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class="vheadingv"><b>Verse</b><a href="/bsb/matthew/12.htm" class="clickchap" style="color:#001320" title="Click any translation name for full chapter">  (Click for Chapter)</a></div><div id="par"><span class="versiontext"><a href="/niv/matthew/12.htm">New International Version</a></span><br />I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nlt/matthew/12.htm">New Living Translation</a></span><br />I tell you, there is one here who is even greater than the Temple!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/esv/matthew/12.htm">English Standard Version</a></span><br />I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/bsb/matthew/12.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a></span><br />But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/blb/matthew/12.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a></span><br />But I say to you that a greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/kjv/matthew/12.htm">King James Bible</a></span><br />But I say unto you, That in this place is <i>one</i> greater than the temple.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nkjv/matthew/12.htm">New King James Version</a></span><br />Yet I say to you that in this place there is <i>One</i> greater than the temple.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb_/matthew/12.htm">New American Standard Bible</a></span><br />But I say to you that <i>something</i> greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb/matthew/12.htm">NASB 1995</a></span><br />&#8220But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nasb77/matthew/12.htm">NASB 1977 </a></span><br />“But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsb/matthew/12.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a></span><br />But I say to you that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/amp/matthew/12.htm">Amplified Bible</a></span><br />But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/csb/matthew/12.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/hcsb/matthew/12.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a></span><br />But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here!<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/asv/matthew/12.htm">American Standard Version</a></span><br />But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cev/matthew/12.htm">Contemporary English Version</a></span><br />I tell you there is something here greater than the temple. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/erv/matthew/12.htm">English Revised Version</a></span><br />But I say unto you, that one greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gwt/matthew/12.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a></span><br />I can guarantee that something greater than the temple is here. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/gnt/matthew/12.htm">Good News Translation</a></span><br />I tell you that there is something here greater than the Temple. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/isv/matthew/12.htm">International Standard Version</a></span><br />But I tell you, something greater than the Temple is here! <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/msb/matthew/12.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a></span><br />But I tell you that One greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/net/matthew/12.htm">NET Bible</a></span><br />I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nheb/matthew/12.htm">New Heart English Bible</a></span><br />But I tell you that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wbt/matthew/12.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a></span><br />But I say to you, that in this place is one greater than the temple.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wey/matthew/12.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a></span><br />But I tell you that there is here that which is greater than the Temple.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/web/matthew/12.htm">World English Bible</a></span><br />But I tell you that one greater than the temple is here. <div class="vheading2"><b>Literal Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lsv/matthew/12.htm">Literal Standard Version</a></span><br />And I say to you that [One] greater than the temple is here;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/blb/matthew/12.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a></span><br />But I say to you that a greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/ylt/matthew/12.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a></span><br /> and I say to you, that a greater than the temple is here;<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/slt/matthew/12.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a></span><br />But I say to you, That he here is greater than the temple.<div class="vheading2"><b>Catholic Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/drb/matthew/12.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a></span><br />But I tell you that there is here a greater than the temple. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/cpdv/matthew/12.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a></span><br />But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nabre/matthew/12.htm">New American Bible</a></span><br />I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/nrsvce/matthew/12.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a></span><br />I tell you, something greater than the temple is here.<div class="vheading2"><b>Translations from Aramaic</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/lamsa/matthew/12.htm">Lamsa Bible</a></span><br />But I say to you, that there is one here, who is greater than the temple.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/aramaic-plain-english/matthew/12.htm">Aramaic Bible in Plain English</a></span><br />But I say to you, one greater than The Temple is here.<div class="vheading2"><b>NT Translations</b></div><span class="versiontext"><a href="/anderson/matthew/12.htm">Anderson New Testament</a></span><br />But I say to you, that something greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/godbey/matthew/12.htm">Godbey New Testament</a></span><br /><FR>But I say unto you, that there is One here greater than the temple.<Fr><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/haweis/matthew/12.htm">Haweis New Testament</a></span><br />Now I tell you, That one greater than the temple is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/mace/matthew/12.htm">Mace New Testament</a></span><br />now I tell you, that the work now in hand, is of greater consequence than that of the temple.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/wey/matthew/12.