Matthew 12:8
New International Version
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

New Living Translation
For the Son of Man is Lord, even over the Sabbath!”

English Standard Version
For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath.”

Berean Standard Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Berean Literal Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

King James Bible
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

New King James Version
For the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

New American Standard Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

NASB 1995
“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

NASB 1977
“For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Legacy Standard Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Amplified Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Christian Standard Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

American Standard Version
For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.

Contemporary English Version
So the Son of Man is Lord over the Sabbath.

English Revised Version
For the Son of man is lord of the sabbath.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"The Son of Man has authority over the day of worship."

Good News Translation
for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

International Standard Version
for the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Majority Standard Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

NET Bible
For the Son of Man is lord of the Sabbath."

New Heart English Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Webster's Bible Translation
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.

Weymouth New Testament
For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath."

World English Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
for the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Berean Literal Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath."

Young's Literal Translation
for the son of man is lord even of the sabbath.'

Smith's Literal Translation
For the Lord of the sabbath is also the Son of man.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath.

Catholic Public Domain Version
For the Son of man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

New American Bible
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”

New Revised Standard Version
For the Son of Man is lord of the sabbath.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For the Son of man is Lord of the sabbath.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For The Son of Man is Master of the Sabbath.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
For the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Godbey New Testament
For the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath.

Haweis New Testament
For the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Mace New Testament
for the sabbath is subservient to men.

Weymouth New Testament
For the Son of Man is the Lord of the Sabbath."

Worrell New Testament
for the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath."

Worsley New Testament
For the Son of man is lord even of the sabbath.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Lord of the Sabbath
7If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent. 8For the Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.” 9Moving on from there, Jesus entered their synagogue,…

Cross References
Mark 2:27-28
Then Jesus declared, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. / Therefore, the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.”

Luke 6:5
Then Jesus declared, “The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath.”

Colossians 2:16-17
Therefore let no one judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a feast, a New Moon, or a Sabbath. / These are a shadow of the things to come, but the body that casts it belongs to Christ.

Hebrews 4:9-10
There remains, then, a Sabbath rest for the people of God. / For whoever enters God’s rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from His.

John 5:17-18
But Jesus answered them, “To this very day My Father is at His work, and I too am working.” / Because of this, the Jews tried all the harder to kill Him. Not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but He was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.

Matthew 11:28-30
Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. / Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. / For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Romans 14:5-6
One person regards a certain day above the others, while someone else considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. / He who observes a special day does so to the Lord; he who eats does so to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God.

Galatians 4:9-10
But now that you know God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you are turning back to those weak and worthless principles? Do you wish to be enslaved by them all over again? / You are observing special days and months and seasons and years!

Isaiah 58:13-14
If you turn your foot from breaking the Sabbath, from doing as you please on My holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight, and the LORD’s holy day honorable, if you honor it by not going your own way or seeking your own pleasure or speaking idle words, / then you will delight yourself in the LORD, and I will make you ride on the heights of the land and feed you with the heritage of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the LORD has spoken.

Exodus 20:8-11
Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. / Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant or livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates. ...

Deuteronomy 5:12-15
Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you. / Six days you shall labor and do all your work, / but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God, on which you must not do any work—neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your ox or donkey or any of your livestock, nor the foreigner within your gates, so that your manservant and maidservant may rest as you do. ...

Genesis 2:2-3
And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work. / Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

Nehemiah 9:14
You revealed to them Your holy Sabbath and gave them commandments and statutes and laws through Your servant Moses.

Ezekiel 20:12
I also gave them My Sabbaths as a sign between us, so that they would know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them.

Leviticus 23:3
For six days work may be done, but the seventh day is a Sabbath of complete rest, a day of sacred assembly. You must not do any work; wherever you live, it is a Sabbath to the LORD.


Treasury of Scripture

For the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day.

Matthew 9:6
But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

Mark 2:28
Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.

Mark 9:4-7
And there appeared unto them Elias with Moses: and they were talking with Jesus…

Jump to Previous
Sabbath
Jump to Next
Sabbath
Matthew 12
1. Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath,
3. by scripture,
9. by reason,
13. and by a miracle.
22. He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute;
24. and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub,
32. he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.
36. Account shall be made of idle words.
38. He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign,
46. and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother.














