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Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night.
Matthew 21:17 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB He left them, and went out of the city to Bethany, and camped there.
  • KJV And he left them, and went out of the city into Bethany; and he lodged there.
  • NKJV Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and He lodged there.
  • NASB And He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.
  • NLT Then he returned to Bethany, where he stayed overnight.

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 leaves the leaders, goes out to Bethany, and lodges there for the night. He withdraws from confrontation to a place near the city.

Overview

Jesus departs Jerusalem for Bethany, a village on the Mount of Olives where friends like Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. This brief withdrawal punctuates the mounting tension of Passion week. It sets the stage for his return the next morning and the events that continue to unfold toward the cross.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 15

  • John 11:18Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, a little less than two miles away,
  • Luke 24:50When Jesus had led them out as far as Bethany, He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
  • Mark 11:11Then Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, He went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
  • John 11:1At this time a man named Lazarus was sick. He lived in Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha.
  • Mark 11:19And when evening came, Jesus and His disciples went out of the city.
  • Matt 16:4A wicked and adulterous generation demands a sign, but none will be given it except the sign of Jonah.” Then He left them and went away.
  • Luke 19:29As He approached Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, He sent out two of His disciples,
  • Luke 8:37–38Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to depart from them, because great fear had taken hold of them. So He got into the boat and started back.
  • Mark 11:1As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent out two of His disciples
  • Luke 10:38As they traveled along, Jesus entered a village where a woman named Martha welcomed Him into her home.
  • Mark 3:7So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,
  • Matt 26:6While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of Simon the Leper,
  • John 12:1–3Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the hometown of Lazarus, whom He had raised from the dead.
  • Hos 9:12Even if they raise their children, I will bereave them of each one. Yes, woe be to them when I turn away from them!
  • Jer 6:8Be forewarned, O Jerusalem, or I will turn away from you; I will make you a desolation, a land without inhabitant.”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

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 21:17YouTube · 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 21:17 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.