse, when combined with the one before it, is seen as one of the most Trinitarian
passages in the entire New Testament. Matthew 3:16
already has the Holy Ghost present in the form of a dove
. This verse has a clearly distinct entity, taken to be God the Father
, who makes explicit reference to Jesus as his son.
Gospel of Matthew
The Gospel According to Matthew is one of the four canonical gospels, one of the three synoptic gospels, and the first book of the New Testament. It tells of the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth...
in the New Testament
New Testament
The New Testament is the second major division of the Christian biblical canon, the first such division being the much longer Old Testament....
. Jesus
Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth , commonly referred to as Jesus Christ or simply as Jesus or Christ, is the central figure of Christianity...
has just been baptized by John the Baptist
John the Baptist
John the Baptist was an itinerant preacher and a major religious figure mentioned in the Canonical gospels. He is described in the Gospel of Luke as a relative of Jesus, who led a movement of baptism at the Jordan River...
and in this verse God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
announces that Jesus is his son.
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- And lo a voice from heaven,
- saying, This is my beloved
- Son, in whom I am well pleased.
The World English Bible
World English Bible
The World English Bible is a public domain translation of the Bible that is currently in draft form. Work on the World English Bible began in 1997 and was known as the American Standard Version 1997...
translates the passage as:
- Behold, a voice out of the
- heavens said, "This is my beloved
- Son, with whom I am well pleased."
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 3:17
This verse ends the baptism scene. The voice is generally presumed to be that of God the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
. This is one of only two times in the Gospel of Matthew where God intervenes directly, the other being Matthew 17:5. This is in contrast to most of the Old Testament where God's direct actions occur regularly. Hill notes that the word beloved can be interpreted as meaning only. The entire message is often seen as a reference to Psalm 2:7. There is also a possible link to Isaiah 42:1, which also speaks of a beloved of whom God is pleased. Matthew uses this verse at 12:8, and it is translated in the same manner as it is here. There are also possible links to Genesis 22:2 and Exodus 4:22.
Jesus' divine status was earlier implied at Matthew 1:18
Matthew 1:18
Matthew 1:18 is the eighteenth verse of Matthew 1 of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. This verse opens the description of the events surrounding the birth of Jesus.-Text:The original Koine Greek, according to Westcott and Hort, reads:...
, but it does not become known to those around him until much later in the narrative. There is thus a debate over whether the voice in this verse was public pronouncement. In Luke the baptism occurs in front of a large crowd, but he and Mark both make the announcement seem private by having the message read "you are my son." Matthew's "this is my son" makes it seem as though all present were addressed. In Matthew no crowds are mentioned, and only Jesus and John are noted as being at the Jordan. The gospel is thus internally consistent, but is somewhat difficult to reconcile with the other two synoptics.
This verse, when combined with the one before it, is seen as one of the most Trinitarian
Trinitarian
The word trinitarian is used in several senses:*Ideas or things pertaining to the Holy Trinity.*A person or group adhering to the doctrine of Trinitarianism, which holds God to subsist in the form of the Holy Trinity....
passages in the entire New Testament. Matthew 3:16
Matthew 3:16
Matthew 3:16 is the sixteenth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. Jesus has just been baptized by John the Baptist and in this verse the Holy Spirit comes to him like a dove....
already has the Holy Ghost present in the form of a dove
Dove
Pigeons and doves constitute the bird family Columbidae within the order Columbiformes, which include some 300 species of near passerines. In general terms "dove" and "pigeon" are used somewhat interchangeably...
. This verse has a clearly distinct entity, taken to be God the Father
God the Father
God the Father is a gendered title given to God in many monotheistic religions, particularly patriarchal, Abrahamic ones. In Judaism, God is called Father because he is the creator, life-giver, law-giver, and protector...
, who makes explicit reference to Jesus as his son.