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a></span><br />But I tell you that there is here that which is greater than the Temple.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/worrell/matthew/12.htm">Worrell New Testament</a></span><br /><FR>But I say to you, a greater than the temple is here.<Fr><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/worsley/matthew/12.htm">Worsley New Testament</a></span><br /><FR>But I tell you, that a greater than the temple is here:<Fr><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/parallel/matthew/12-6.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></span></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv"><b>Audio Bible</b></div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hriiyJYqzvc?start=3047" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><div class="vheadingv"><b>Context</b></div><span class="hdg"><a href="/bsb/matthew/12.htm">The Lord of the Sabbath</a></span><br>…<span class="reftext">5</span>Or haven’t you read in the Law that on the Sabbath the priests in the temple break the Sabbath and yet are innocent? <span class="reftext">6</span><span class="highl"><a href="/greek/1161.htm" title="1161: de (Conj) -- A primary particle; but, and, etc.">But</a> <a href="/greek/3004.htm" title="3004: legō (V-PIA-1S) -- (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command. ">I tell</a> <a href="/greek/4771.htm" title="4771: hymin (PPro-D2P) -- You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.">you</a> <a href="/greek/3754.htm" title="3754: hoti (Conj) -- Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.">that</a> <a href="/greek/3173.htm" title="3173: meizon (Adj-NNS-C) -- Large, great, in the widest sense. ">something greater than</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tou (Art-GNS) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">the</a> <a href="/greek/2411.htm" title="2411: hierou (N-GNS) -- Neuter of hieros; a sacred place, i.e. The entire precincts of the Temple.">temple</a> <a href="/greek/1510.htm" title="1510: estin (V-PIA-3S) -- I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.">is</a> <a href="/greek/5602.htm" title="5602: hōde (Adv) -- From an adverb form of hode; in this same spot, i.e. Here or hither.">here.</a> </span> <span class="reftext">7</span>If only you had known the meaning of ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’ you would not have condemned the innocent.…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/2-19.htm">John 2:19-21</a></span><br />Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.” / “This temple took forty-six years to build,” the Jews replied, “and You are going to raise it up in three days?” / But Jesus was speaking about the temple of His body.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/colossians/2-9.htm">Colossians 2:9</a></span><br />For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity dwells in bodily form.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/hebrews/3-3.htm">Hebrews 3:3</a></span><br />For Jesus has been counted worthy of greater glory than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/1-14.htm">John 1:14</a></span><br />The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/4-21.htm">John 4:21-24</a></span><br />“Believe Me, woman,” Jesus replied, “a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. / You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. / But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. ...<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/12-41.htm">Matthew 12:41-42</a></span><br />The men of Nineveh will stand at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now One greater than Jonah is here. / The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/5-36.htm">John 5:36</a></span><br />But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/8-58.htm">John 8:58</a></span><br />“Truly, truly, I tell you,” Jesus declared, “before Abraham was born, I am!”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/matthew/9-6.htm">Matthew 9:6</a></span><br />But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins...” Then He said to the paralytic, “Get up, pick up your mat, and go home.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/john/10-30.htm">John 10:30</a></span><br />I and the Father are one.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/1_kings/8-27.htm">1 Kings 8:27</a></span><br />But will God indeed dwell upon the earth? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/isaiah/66-1.htm">Isaiah 66:1-2</a></span><br />This is what the LORD says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What kind of house will you build for Me? Or where will My place of repose be? / Has not My hand made all these things? And so they came into being,” declares the LORD. “This is the one I will esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, who trembles at My word.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/malachi/3-1.htm">Malachi 3:1</a></span><br />“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/haggai/2-9.htm">Haggai 2:9</a></span><br />The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former, says the LORD of Hosts. And in this place I will provide peace, declares the LORD of Hosts.”<span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="crossverse"><a href="/psalms/118-22.htm">Psalm 118:22-23</a></span><br />The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. / This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.</div><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div><p class="tsk2">But I say to you, That in this place is one greater than the temple.</p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/matthew/12-41.htm">Matthew 12:41,42</a></b></br> The men of Nineveh shall rise in judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: because they repented at the preaching of Jonas; and, behold, a greater than Jonas <i>is</i> here… </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/matthew/23-17.htm">Matthew 23:17-21</a></b></br> <i>Ye</i> fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? … </p><p class="tskverse"><b><a href="/2_chronicles/6-18.htm">2 Chronicles 6:18</a></b></br> But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house which I have built!</p><div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/matthew/11-11.htm">Greater</a> <a href="/matthew/5-23.htm">Something</a> <a href="/matthew/12-5.htm">Temple</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/matthew/12-41.htm">Greater</a> <a href="/matthew/12-10.htm">Something</a> <a href="/matthew/17-24.htm">Temple</a><div class="vheading2">Matthew 12</div><span class="reftext">1. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-1.htm">Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">3. