He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad.
Parallel translations
- WEB “He who is not with me is against me, and he who doesn’t gather with me, scatters.
- BSB He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.
- NKJV He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad.
- NASB The one who is not with Me is against Me; and the one who does not gather with Me scatters.
- NLT “Anyone who isn’t with me opposes me, and anyone who isn’t working with me is actually working against me.
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 declares that there is no neutral ground: those not with him are against him.
Overview
In the cosmic conflict between God's kingdom and Satan's, every person must take a side. To refuse Christ is to oppose him; to fail to gather with him is to scatter. The Pharisees' rejection places them, despite their religion, on the wrong side.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Mark 9:40For he that is not against us is on our part.
- Luke 11:23He that is not with me is against me: and he that gathereth not with me scattereth.
- Josh 24:15And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.
- Luke 9:50And Jesus said unto him, Forbid him not: for he that is not against us is for us.
- 1 Jn 2:19They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us.
- Matt 6:24No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.
- 2 Cor 6:15–16And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
- Rev 3:15–16I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot.
- 1 Chr 12:17–18And David went out to meet them, and answered and said unto them, If ye be come peaceably unto me to help me, mine heart shall be knit unto you: but if ye be come to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in mine hands, the God of our fathers look thereon, and rebuke it.
- Josh 5:13And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?
- Gen 49:10The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of the people be.
- John 11:52And not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad.
- Hos 1:11Then shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel be gathered together, and appoint themselves one head, and they shall come up out of the land: for great shall be the day of Jezreel.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 12:30 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
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