Matthew 26 2

Matthew 26:2 kjv

Ye know that after two days is the feast of the passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified.

Matthew 26:2 nkjv

"You know that after two days is the Passover, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."

Matthew 26:2 niv

"As you know, the Passover is two days away?and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

Matthew 26:2 esv

"You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified."

Matthew 26:2 nlt

"As you know, Passover begins in two days, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

Matthew 26 verses

Matthew 26 2 Meaning

This verse states Jesus' declaration to His disciples about the precise timing and nature of His imminent suffering. He reveals that two days hence, coinciding with the Jewish feast of Passover, He, identified as the Son of Man, will be "delivered up" or "handed over" to be crucified. This concise statement highlights divine foreknowledge and purpose behind His betrayal and sacrificial death, setting the stage for the Passion narrative.

Matthew 26 2 Context

Matthew 26:2 marks a pivotal moment, occurring at the immediate beginning of the passion narrative. Chronologically, this verse falls after Jesus’ discourse on the end times (Matt 24-25) and just before the chief priests and elders gather to plot Jesus’ death (Matt 26:3-5). The timing—"after two days"—is crucial, setting a precise deadline for the culmination of His earthly ministry and fulfilling prior prophecies of His suffering. Historically, the Passover was the most significant Jewish festival, commemorating the liberation from Egyptian bondage, characterized by the sacrifice of a lamb. The irony of Jesus, the true Passover Lamb, being delivered up for sacrifice during this feast would not have been lost on a Jewish audience. Crucifixion was a brutal, public, and humiliating method of execution reserved by the Roman authorities primarily for rebels, slaves, and the worst criminals, signifying complete degradation and shame. Jesus’ voluntary submission to this ignominious death highlights His redemptive purpose.

Matthew 26 2 Word analysis

• You know: (Greek: oidate, οἴδατε) This perfect tense verb implies established, common knowledge. Jesus assumes the disciples are aware of the upcoming Passover festival and its timing. It underscores the contrast between their outward knowledge of the feast and the profound, unforeseen event Jesus reveals is intertwined with it.
• that after two days: A specific chronological marker that provides immediacy and tension. This temporal precision underscores the intentionality and fulfillment of divine timing in Jesus’ sacrifice. It indicates the imminence of the most critical events in human history.
• the Passover: (Greek: Pascha, πάσχα; from Hebrew: Pesach). This refers to the primary Jewish feast celebrating God's deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt (Ex 12). Its central ritual was the sacrifice and eating of a lamb, the blood of which protected homes from the destroyer. This designation is highly significant, positioning Jesus as the ultimate Passover Lamb whose blood provides liberation from sin.
• is coming: (Greek: ginesthai, γίνεσθαι) A present infinitive indicating something about to happen or coming into being. It denotes an inevitable arrival or occurrence.
• and the Son of Man: (Greek: kai ho huios tou anthrōpou, καὶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου) Jesus’ most frequent self-designation. This title bridges His humanity (Son of Man) with His divine authority and heavenly origin (Daniel 7:13-14), especially in eschatological contexts. Here, paradoxically, the title of ultimate glory is linked directly to ultimate suffering and humiliation. It implies both His authentic humanity and His divine appointment to suffer.
• will be delivered up: (Greek: paradidotai, παραδίδεται) This verb, in the present passive indicative, signifies "to be handed over" or "betrayed." It suggests both human agency (Judas' betrayal, the Jewish leaders handing Him over to Pilate) and divine ordination (God delivering His Son for the atonement of sins, Rom 8:32). It highlights the helpless state of the victim in the hands of His enemies, yet implicitly acknowledges a sovereign purpose.
• to be crucified: (Greek: staurōthēnai, σταυρωθῆναι) Aorist passive infinitive, specifying the brutal Roman method of execution by nailing to a cross. This detail underscores the profound physical suffering and public humiliation Jesus would endure. It fulfills not just abstract prophecies of death, but the specific, ignominious manner of His death.

• Words-group Analysis: "You know that after two days the Passover is coming": This phrase highlights the disciples' expectation of a familiar, sacred feast. The immediate context of Passover evokes ideas of national deliverance and God's powerful acts, contrasting sharply with Jesus' subsequent announcement of His own suffering and apparent weakness. It sets up a tension between a traditional understanding of salvation and the radically new form it would take through Christ. "and the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified": This crucial declaration juxtaposes the divine glory inherent in the title "Son of Man" with the profound shame and suffering of being "delivered up to be crucified." It signifies the culmination of Jesus' redemptive mission – not through military victory, but through sacrificial humiliation. It implicitly presents Jesus as the true and ultimate Passover Lamb, whose "delivering up" is not merely an act of betrayal, but the sovereign act of God providing atonement for the sins of the world.

Matthew 26 2 Bonus section

• This verse subtly begins to challenge the conventional understanding of Messiahship that was prevalent among Jesus' contemporaries, who often expected a triumphant political or military leader. Jesus redefines triumph through suffering and sacrificial death.
• The precise timing mentioned ("after two days") not only alerts the reader to the immediacy of the Passion but also connects this prediction directly to the plot of the religious authorities, who also chose to act before the Passover feast to avoid a riot (Matt 26:3-5). This creates a sense of converging forces: divine necessity, human maliciousness, and precise chronology, all culminating in Jesus' sacrifice.

Matthew 26 2 Commentary

Matthew 26:2 is a succinct, poignant summary of Jesus' ultimate destiny, directly linking His impending passion to the timing of the Passover feast. It's the most explicit and final of Jesus' predictions concerning His death in Matthew's Gospel, providing a solemn prologue to the dramatic events that immediately follow. By declaring that the Son of Man, a title indicating both His humble humanity and divine authority, "will be delivered up to be crucified," Jesus underscores the divine necessity of His sacrifice (rooted in God's eternal plan) even as He anticipates human betrayal and Roman cruelty. This statement not only demonstrates Jesus' profound foreknowledge but also establishes His death as the ultimate Passover, the decisive act of liberation from sin, elevating the Passover ritual to its redemptive fulfillment in Him.