This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:
Parallel translations
- WEB that it might be fulfilled which was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, saying,
- KJV That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esaias the prophet, saying,
- NKJV that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
- NASB This happened so that what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet would be fulfilled:
- NLT This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah concerning him:
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
Matthew explains that Jesus' quiet ministry fulfills Isaiah's prophecy of the Servant.
Overview
This formula citation introduces the longest Old Testament quotation in Matthew, drawn from Isaiah 42. It interprets Jesus' avoidance of fanfare as the deliberate fulfillment of Scripture. Jesus is the promised Servant of the Lord, not merely a wonder-worker.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Isa 42:1–4“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
- Isa 42:9Behold, the former things have happened, and now I declare new things. Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.”
- Isa 44:26who confirms the message of His servant and fulfills the counsel of His messengers, who says of Jerusalem, ‘She will be inhabited,’ and of the cities of Judah, ‘They will be rebuilt, and I will restore their ruins,’
- Isa 41:22–23“Let them come and tell us what will happen. Tell the former things, so that we may reflect on them and know the outcome. Or announce to us what is coming.
- Matt 21:4This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet:
- John 12:38This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?”
- Matt 13:35So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet: “I will open My mouth in parables; I will utter things hidden since the foundation of the world.”
- Luke 24:44Jesus said to them, “These are the words I spoke to you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about Me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms.”
- John 10:35If he called them gods to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—
- Matt 8:17This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took on our infirmities and carried our diseases.”
- Luke 21:22For these are the days of vengeance, to fulfill all that is written.
- John 19:28After this, knowing that everything had now been accomplished, and to fulfill the Scripture, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.”
- Acts 13:27The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath.
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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 12:17 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.