Limitless Word
“What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” “David’s,” they answered.
Matthew 22:42 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB saying, “What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “Of David.”
  • KJV Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is he? They say unto him, The son of David.
  • NKJV saying, “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” They said to Him, “The Son of David.”
  • NASB “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is He?” They *said to Him, “The son of David.”
  • NLT “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “He is the son of David.”

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 asks whose son the Christ is, and they answer 'David's.' Their answer is true but incomplete.

Overview

Jesus probes their understanding of the Messiah, and they rightly affirm He is David's descendant. Yet this answer, while correct, does not capture the Messiah's full dignity. Jesus will press them to see that the Christ is more than merely David's son, setting up the revelation of His divine identity.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 23

  • Jer 23:5–6Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and He will reign wisely as King and will administer justice and righteousness in the land.
  • Matt 16:13–17When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, He questioned His disciples: “Who do people say the Son of Man is?”
  • Amos 9:11“In that day I will restore the fallen tent of David. I will repair its gaps, restore its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old,
  • John 6:68–69Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.
  • Ezek 34:23–24I will appoint over them one shepherd, My servant David, and he will feed them. He will feed them and be their shepherd.
  • Isa 9:6–7For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
  • Isa 11:1–4Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
  • Isa 7:13–14Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, O house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of men? Will you try the patience of my God as well?
  • Matt 1:1This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
  • Luke 1:69–70He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,
  • Acts 13:22–23After removing Saul, He raised up David as their king and testified about him: ‘I have found David son of Jesse a man after My own heart; he will carry out My will in its entirety.’
  • Matt 21:9The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed were shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest!”
  • Matt 9:27As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”
  • John 7:41–42Others declared, “This is the Christ.” But still others asked, “How can the Christ come from Galilee?
  • Col 3:11Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, or free, but Christ is all and is in all.
  • John 1:49“Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
  • Matt 14:33Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”
  • Phil 2:9–11Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names,
  • Matt 2:4–6And when he had assembled all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.
  • Rev 5:12–14In a loud voice they were saying: “Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing!”
  • 1 Pet 2:4–7As you come to Him, the living stone, rejected by men but chosen and precious in God’s sight,
  • Phil 3:7–10But whatever was gain to me I count as loss for the sake of Christ.
  • John 20:28Thomas replied, “My Lord and my God!”

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 22:42YouTube · 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 22:42 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.