Matthew 7:14
Encyclopedia
Matthew 7:14 is the fourteenth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew
in the New Testament
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
. This verse continues a metaphor begun in the previous one about the ease of following the wrong path.
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 7:14
As with the word destruction in the previous verse, the word life seems to clearly have eschatological meaning. In other parts of Matthew the word life is used to stand for eternal salvation.
What is meant by restricted is somewhat in doubt. The term can be read to mean that the narrow route is overcrowded, but this contradicts the idea that only a few find it. Luz notes that it could imply that the route is a hard and difficult one to follow, as the sermon has implied the proper path is one of tribulation and suffering. Another view is that the proper way is so narrow that it is difficult to find, and requires effort and searching to find.
The metaphor in this verse implies that the path of sin is an easy one to follow, and that one will do so without conscious effort not to. Davies and Allison note that the notion of vice being a far easier path than virtue is a common one to most religions. The verse seems clear that it is only a minority that will find and follow God's path. While pessimistic, this is in keeping with Jewish thought, which traditionally saw the pious as a beleaguered minority in a world of sinners. In other parts of the Gospel, such as Matthew 8:11 and Mathew 20:28, Jesus does state that many are saved, so it can not be too small a number that find the narrow gate.
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....
and is part of the Sermon on the Mount
Sermon on the Mount
The Sermon on the Mount is a collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus, which emphasizes his moral teaching found in the Gospel of Matthew...
. This verse continues a metaphor begun in the previous one about the ease of following the wrong path.
In the King James Version of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
the text reads:
- Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which
- leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
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:
- How narrow is the gate, and restricted is the way
- that leads to life! Few are those who find it.
For a collection of other versions see BibRef Matthew 7:14
As with the word destruction in the previous verse, the word life seems to clearly have eschatological meaning. In other parts of Matthew the word life is used to stand for eternal salvation.
What is meant by restricted is somewhat in doubt. The term can be read to mean that the narrow route is overcrowded, but this contradicts the idea that only a few find it. Luz notes that it could imply that the route is a hard and difficult one to follow, as the sermon has implied the proper path is one of tribulation and suffering. Another view is that the proper way is so narrow that it is difficult to find, and requires effort and searching to find.
The metaphor in this verse implies that the path of sin is an easy one to follow, and that one will do so without conscious effort not to. Davies and Allison note that the notion of vice being a far easier path than virtue is a common one to most religions. The verse seems clear that it is only a minority that will find and follow God's path. While pessimistic, this is in keeping with Jewish thought, which traditionally saw the pious as a beleaguered minority in a world of sinners. In other parts of the Gospel, such as Matthew 8:11 and Mathew 20:28, Jesus does state that many are saved, so it can not be too small a number that find the narrow gate.