But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.
Parallel translations
- WEB But many will be last who are first; and first who are last.
- KJV But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
- NKJV But many who are first will be last, and the last first.
- NASB But many who are first will be last; and the last, first.
- NLT But many who are the greatest now will be least important then, and those who seem least important now will be the greatest then.
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 warns that many who are first will be last, and the last first. God's Kingdom overturns human rankings of worth and reward.
Overview
This reversal saying caps the discussion of riches and reward, cautioning against pride and presumption. Those who seem foremost by worldly measures may find themselves least, while the humble and overlooked are exalted. Jesus illustrates this principle next in the parable of the vineyard workers, showing that the Kingdom runs on grace, not human merit.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Matt 20:16So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
- Luke 13:30And indeed, some who are last will be first, and some who are first will be last.”
- Mark 10:31But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
- Matt 21:31–32Which of the two did the will of his father?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you.
- Rom 9:30–33What then will we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith;
- Luke 18:13–14But the tax collector stood at a distance, unwilling even to lift up his eyes to heaven. Instead, he beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner!’
- Rom 5:20–21The law came in so that the trespass would increase; but where sin increased, grace increased all the more,
- Luke 7:29–30All the people who heard this, even the tax collectors, acknowledged God’s justice. For they had received the baptism of John.
- Matt 8:11–12I say to you that many will come from the east and the west to share the banquet with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.
- Heb 4:1Therefore, while the promise of entering His rest still stands, let us be careful that none of you be deemed to have fallen short of it.
- Gal 5:7You were running so well. Who has obstructed you from obeying the truth?
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 19:30 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
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.