Matthew 12:46

While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren stood without, desiring to speak with him.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
While	λαλοῦντος lalountos	G2980	to talk · verb — present active participle, genitive singular masculine
he	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
yet	Ἔτι Eti	G2089	"yet · adverb
talked	λαλῆσαι. lalēsai	G2980	to talk · verb — aorist active infinitive
people	ὄχλοις ochlois	G3793	a throng (as borne along) · noun — dative plural masculine
behold	ἰδοὺ idou	G2400	used as imperative lo! · interjection
mother	μήτηρ mētēr	G3384	a "mother" (literally or figuratively · noun — nominative singular feminine
and	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
his	αὐτοῦ autou	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive singular masculine
brethren	ἀδελφοὶ adelphoi	G80	a brother (literally or figuratively) near or remote (m… · noun — nominative plural masculine
stood	εἱστήκεισαν heistēkeisan	G2476	to stand (transitively or intransitively) · verb — pluperfect active indicative, 3rd person plural
without	ἔξω exō	G1854	out(-side · preposition
desiring	ζητοῦντες zētountes	G2212	to seek (literally or figuratively) · verb — present active participle, nominative plural masculine
speak	λαλέω laléō	G2980	to talk
him	αὐτῷ autō	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — dative singular masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Matthew 13:55 Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas?
John 2:12 After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.
John 7:3 His brethren therefore said unto him, Depart hence, and go into Judæa, that thy disciples also may see the works that thou doest.
Mark 3:31-35 There came then his brethren and his mother, and, standing without, sent unto him, calling him.
John 7:5 For neither did his brethren believe in him.
Luke 8:19-21 Then came to him his mother and his brethren, and could not come at him for the press.
Mark 6:3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James, and Joses, and of Juda, and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? A…
Acts 1:14 These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 12:46–end

Many excellent, useful sayings came from the mouth of our Lord Jesus upon particular occasions; even his digressions were instructive, as well as his set discourses: as here, Observe, I. How Christ was interrupted in his preaching by his mother and his brethren, that stood without, desiring to speak with him (Mat 12:40, Mat 12:47); which desire of theirs was conveyed to him through the crowd. It is needless to enquire which of his brethren they were that came along with his mother (perhaps they were those who did not believe in him, Joh 7:5); or what their business was; perhaps it was only designed to oblige him to break off, for fear he should fatigue himself, or to caution him to take heed…

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Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 12:46

While he yet talked to the people, behold, his mother and his brethren--(See on Mat 13:55-56). stood without, desiring to speak with him--"and could not come at Him for the press" (Luk 8:19). For what purpose these came, we learn from Mar 3:20-21. In His zeal and ardor He seemed indifferent both to food and repose, and "they went to lay hold of Him" as one "beside Himself." Mark (Mar 3:32) says graphically, "And the multitude sat about Him"--or "around Him."

John Gill on Matthew 12:46

While he yet talked to the people,.... Upon these subjects, which so nearly concerned the Scribes and Pharisees, and which could not fail of drawing upon him their resentment and ill will. Behold his mother and his brethren: by "his mother" is meant Mary; but who are "his brethren", is not so easy to say: some are of opinion, that Joseph had children by Mary, who are here meant; but it is more generally believed, that these were either the sons of Joseph by a former wife, whose name is said to be Escha; or rather, Mary's sister's sons, the wife of Cleophas, the cousin-germans of Christ, it being usual with the Jews to call such kindred brethren; and so they might be James, Joses, Simon, and…

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John Calvin

The Church Fathers

Hence also His mother, when she is seemingly not acknowledged, is said to be standing outside, because clearly the Synagogue is not recognized by its Author, since, while holding to the observance of the Law, it lost spiritual understanding, and fixed itself outside in guarding the letter.
— Gregory the Dialogist, Forty Gospel Homilies, Homily 3

(ubi sup.) Thus also His mother is declared to stand without, as though she was not acknowledged, because the synagogue is therefore not acknowledged by its Author, because it held to the observance of the Law, and having lost the spiritual discernment thereof, kept itself without to guard the letter.
— Gregory the Dialogist ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

Let us also expound in another way. The Saviour is speaking to the multitude—that is, He teaches the Gentiles the inward mysteries; His mother and His brethren, that is the synagogue and the Jewish people, stand without. And when they shall have asked and enquired, and sent a messenger, they shall receive for answer, that their will is free, and that they can enter in, if they will believe.
— Jerome ((as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)), Catena Aurea by Aquinas

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Brother — (1.) In the natural and common sense (Matt. 1:2; Luke 3:1, 19). (2.) A near relation, a cousin (Gen. 13:8; 14:16; Matt. 12:46; John 7:3; Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19). (3.) Simply a fellow-countryman (Matt.…
Mary — Hebrew Miriam. (1.) The wife of Joseph, the mother of Jesus, called the “Virgin Mary,” though never so designated in Scripture (Matt. 2:11; Acts 1:14). Little is known of her personal history. Her…
Mary · .Seeks Jesus when he is teaching in a house — .Seeks Jesus when he is teaching in a house
Parents · .Mary — .Mary

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 12:46–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 12:46

John Gill on Matthew 12:46

John Calvin

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Matthew Henry on Matthew 12:46–end

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 12:46

John Gill on Matthew 12:46

John Calvin

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 12:43-45