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-3.htm">by scripture,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">9. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-9.htm">by reason,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">13. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-13.htm">and by a miracle.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">22. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-22.htm">He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute;</a></span><br><span class="reftext">24. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-24.htm">and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub, </a></span><br><span class="reftext">32. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-32.htm">he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">36. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-36.htm">Account shall be made of idle words.</a></span><br><span class="reftext">38. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-38.htm">He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign,</a></span><br><span class="reftext">46. </span><span class="outlinetext"><a href="/matthew/12-46.htm">and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother.</a></span><br></div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div><br /><br />  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div><br /><br />  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div><br /><br /> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> <br /><br /> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/12.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/matthew/12.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div><b>But I tell you</b><br>This phrase indicates Jesus' authoritative teaching style, often used to introduce a significant truth or correction to prevailing interpretations. It reflects His role as a teacher with divine authority, contrasting with the scribes and Pharisees who relied on tradition and human authority.<p><b>that One greater than the temple</b><br>The temple in Jerusalem was the center of Jewish worship and the dwelling place of God's presence. By claiming to be greater than the temple, Jesus asserts His divine nature and authority. This statement challenges the religious leaders' understanding of holiness and worship, emphasizing that Jesus Himself embodies the presence of God. The temple was a type of Christ, foreshadowing His role as the ultimate mediator between God and humanity. This claim also connects to prophecies such as <a href="/malachi/3.htm">Malachi 3:1</a>, where the Lord is prophesied to come to His temple.<p><b>is here</b><br>This phrase emphasizes the immediacy and presence of Jesus' ministry. It highlights the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah's arrival. The presence of Jesus signifies a new era in God's redemptive plan, where the focus shifts from the physical temple to the person of Christ. This statement also underscores the concept of "Emmanuel," meaning "God with us," as prophesied in <a href="/isaiah/7-14.htm">Isaiah 7:14</a> and fulfilled in <a href="/matthew/1-23.htm">Matthew 1:23</a>.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <b><a href="/topical/j/jesus_christ.htm">Jesus Christ</a></b><br>The central figure in this passage, Jesus is addressing the Pharisees and making a profound statement about His identity and authority.<br><br>2. <b><a href="/topical/p/pharisees.htm">Pharisees</a></b><br>A religious group known for their strict adherence to the Law of Moses. They often challenged Jesus' teachings and actions.<br><br>3. <b><a href="/topical/t/the_temple.htm">The Temple</a></b><br>The sacred place in Jerusalem where Jews worshiped God. It was central to Jewish religious life and symbolized God's presence among His people.<br><br>4. <b><a href="/topical/d/disciples.htm">Disciples</a></b><br>Followers of Jesus who were with Him during this event. Their actions of picking grain on the Sabbath prompted the Pharisees' challenge.<br><br>5. <b><a href="/topical/s/sabbath.htm">Sabbath</a></b><br>A day of rest and worship observed by Jews, based on the fourth commandment. The Pharisees accused Jesus' disciples of breaking the Sabbath law.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><b><a href="/topical/j/jesus'_supremacy.htm">Jesus' Supremacy</a></b><br>Jesus declares His superiority over the temple, emphasizing His divine authority and role as the ultimate mediator between God and humanity.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/u/understanding_true_worship.htm">Understanding True Worship</a></b><br>Worship is not confined to a place or ritual but is centered on a relationship with Jesus, who embodies God's presence.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/s/sabbath_and_mercy.htm">Sabbath and Mercy</a></b><br>Jesus teaches that the Sabbath is meant for mercy and human need, not legalistic restrictions. This calls us to prioritize compassion over ritual.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/r/recognizing_jesus'_authority.htm">Recognizing Jesus' Authority</a></b><br>Believers are called to recognize and submit to Jesus' authority in all aspects of life, acknowledging Him as Lord over all.<br><br><b><a href="/topical/l/living_in_the_new_covenant.htm">Living in the New Covenant</a></b><br>As followers of Christ, we live under the new covenant, where Jesus fulfills the law and the prophets, inviting us into a deeper relationship with God.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_matthew_12.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Matthew 12</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/are_all_sins_equally_severe.htm">Are all sins considered equal in severity?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/why_is_solomon's_temple_dedication_important.htm">What is the significance of Solomon's Temple dedication?</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/how_does_jesus_justify_breaking_sabbath.htm">(Luke 6:1–5) How can Jesus justify breaking Sabbath rules, allegedly set by God, by appealing to David’s actions? </a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/q/does_heb._6_19-20_conflict_with_ad_70.htm">Hebrews 6:19-20: If Jesus entered 'behind the curtain,' is this temple-based imagery in tension with the historical destruction of the Temple in AD 70?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/matthew/12.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(6) <span class= "bld">In this place is one greater than the temple.</span>--Better, <span class= "ital">Here is something greater than the Temple.