But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.
Parallel translations
- WEB But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.
- BSB The greatest among you shall be your servant.
- NKJV But he who is greatest among you shall be your servant.
- NASB But the greatest of you shall be your servant.
- NLT The greatest among you must be a servant.
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 greatest among Jesus' followers is the one who serves. It overturns worldly notions of greatness with the standard of humble service.
Overview
In God's kingdom, status is measured not by rank or honor but by self-giving service to others. This reverses the values the Pharisees cherished. Jesus himself is the supreme example, the Lord who came not to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Cor 9:19For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more.
- Gal 5:13For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.
- John 13:14–15If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
- Mark 10:43–44But so shall it not be among you: but whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister:
- 2 Cor 4:5For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.
- Luke 22:26–27But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.
- Phil 2:5–8Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
- Matt 20:26–27But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister;
- 2 Cor 11:23Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 23:11 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.