For
The word "for" serves as a conjunction, linking the statement to the preceding context. In Matthew 12, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees' criticism of His disciples for plucking grain on the Sabbath. This conjunction indicates that what follows is a justification or explanation of His actions and authority. It is a pivotal word that connects Jesus' teaching to the broader narrative of His ministry and mission.

the Son of Man
This title, "the Son of Man," is one of Jesus' favorite self-designations, appearing frequently in the Gospels. It has roots in the Old Testament, particularly in Daniel 7:13-14, where "one like a son of man" is given authority and an everlasting kingdom. By using this title, Jesus emphasizes both His humanity and His divine authority. It is a messianic title that underscores His role as the representative of humanity and the fulfillment of God's redemptive plan.

is Lord
The term "Lord" (Greek: "Kyrios") signifies authority and ownership. In the context of the New Testament, it often denotes divinity, as it is used to translate the Hebrew name for God, Yahweh, in the Septuagint. By declaring Himself "Lord," Jesus asserts His divine authority over all creation, including the Sabbath. This claim challenges the Pharisees' understanding of the law and highlights Jesus' unique role in God's salvific work.

of the Sabbath
The Sabbath, instituted in Genesis 2:2-3 and codified in the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:8-11), was a day of rest and worship for the Jewish people. It was a sign of the covenant between God and Israel, a day set apart for holiness. By stating that He is "Lord of the Sabbath," Jesus asserts His authority to interpret and fulfill the law. He emphasizes that the Sabbath was made for man's benefit, not as a burden, and that He has the authority to define its true purpose. This declaration points to the deeper rest and restoration found in Christ, who fulfills the law and offers spiritual rest to all who come to Him.

(8) For the Son of man.--The words contain the ground for the authoritative judgment of the previous verse. They assert that this also came within the limits of His jurisdiction as the Messiah, just as the power to forgive sins had been claimed by Him under the same title. In both instances, however, the choice of the title is significant. What is done is done by Him as the representative of humanity, acting, as it were, in its name, and claiming for it as such what He thus seems at first to claim for Himself as a special and absolute prerogative.

Verse 8. - Parallel passages: Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5. For. With immediate refer-once to guiltless. The Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath day; is Lord of the sabbath (Revised Version); ere, being added in the Received Text from Mark and Luke. Christ clinches the argument, and at the same time explains his phrase in ver. 6. The temple is greater than the sabbath; I am greater than the temple; these my disciples are therefore guiltless; for, to put it briefly, I, whom they are following, am greater than the sabbath and rule over it. Observe, however, that Christ does not directly say "I," but the Son of man. The reason is seen in Mark, where a connecting link is given: "The sabbath was made for man. and not man for the sabbath: so that the Son of man is Lord even of the sabbath." Christ there implies that the sabbath is inferior to man, not only because it exists for his sake (cf. 1 Corinthians 11:9),but also because it falls under the lordship referred to in Genesis 1:28; and therefore that he himself is really superior to it as man, and much more as the ideal Man (Matthew 8:20, note). Our saying is very condensed, but includes the name thought, omitting even as unnecessary, after having definitely pronounced the innocence of his disciples. (For the thought of the saying, cf. 2 Macc. 5:19, "God did not choose the people for the place's sake, but the place for the people's sake," and the Midrash 'Mechilta,' on Exodus 31:13, especially the words, "The sabbath is given to you, not yon to the sabbath." So also Talm. Bab., 'Yoma,' 85 b.)

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
For
γάρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

the
(ho)
Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Son
Υἱὸς (Huios)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5207: A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.

of
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Man
ἀνθρώπου (anthrōpou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being.

is
ἐστιν (estin)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 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.

Lord
κύριος (kyrios)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2962: Lord, master, sir; the Lord. From kuros; supreme in authority, i.e. controller; by implication, Master.

of the
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

Sabbath.”
σαββάτου (sabbatou)
Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular
Strong's 4521: The Sabbath, a week.


Links
Matthew 12:8 NIV
Matthew 12:8 NLT
Matthew 12:8 ESV
Matthew 12:8 NASB
Matthew 12:8 KJV

Matthew 12:8 BibleApps.com
Matthew 12:8 Biblia Paralela
Matthew 12:8 Chinese Bible
Matthew 12:8 French Bible
Matthew 12:8 Catholic Bible

NT Gospels: Matthew 12:8 For the Son of Man is Lord (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 12:7
Top of Page
Top of Page