and commanded them that they should not make him known:
Parallel translations
- KJV And charged them that they should not make him known:
- BSB warning them not to make Him known.
- NKJV Yet He warned them not to make Him known,
- NASB and warned them not to tell who He was.
- NLT but he warned them not to reveal who he was.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus charges those he heals not to publicize him, restraining premature acclaim.
Overview
This command reflects the so-called messianic secret, by which Jesus controlled how and when his identity was revealed. He sought to avoid mistaken political expectations and inflamed opposition before the right time. His quiet manner fulfills the prophetic portrait of the gentle Servant that follows.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Matt 9:30Their eyes were opened. Jesus strictly commanded them, saying, “See that no one knows about this.”
- Matt 8:4Jesus said to him, “See that you tell nobody, but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.”
- Matt 17:9As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Don’t tell anyone what you saw, until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”
- Luke 5:14–15He commanded him to tell no one, “But go your way, and show yourself to the priest, and offer for your cleansing according to what Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.”
- Mark 7:36He commanded them that they should tell no one, but the more he commanded them, so much the more widely they proclaimed it.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 12:16 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.