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When he had come into Jerusalem, all the city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?”
Matthew 21:10 · World English Bible
Parallel translations
  • KJV And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this?
  • BSB When Jesus had entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”
  • NKJV And when He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, “Who is this?”
  • NASB When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?”
  • NLT The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.

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' entry stirs the whole city, which asks, 'Who is this?' His arrival forces Jerusalem to confront his identity.

Overview

The triumphal entry throws Jerusalem into commotion, prompting the city's question about who Jesus is. The same word for 'stirred' recalls the turmoil at his birth (Matthew 2:3). His coming demands a verdict on his identity—a question that hangs over the whole Passion narrative and confronts every reader.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • Acts 9:5He said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.
  • Luke 5:21The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
  • Isa 63:1Who is this who comes from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? Who this who is glorious in his clothing, marching in the greatness of his strength? “It is I who speak in righteousness, mighty to save.”
  • Ruth 1:19So they both went until they came to Bethlehem. When they had come to Bethlehem, all the city was excited about them, and they asked, “Is this Naomi?”
  • John 12:16–19His disciples didn’t understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified, then they remembered that these things were written about him, and that they had done these things to him.
  • Luke 7:49Those who sat at the table with him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”
  • Song 3:6Who is this who comes up from the wilderness like pillars of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, with all spices of the merchant?
  • 1 Sam 16:4Samuel did that which Yahweh spoke, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?”
  • Luke 9:9Herod said, “John I beheaded, but who is this, about whom I hear such things?” He sought to see him.
  • John 2:18The Jews therefore answered him, “What sign do you show us, seeing that you do these things?”
  • Matt 2:3When King Herod heard it, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
  • Luke 20:2They asked him, “Tell us: by what authority do you do these things? Or who is giving you this authority?”

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Matthew videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Matthew 21:10YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on MatthewMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 21:10 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.