Matthew 12:25
What does Matthew 12:25 mean?
A plain-English look at Matthew 12:25 in WEB alongside six other public-domain English translations, with cross-references and chapter context.
What Matthew 12:25 means
Jesus responds by reasoning that a kingdom divided against itself cannot stand. He exposes the Pharisees’ charge as illogical: if his power came from Satan, Satan’s kingdom would be self-destructing. The principle is simple and evident: destructive forces do not work to undermine themselves. Jesus thus defends his ministry’s coherence and points out that accusing God’s work as demonic contradicts the nature of demonic hostility.
Parallel translations
WEB
World English Bible · 2000And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
KJV
King James Version · 1611And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
ASV
American Standard Version · 1901And knowing their thoughts he said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand:
BBE
Bible in Basic English · 1949And having knowledge of their thoughts he said to them, Every kingdom having division in itself is made waste, and every town or house having division in itself will come to destruction.
YLT
Young's Literal Translation · 1862And Jesus, knowing their thoughts, said to them, `Every kingdom having been divided against itself is desolated, and no city or house having been divided against itself, doth stand,
DRA
Douay-Rheims (Challoner) · 1752And Jesus knowing their thoughts, said to them: Every kingdom divided against itself shall be made desolate: and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand.
DBY
Darby Bible · 1890But he, knowing their thoughts, said to them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not subsist.
Context
This begins Jesus’ reply to the Pharisees’ slander. It shifts the argument from accusations to a brief logical demonstration about internal division. The reasoning will expand to further arguments about who binds whom and what the presence of his power indicates concerning God’s kingdom.
Cross references
Related passages from across Scripture, drawn from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.
- Psalms 139:2
Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; Thou understandest my thought afar off.
- Amos 4:13
For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought; that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth—Jehovah, the God of hosts, is his name.
- John 21:17
He saith unto him the third time, Simon, son of John, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep.
- Mark 2:8
And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, saith unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
- Luke 11:17
But he, knowing their thoughts, said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and a house divided against a house falleth.
- John 2:24
But Jesus did not trust himself unto them, for that he knew all men,
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