Matthew 8:22
New International Version
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

New Living Translation
But Jesus told him, “Follow me now. Let the spiritually dead bury their own dead.”

English Standard Version
And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Berean Standard Bible
But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Berean Literal Bible
But Jesus said to him, "Follow Me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

King James Bible
But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

New King James Version
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

New American Standard Bible
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

NASB 1995
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

NASB 1977
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me; and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

Legacy Standard Bible
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and allow the dead to bury their own dead.”

Amplified Bible
But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me [believing in Me as Master and Teacher], and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead.”

Christian Standard Bible
But Jesus told him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

American Standard Version
But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But Yeshua said to him, “Come after me and let the dead bury their dead.”

Contemporary English Version
Jesus answered, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead."

Douay-Rheims Bible
But Jesus said to him: Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.

English Revised Version
But Jesus saith unto him, Follow me; and leave the dead to bury their own dead.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Good News Translation
"Follow me," Jesus answered, "and let the dead bury their own dead."

International Standard Version
But Jesus told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Literal Standard Version
and Jesus said to him, “Follow Me, and permit the dead to bury their own dead.”

Majority Standard Bible
But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

New American Bible
But Jesus answered him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their dead.”

NET Bible
But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

New Revised Standard Version
But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead.”

New Heart English Bible
But Jesus said to him, "Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

Webster's Bible Translation
But Jesus said to him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

Weymouth New Testament
"Follow me," said Jesus, "and leave the dead to bury their own dead."

World English Bible
But Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.”

Young's Literal Translation
and Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and suffer the dead to bury their own dead.'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Cost of Discipleship
21Another of His disciples requested, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” 22But Jesus told him, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead.” 23When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him.…

Cross References
1 Kings 19:20
So Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, "Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and then I will follow you." "Go on back," Elijah replied, "for what have I done to you?"

Matthew 8:21
Another of His disciples requested, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

Matthew 9:9
As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Matthew got up and followed Him.

Mark 2:14
As He was walking along, He saw Levi son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth. "Follow Me," He told him, and Levi got up and followed Him.

Luke 9:59
Then He said to another man, "Follow Me." The man replied, "Lord, first let me go and bury my father."

Luke 9:60
But Jesus told him, "Let the dead bury their own dead. You, however, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."

Luke 15:24
For this son of mine was dead and is alive again! He was lost and is found!' So they began to celebrate.


Treasury of Scripture

But Jesus said to him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead.

follow.

Matthew 4:18-22
And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers…

Matthew 9:9
And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named Matthew, sitting at the receipt of custom: and he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and followed him.

John 1:43
The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me.

and.

Luke 15:32
It was meet that we should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found.

Ephesians 2:1,5
And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; …

Ephesians 5:14
Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Jump to Previous
Allow Bury Care Dead Follow Jesus Leave Suffer
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Allow Bury Care Dead Follow Jesus Leave Suffer
Matthew 8
1. Jesus cleanses the leper;
5. heals the centurion's servant,
14. Peter's mother in law,
16. and many others;
18. shows the cost of following him;
23. stills the storm on the sea;
28. drives the demons out of two men possessed;
31. and tells them to go into the pigs.














(22) Let the dead bury their dead.--The point of the half-epigrammatic, half-proverbial saying, lies in the contrast between the two meanings of the word "dead." "Let those who have no spiritual life linger in the circle of outward routine duties, and sacrifice the highest spiritual possibilities of their nature to their fulfilment. Those who are really living will do the work to which their Master calls them, and leave the lower conventional duties to be done or left undone as the events of their life shall order." Something there was, we may be sure, in the inward state of the disciple which called for the sternness of the rebuke. He had been called to a living work: he was resting in a dead one.

Verse 22. - But Jesus said unto him, Follow me, and let; Revised Version, leave. Yet the thought of leaving seems here merged in that of permitting (cf. Matthew 23:14; Mark 5:37; Mark 10:14). The dead (Revised Version, to) bury their (Revised Version, own) dead (τοὺς ἑαυτῶν νεκρούς). The paradox was self-interpreting. Let the spiritually dead have to do with death; dead men belong in a special sense to them. Observe that there was no danger of his father remaining unburied. Christ means that there are times when his service admits of no postponement, however sacred the conflicting duty. His followers must on such occasions be very Nazarites (Numbers 6:7) or high priests (Leviticus 21:11). St. Luke adds, "But go thou, and publish abroad the kingdom of God," and adds a third similar case.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
But
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

Jesus
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsous)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2424: Of Hebrew origin; Jesus, the name of our Lord and two other Israelites.

told
λέγει (legei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

him,
αὐτῷ (autō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

“Follow
Ἀκολούθει (Akolouthei)
Verb - Present Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 190: To accompany, attend, follow. Properly, to be in the same way with, i.e. To accompany.

Me,
μοι (moi)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

let
ἄφες (aphes)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 863: From apo and hiemi; to send forth, in various applications.

the
τοὺς (tous)
Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

dead
νεκροὺς (nekrous)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3498: (a) adj: dead, lifeless, subject to death, mortal, (b) noun: a dead body, a corpse. From an apparently primary nekus; dead.

bury
θάψαι (thapsai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 2290: To bury. A primary verb; to celebrate funeral rites, i.e. Inter.

their own
ἑαυτῶν (heautōn)
Reflexive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1438: Himself, herself, itself.

dead.”
νεκρούς (nekrous)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3498: (a) adj: dead, lifeless, subject to death, mortal, (b) noun: a dead body, a corpse. From an apparently primary nekus; dead.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 8:22 But Jesus said to him Follow me (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 8:21
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