Matthew 20:26
New International Version
Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

New Living Translation
But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant,

English Standard Version
It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant,

Berean Standard Bible
It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Berean Literal Bible
Thus will it not be among you. But whoever wishes to become great among you, he will be your servant;

King James Bible
But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

New King James Version
Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant.

New American Standard Bible
It is not this way among you, but whoever wants to become prominent among you shall be your servant,

NASB 1995
“It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

NASB 1977
“It is not so among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

Legacy Standard Bible
It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

Amplified Bible
It is not this way among you, but whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant,

Christian Standard Bible
It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Holman Christian Standard Bible
It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

American Standard Version
Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister;

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
“It will not be so among you, but whoever wants to be great among you, let him be one who waits on you.”

Contemporary English Version
But don't act like them. If you want to be great, you must be the servant of all the others.

Douay-Rheims Bible
It shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be the greater among you, let him be your minister:

English Revised Version
Not so shall it be among you: but whosoever would become great among you shall be your minister;

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But that's not the way it's going to be among you. Whoever wants to become great among you will be your servant.

Good News Translation
This, however, is not the way it shall be among you. If one of you wants to be great, you must be the servant of the rest;

International Standard Version
That's not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

Literal Standard Version
but not so will it be among you, but whoever may will among you to become great, let him be your servant;

Majority Standard Bible
But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

New American Bible
But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you shall be your servant;

NET Bible
It must not be this way among you! Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant,

New Revised Standard Version
It will not be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant,

New Heart English Bible
It will not be so among you, but whoever desires to become great among you must be your servant.

Webster's Bible Translation
But it shall not be so among you: but whoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

Weymouth New Testament
Not so shall it be among you; but whoever desires to be great among you shall be your servant,

World English Bible
It shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant.

Young's Literal Translation
but not so shall it be among you, but whoever may will among you to become great, let him be your ministrant;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Mother's Request
25But Jesus called them aside and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their superiors exercise authority over them. 26 It shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 27and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—…

Cross References
Matthew 20:27
and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave--

Matthew 23:11
The greatest among you shall be your servant.

Mark 9:35
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, "If anyone wants to be first, he must be the last of all and the servant of all."

Mark 10:43
But it shall not be this way among you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant,

Luke 22:26
But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves.


Treasury of Scripture

But it shall not be so among you: but whoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;

it.

Matthew 23:8-12
But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren…

Mark 9:35
And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all.

Mark 10:43,45
But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: …

minister.

Matthew 25:44
Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

Matthew 27:55
And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:

Ezekiel 24:13
In thy filthiness is lewdness: because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.

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Matthew 20
1. Jesus, by the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, shows that God is debtor unto no man;
17. foretells his passion;
20. by answering the mother of Zebedee's children, teaches his disciples to be humble;
29. and gives two blind men their sight.














(26) Whosoever will be great.--Better, whosoever wisheth to be great. The man who was conscious, as the disciples were, of the promptings of ambition was at once to satisfy and purify them by finding his greatness in active service; not because that service leads to greatness of the type which natural ambition seeks for, but because it is in itself the truest and highest greatness.

Verse 26. - It shall not be so among you. There is good authority for reading "is" instead of "shall be." The new order of things was already prepared. In Messiah's kingdom a contrary rule holds good. There the governors rule solely for the good of the flock, with no self-seeking, and serving no private interests. Whosoever will be (ο{ς ἐὰν θέλη... γενέσθαι: whosoever would fain become) great among you... minister (διάκονος). Taking for granted that there will be ranks and gradations of office in the Church, Christ lays down the rule that men become governors therein in order that they may serve their brethren, be the ministers of those who are subject to them. So the pope, in his official documents, with a verbally proper humility, terms himself, "Servus servorum Dei."

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
It shall not be
ἔσται (estai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

this way
οὕτως (houtōs)
Adverb
Strong's 3779: Thus, so, in this manner. Or (referring to what precedes or follows).

among
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

you.
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

Instead,
ἀλλ’ (all’)
Conjunction
Strong's 235: But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.

whoever
ὃς (hos)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3739: Who, which, what, that.

wants
θέλῃ (thelē)
Verb - Present Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design.

to become
γενέσθαι (genesthai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Middle
Strong's 1096: A prolongation and middle voice form of a primary verb; to cause to be, i.e. to become, used with great latitude.

great
μέγας (megas)
Adjective - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3173: Large, great, in the widest sense.

among
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

you
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

must be
ἔσται (estai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

your
ὑμῶν (hymōn)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

servant,
διάκονος (diakonos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1249: Probably from an obsolete diako; an attendant, i.e. a waiter; specially, a Christian teacher and pastor.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 20:26 It shall not be so among you (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 20:25
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