Matthew 21:3 · World English Bible

If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
Matthew 21:3 in the World English Bible reads: “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.””. Read it in the full context of Matthew 21, or compare how other translations render it below.

Matthew 21:3 in Other Translations

KJV And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
WEB If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”
ASV And if any one say aught unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them.
YLT and if any one may say anything to you, ye shall say, that the lord hath need of them, and immediately he will send them.’
WBT And if any [man] shall say aught to you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and immediately he will send them.
DBY And if any one say anything to you, ye shall say, The Lord has need of them, and straightway he will send them.

Commentary on Matthew 21:3

Expositions from classic Bible commentators.

John Gill · Matthew 21:3

And if any man say ought unto you,.... As, what business have you with the ass and colt? why do you loose them? as certain persons, the owners of them did, as Mark and Luke relate;

ye shall say, the Lord hath need of them: he that is our Lord, and your Lord, and the Lord of these creatures, and of all things else, wants them for his present service;

and straightway he will send them: which is either a continuation of what the disciples should say to any that should ask them the reason of their loosing the ass and colt, in order to make them easy: that the Lord who had need of them, as soon as he had done with them, would send them back to their proper owners, safe and well: or they are spoken for the encouragement of the disciples to go, and not be disheartened, though they should be thus examined; for immediately upon saying, that the Lord stood in need of them, and had an use for them at that time, the owner thereof, without any more words, would immediately send them along with them; which latter rather seems to be the sense of the clause; and which is confirmed by Mark: a very clear proof is this of the omniscience of Christ. He knew, that there were an ass, and a colt, in such a village, fastened to such a door, just at the entrance into the town: he knew the owners of it would examine the disciples about loosing and taking them away, and prepares them to give an answer; and he knew that the minds of these owners would be immediately wrought upon, and inclined to let them go directly and quietly.

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Questions about Matthew 21:3

What does Matthew 21:3 say?

Matthew 21:3 in the World English Bible reads: “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and immediately he will send them.”” Read it in the full context of Matthew 21, alongside the classic commentary on this page.

Where is Matthew 21:3 found in the Bible?

Matthew 21:3 is in the book of Matthew, chapter 21, verse 3, in the New Testament.

What Bible translation is Matthew 21:3 shown in?

This is the World English Bible (WEB), a public-domain translation. You can compare how other translations render Matthew 21:3 in the table on this page.

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