The Meaning of Matthew 26:18 Explained

Matthew 26:18

KJV: And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Master saith, My time is at hand; I will keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.

YLT: and he said, 'Go away to the city, unto such a one, and say to him, The Teacher saith, My time is nigh; near thee I keep the passover, with my disciples;'

Darby: And he said, Go into the city unto such a one, and say to him, The Teacher says, My time is near, I will keep the passover in thy house with my disciples.

ASV: And he said, Go into the city to such a man, and say unto him, The Teacher saith, My time is at hand; I keep the passover at thy house with my disciples.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  he said,  Go  into  the city  to  such a man,  and  say  unto him,  The Master  saith,  My  time  is  at hand;  I will keep  the passover  at  thy house  with  my  disciples. 

What does Matthew 26:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 26:14-25 - A False Friend Exposed
While Mary sacrificed a large sum of money to show her love to Jesus, Judas sold Him for the hire of a slave. See Zechariah 11:12.
The Lord had a great desire to eat this last meal with His own; and it was a proof of His loving anticipation of the strain to which they were to be exposed in soul and body, that He had made arrangements for it with some secret disciple. How glad this loving soul must have been to make the loan of that guest chamber!-but have you placed your heart at His disposal? See 1 Corinthians 5:7.
It was a time of testing as well as of fellowship. None of us should sit at the table of the Lord without careful self-examination and confession. We all need to say, Lord, is it I? and to ask that we may be clad in the white robes through His precious blood. Remember, also, that they who in all humility and self-distrust fear lest they should commit the deed of treachery, are always the ones to whom it will be impossible. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 26

1  Jesus foretells his own death
3  The rulers conspire against him
6  The woman anoints his feet
14  Judas bargains to betray him
17  Jesus eats the Passover;
26  institutes his holy supper;
30  foretells the desertion of his disciples, and Peter's denial;
36  prays in the garden;
47  and being betrayed by a kiss,
57  is carried to Caiaphas,
69  and denied by Peter

Greek Commentary for Matthew 26:18

To such a man [προς τον δεινα]
The only instance in the N.T. of this old Attic idiom. The papyri show it for “Mr. X” and the modern Greek keeps it. Jesus may have indicated the man‘s name. Mark (Mark 14:13) and Luke (Luke 22:10) describe him as a man bearing a pitcher of water. It may have been the home of Mary the mother of John Mark. [source]
I keep the passover at thy house [προς σε ποιω το πασχα]
Futuristic present indicative. The use of προς σε — pros se for “at thy house” is neat Greek of the classic period. Evidently there was no surprise in this home at the command of Jesus. It was a gracious privilege to serve him thus. [source]
Such a man [τὸν δεῖνα]
The indefiniteness is the Evangelist's, not our Lord's. He, doubtless, described the per- son and where to find him. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 26:18

Hebrews 11:28 Kept the passover [πεποίηκεν τὸ πάσχα]
Rend. “hath instituted the passover.” The perfect tense indicates the continued significance of the service down to the time of writing. The phrase ποιεῖν τὸ πάσχα on N.T. only here and Matthew 26:18. The usual N.T. phrase is φαγεῖν τὸ πάσχα toeat the Passover. See Matthew 26:17; Mark 14:12; Luke 22:11. Ποιεῖν τὸ πάσχα unquestionably means to keep or celebrate the Passover, as Matthew 26:18; Exodus 12:48; Numbers 9:2, Numbers 9:4, Numbers 9:6, Numbers 9:10, Numbers 9:13; Deuteronomy 16:1: but the verb is elastic. The corresponding Hebrew verb עָשָֽׂה, among other meanings, signifies to create (Genesis 1:7; Genesis 2:2); to establish (Ecclesiastes 2:5, Ecclesiastes 2:6, Ecclesiastes 2:8); to constitute (1 Kings 12:31, 1 Kings 12:32); to make ready or prepare (Judges 13:15; to prepare as a sacrifice (Psalm 66:15). In all these instances it is rendered in lxx by ποιεῖν . In N.T. we find ποιεῖν ἄριστον or δεῖπνον toprepare a breakfast or dinner. Accordingly ποιεῖν may properly be used here of the instituting of the Passover. Moreover the two following clauses clearly indicate that the writer is referring to the original institution. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 26:18 mean?

- And He said Go into the city unto a certain man and tell him the Teacher says time of Me near is with you I will keep the Passover with the disciples
δὲ εἶπεν Ὑπάγετε εἰς τὴν πόλιν πρὸς τὸν δεῖνα καὶ εἴπατε αὐτῷ Διδάσκαλος λέγει καιρός μου ἐγγύς ἐστιν πρὸς σὲ ποιῶ τὸ πάσχα μετὰ τῶν μαθητῶν

  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
εἶπεν  He  said 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Ὑπάγετε  Go 
Parse: Verb, Present Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ὑπάγω  
Sense: to lead under, bring under.
εἰς  into 
Parse: Preposition
Root: εἰς  
Sense: into, unto, to, towards, for, among.
πόλιν  city 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
πρὸς  unto 
Parse: Preposition
Root: πρός  
Sense: to the advantage of.
δεῖνα  certain  man 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: δεῖνα  
Sense: such a one, a certain one, i.
εἴπατε  tell 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
Διδάσκαλος  Teacher 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: διδάσκαλος  
Sense: a teacher. 2 in the NT one who teaches concerning the things of God, and the duties of man.
λέγει  says 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
καιρός  time 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: καιρός  
Sense: due measure.
μου  of  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
ἐγγύς  near 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἐγγύς  
Sense: near, of place and position.
ποιῶ  I  will  keep 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ποιέω  
Sense: to make.
πάσχα  Passover 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: πάσχα  
Sense: the paschal sacrifice (which was accustomed to be offered for the people’s deliverance of old from Egypt).
μαθητῶν  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.