And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave—
Parallel translations
- WEB Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your bondservant,
- KJV And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant:
- BSB and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave—
- NASB and whoever desires to be first among you shall be your slave;
- NLT and whoever wants to be first among you must become your slave.
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
Whoever wants to be first among Jesus' followers must be a bondservant of all. The path to true greatness is the lowest place of service.
Overview
Intensifying his point, Jesus says the one who would be first must become a 'bondservant'—a slave—to others. This deliberate use of the lowest social status redefines ambition entirely. Greatness in the Kingdom is measured by how fully one spends oneself in humble service for others' good, after the pattern of Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Luke 22:26But not so with you. But one who is the greater among you, let him become as the younger, and one who is governing, as one who serves.
- Mark 9:33–35He came to Capernaum, and when he was in the house he asked them, “What were you arguing among yourselves on the way?”
- Matt 18:4Whoever therefore humbles himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.
- 2 Cor 4:5For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake;
- Acts 20:34–35You yourselves know that these hands served my necessities, and those who were with me.
- Rom 1:14I am debtor both to Greeks and to foreigners, both to the wise and to the foolish.
- 1 Cor 9:19–23For though I was free from all, I brought myself under bondage to all, that I might gain the more.
- 2 Cor 12:15I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?
- 2 Cor 11:5For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.
- 2 Cor 11:23–27Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I am more so; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths often.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 20:27 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.