“The king was furious, and he sent out his army to destroy the murderers and burn their town.
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.
- BSB The king was enraged, and he sent his troops to destroy those murderers and burn 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.
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 19:27But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’”
- 1 Pet 4:17–18For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins first with us, what will happen to those who don’t obey the Good News of God?
- Luke 21:24They will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
- Joel 2:25I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army, which I sent among you.
- 1 Th 2:16forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always. But wrath has come on them to the uttermost.
- Luke 19:42–44saying, “If you, even you, had known today the things which belong to your peace! But now, they are hidden from your eyes.
- Joel 2:11Yahweh thunders his voice before his army; for his forces are very great; for he is strong who obeys his command; for the day of Yahweh is great and very awesome, and who can endure it?
- Isa 13:2–5Set up a banner on the bare mountain! Lift up your voice to them! Wave your hand, that they may go into the gates of the nobles.
- Dan 9:26After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be cut off, and shall have nothing: and the people of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and its end shall be with a flood, and even to the end shall be war; desolations are determined.
- Deut 28:49–68Yahweh will bring a nation against you from far, from the end of the earth, as the eagle flies; a nation whose language you will not understand;
- Jer 51:20–23“You are my battle ax and weapons of war. With you I will break the nations into pieces. With you I will destroy kingdoms.
- Luke 21:21Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the middle of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein.
- Joel 3:2I will gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will execute judgment on them there for my people, and for my heritage, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations. They have divided my land,
- Matt 21:40–41When therefore the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those farmers?”
- Zech 14:1–2Behold, a day of Yahweh comes, when your plunder will be divided within you.
- Isa 10:5–7Alas Assyrian, the rod of my anger, the staff in whose hand is my indignation!
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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.