Bible Strands
Matthew 12:47
Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — An unspecified bystander interrupts Jesus while He addresses the crowds to report that His mother and brothers are waiting outside to speak with Him. This report arrives during Jesus’ ongoing teaching ministry in Matthew 12.
The words — The Greek ἰδοὺ (idou) translates literally as “behold” or “look,” marking a sudden narrative shift. The phrase τις αὐτῷ εἶπεν (tis autō eipen) means “someone said to Him,” explicitly identifying the messenger as an unnamed third party.
The thread — The interruption of family during Jesus’ public ministry appears in Luke 8:19–20 and John 7:3–5, where relatives seek to intervene in His work. Jesus’ immediate follow-up in Matthew 12:49–50 reorients the concept of kinship around obedience to the Father.
Why it lands — The text establishes that physical lineage does not automatically command Jesus’ attention or override His teaching schedule. It requires the reader to evaluate whether personal relationships or divine instruction hold priority in their own decisions.
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
Then one said unto him, Behold, thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to speak with thee.