Bible Strands
Matthew 11:6
Blessed is the one who does not fall away on account of Me.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus is concluding his reply to John the Baptist, who had sent disciples to ask whether he was the coming one (11:2–3). The beatitude closes the list of signs in v. 5 and addresses the one who remains with him.
The words — σκανδαλισθῆ (skandalisthēa), aorist passive subjunctive of σκανδαλίζω, literally "be stumbled" or "be caught in a snare"; the BSB's "fall away" softens the image of a trap.
The thread — The σκάνδαλον motif runs from Isaiah 8:14, where the Lord is a "stone of stumbling and rock of offense," through Matthew 26:31, where Jesus predicts his own disciples will "fall away on account of Me."
Why it lands — The blessing is conditional and the condition is negative: the one who does not stumble over Jesus. It forces the reader to name the specific obstacle—Jesus himself—rather than a generic failure of faith.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 8:14 And He will be a sanctuary—but to both houses of Israel a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, to the dwellers of Jerusalem a trap and a snare.
- 1 Corinthians 2:14 The natural man does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God. For they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
- Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of Me. For it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
- John 6:66 From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him.
- Matthew 24:10 At that time many will fall away and will betray and hate one another,
- Luke 4:23 Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! Do here in Your hometown what we have heard that You did in Capernaum.’”
- Luke 11:27 As Jesus was saying these things, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said, “Blessed is the womb that bore You, and blessed are the breasts that nursed You!”
- John 6:60 On hearing it, many of His disciples said, “This is a difficult teaching. Who can accept it?”
- Romans 9:32 Why not? Because their pursuit was not by faith, but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,
- Matthew 13:55 “Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?