</span> The Greek adjective is neuter in the better MSS., and the word "here" we may think of as accompanied (like the "destroy this temple" of <a href="/john/2-19.htm" title="Jesus answered and said to them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.">John 2:19</a>) by a gesture which interpreted the words. The passage thus referred to furnishes obviously the true explanation of our Lord's assertion of His greatness here, and spoken, as it probably was, to scribes from Jerusalem, may have been intended to remind them of it. The body of the Son of Man was the truest, highest temple of God, and the disciples who ministered to Him were entitled to at least the same privilege as the priests in the Temple at Jerusalem. The range of the words is, however, wider than this their first and highest application. We are taught to think of the bodies of other sons of men as being also, in their measure, temples of God (<a href="/1_corinthians/6-19.htm" title="What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?">1Corinthians 6:19</a>), and so there follows the conclusion that all works of love done for the bodies or the souls of men as little interfere with the holiness of a day of rest as did the ministrations of the priests as they laboured to weariness in the ritual of the Temple. Inasmuch as the disciples were not at the time engaged in any direct service to their Master, but were simply satisfying the cravings of their own hunger, their act, strictly speaking, came under the general rather than the special application of the words. Man, as such, to those who take a true measure of his worth, is greater than any material temple.<p><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/matthew/12.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div><span class="cmt_sub_title">Verse 6</span> - Matthew only. <span class="cmt_word">But I say unto you, That in this place is one</span> <span class="cmt_word">greater than the temple</span> (<span class="greek">τοῦ ἱεροῦ μειζόν ἐστιν ῶδε</span>); "Gr. <span class="accented">a greater thing"</span> (Revised Version margin). A similarly difficult neuter is found in vers. 41, 45. If the neuter be insisted upon, we must understand Christ to refer to his cause, the work in which the disciples were engaged. This was greater than the temple; lunch more, therefore, was it greater than the sabbath. Probably, however, our Lord is referring to himself, to his own Person and character, but uses the neuter, either as forming a more decided contrast to <span class="greek">ἱερόν</span>, or as being more weighty than the masculine (cf. ch. 11:9, note). Also it was less defined and more mysterious. He could not reveal to them the secret of his presence. Observe the use, even at this stage in his ministry, of words implying the decadence of the temple service (cf. <a href="/john/4-21.htm">John 4:21</a>; <a href="/acts/6-14.htm">Acts 6:14</a>). <span class="accented">In this place</span>; <span class="accented">here</span> (Revised Version), as in vers. 41, 42. <span class="p"><br /><br /></span><span class="versiontext"><a href="/commentaries/matthew/12-6.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a></span><span class="p"><br /><br /><br /></span><a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Greek</div><span class="word">But</span><br /><span class="grk">δὲ</span> <span class="translit">(de)</span><br /><span class="parse">Conjunction<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_1161.htm">Strong's 1161: </a> </span><span class="str2">A primary particle; but, and, etc.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">I tell</span><br /><span class="grk">λέγω</span> <span class="translit">(legō)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3004.htm">Strong's 3004: </a> </span><span class="str2">(a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command. </span><br /><br /><span class="word">you,</span><br /><span class="grk">ὑμῖν</span> <span class="translit">(hymin)</span><br /><span class="parse">Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_4771.htm">Strong's 4771: </a> </span><span class="str2">You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">something greater than</span><br /><span class="grk">μεῖζόν</span> <span class="translit">(meizon)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular - Comparative<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3173.htm">Strong's 3173: </a> </span><span class="str2">Large, great, in the widest sense. </span><br /><br /><span class="word">the</span><br /><span class="grk">τοῦ</span> <span class="translit">(tou)</span><br /><span class="parse">Article - Genitive Neuter Singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> </span><span class="str2">The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">temple</span><br /><span class="grk">ἱεροῦ</span> <span class="translit">(hierou)</span><br /><span class="parse">Noun - Genitive Neuter Singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_2411.htm">Strong's 2411: </a> </span><span class="str2">Neuter of hieros; a sacred place, i.e. The entire precincts of the Temple.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">is</span><br /><span class="grk">ἐστιν</span> <span class="translit">(estin)</span><br /><span class="parse">Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_1510.htm">Strong's 1510: </a> </span><span class="str2">I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.</span><br /><br /><span class="word">here.</span><br /><span class="grk">ὧδε</span> <span class="translit">(hōde)</span><br /><span class="parse">Adverb<br /></span><span class="str"><a href="/greek/strongs_5602.htm">Strong's 5602: </a> </span><span class="str2">From an adverb form of hode; in this same spot, i.e. Here or hither.</span><br /><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 NIV</a><br /><a href="/nlt/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 NLT</a><br /><a href="/esv/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 ESV</a><br /><a href="/nasb/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 NASB</a><br /><a href="/kjv/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 KJV</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="//bibleapps.com/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 BibleApps.com</a><br /><a href="//bibliaparalela.com/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 Biblia Paralela</a><br /><a href="//holybible.com.cn/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 Chinese Bible</a><br /><a href="//saintebible.com/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 French Bible</a><br /><a href="/catholic/matthew/12-6.htm">Matthew 12:6 Catholic Bible</a><span class="p"><br /><br /></span><a href="/matthew/12-6.htm">NT Gospels: Matthew 12:6 But I tell you that one greater (Matt. 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