Matthew 21:4

This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:

Berean Standard Bible

Study note

Setting — Matthew places this narrator’s statement immediately after the disciples secure the donkey and colt, serving as a bridge between Jesus’ instructions in verse 3 and the prophetic declaration in verse 5. The phrase marks the precise moment the events of the entry begin to unfold.

The words — The Greek ἵνα πληρωθῇ (hina plērōthē) translates literally to “that it may be fulfilled,” denoting a deliberate realization of prior prophecy. Τοῦτο (Touto), meaning “this,” points directly to the immediate action of obtaining the animals.

The thread — Matthew explicitly links this fulfillment motif to Zechariah 9:9 and John 12:15, while repeating the identical structural formula in Matthew 1:22. The narrative consistently uses this phrasing to connect Jesus’ movements with recorded prophetic declarations.

Why it lands — The text requires the reader to recognize that the following events are executed specifically to match a prior prophetic statement. It demands verification that the immediate action aligns with the cited scripture before moving to any theological application.

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

ΤοῦτοToutoThis δὲdethen ὅλονholonall γέγονενgegonenhas come to pass ἵναinathat πληρωθῇplērōthēait may be fulfilled τὸtothat ῥηθὲνrhēthenhaving been spoken διὰdiathrough τοῦtouthe προφήτουprophētouprophet λέγοντος·legontossaying;

King James Version

All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying,

Cross-references

Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your King comes to you, righteous and victorious, humble and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
John 12:15 “Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion. See, your King is coming, seated on the colt of a donkey.”
Matthew 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Matthew 26:56 But this has all happened so that the writings of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted Him and fled.
John 19:36 Now these things happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled: “Not one of His bones will be broken.”