Bible Strands
Matthew 18:20
For where two or three gather together in My name, there am I with them.”
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses His disciples in Matthew 18, linking this statement to the preceding promise of answered prayer in Matthew 18:19 and the following inquiry about forgiveness in Matthew 18:21.
The words — οὗ (hou) translates literally as "where," and συνηγμένοι (sunēgmenoi) is a perfect passive participle meaning "having been gathered together."
The thread — The promise of Christ’s presence with His people recurs in Matthew 28:20 and Revelation 21:3, while the motif of gathering under His name appears in 1 Corinthians 5:4.
Why it lands — The text states that Christ’s presence accompanies a small group meeting under His authority, and it requires the reader to prioritize communal obedience over isolated religious activity.
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
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 5:4 When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus,
- Revelation 21:3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying: “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God.
- Matthew 28:20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
- Zechariah 2:5 For I will be a wall of fire around it, declares the LORD, and I will be the glory within it.’”
- John 20:26 Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.”
- John 20:19 It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them.
- Revelation 2:1 “To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him who holds the seven stars in His right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands.
- Exodus 20:24 You are to make for Me an altar of earth, and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and peace offerings, your sheep and goats and cattle. In every place where I cause My name to be remembered, I will come to you and bless you.
- Genesis 49:10 The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
- Revelation 1:11 saying, “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea.”