Bible Strands
Matthew 20:27
and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his listeners regarding status, directly following his instruction in Matthew 20:26 that greatness requires servanthood.
The words — πρῶτος (prōtos) = first, and ἂν (an) = maybe, which qualifies the conditional desire.
The thread — The inverted leadership model appears in Luke 22:26 and Matthew 18:4, while Mark 9:33 records the preceding conversation that leads to the teaching in Mark 9:35.
Why it lands — The text demands that anyone seeking primary rank among the group must adopt the role of slave, directly paralleling the Son of Man's mission to serve in Matthew 20:28.
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 whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
Cross-references
- Luke 22:26 But you shall not be like them. Instead, the greatest among you should be like the youngest, and the one who leads like the one who serves.
- Mark 9:33 Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was in the house, He asked them, “What were you discussing on the way?”
- Matthew 18:4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
- 2 Corinthians 4:5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
- Acts 20:34 You yourselves know that these hands of mine have ministered to my own needs and those of my companions.
- Romans 1:14 I am obligated both to Greeks and non-Greeks, both to the wise and the foolish.
- 1 Corinthians 9:19 Though I am free of obligation to anyone, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.
- 2 Corinthians 11:5 I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.”
- 2 Corinthians 11:23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am speaking as if I were out of my mind.) I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.
- 2 Corinthians 12:15 And for the sake of your souls, I will most gladly spend my money and myself. If I love you more, will you love me less?