The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn their city.
Parallel translations
- WEB When the king heard that, he was angry, and sent his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
- KJV But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
- NKJV But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
- NASB Now the king was angry, and he sent his armies and destroyed those murderers and set their city on fire.
- NLT “The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town.
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
The angered king destroys the murderers and burns their city. This points to God's judgment, anticipating the fall of Jerusalem.
Overview
The king's just wrath falls on those who killed his servants. Many faithful interpreters see here a foreshadowing of the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 as a historical judgment on the nation's rejection of Christ. The verse holds together God's patience and His certain justice against persistent rebellion.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Luke 19:27And these enemies of mine who were unwilling for me to rule over them, bring them here and slay them in front of me.’”
- 1 Pet 4:17–18For it is time for judgment to begin with the family of God; and if it begins with us, what will the outcome be for those who disobey the gospel of God?
- Luke 21:24They will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations. And Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
- Joel 2:25I will repay you for the years eaten by locusts—the swarming locust, the young locust, the destroying locust, and the devouring locust—My great army that I sent against you.
- 1 Th 2:16hindering us from telling the Gentiles how they may be saved. As a result, they continue to heap up their sins to full capacity; the utmost wrath has come upon them.
- Luke 19:42–44and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.
- Joel 2:11The LORD raises His voice in the presence of His army. Indeed, His camp is very large, for mighty are those who obey His command. For the Day of the LORD is great and very dreadful. Who can endure it?
- Isa 13:2–5Raise a banner on a barren hilltop; call aloud to them. Wave your hand, that they may enter the gates of the nobles.
- Dan 9:26Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end there will be war; desolations have been decreed.
- Deut 28:49–68The LORD will bring a nation from afar, from the ends of the earth, to swoop down upon you like an eagle—a nation whose language you will not understand,
- Jer 51:20–23“You are My war club, My weapon for battle. With you I shatter nations; with you I bring kingdoms to ruin.
- Luke 21:21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country stay out of the city.
- Joel 3:2I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat. There I will enter into judgment against them concerning My people, My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations as they divided up My land.
- Matt 21:40–41Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard returns, what will he do to those tenants?”
- Zech 14:1–2Behold, a day of the LORD is coming when your plunder will be divided in your presence.
- Isa 10:5–7Woe to Assyria, the rod of My anger; the staff in their hands is My wrath.
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 22:7 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.