The Meaning of Matthew 7:28 Explained

Matthew 7:28

KJV: And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:

YLT: And it came to pass, when Jesus ended these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching,

Darby: And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his doctrine,

ASV: And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished these words, the multitudes were astonished at his teaching:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  it came to pass,  when  Jesus  had ended  these  sayings,  the people  were astonished  at  his  doctrine: 

What does Matthew 7:28 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 7:24-29 - Building On Secure Foundations
In the Syrian summer, when the soil is baked hard by the intense heat, any spot will serve equally well as the site of a house. No one can say whether his neighbor has built well or ill-only the builder knows. But in the winter the rain falls in torrents and the valleys are filled with foaming floods, which sap all foundations that have not gripped the living rock.
To believe about Christ is not enough; we must believe in Him. We must come to Him as a Living Stone and become living stones, 1 Peter 2:4-8. We must not only listen to Him; we must obey Him. There must be living, unbroken unity and fellowship between Him and us. Then we may proceed to erect the structure of godly and holy living which shall grow into a holy temple in the Lord, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15. May we receive, with meekness, the engrafting of the Word, which is able to save the soul! [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 7

1  Do Not Judge
7  Ask, Seek, Knock
13  Enter through the Narrow Gate
15  A Tree and Its Fruit
24  The Wise and the Foolish Builders
28  Jesus ends his sermon, and the people are astonished

Greek Commentary for Matthew 7:28

The multitudes were astonished [εχεπλησσοντο οι οχλοι]
They listened spell-bound to the end and were left amazed. Note the imperfect tense, a buzz of astonishment. The verb means literally “were struck out of themselves.” [source]
Were astonished [ἐξεπλήσσοντο]
From ἐκ , out of, and πλήσσω , to strike. Often to drive one out of His senses by a sudden shock, and therefore here of amazement. They were astounded. We have a similar expression, though not so strong: “I was struck with this or that remarkable thing.” [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 7:28

Matthew 11:1 He departed thence to teach and preach [μετεβη εκειτεν του διδασκειν και κηρυσσειν]
In five instances (Matthew 7:28; Matthew 11:1; Matthew 13:53; Matthew 19:1; Matthew 26:1) after great discourses by Jesus “the transition to what follows is made with the formula, ‹And it came to pass when Jesus had ended‘”(McNeile). This is a wrong chapter division, for Matthew 11:1 belongs with the preceding section. [source]
Matthew 19:1 He departed [μετηρεν]
Literally, to lift up, change something to another place. Transitive in the lxx and in a Cilician rock inscription. Intransitive in Matthew 13:53 and here, the only N.T. instances. Absence of οτι — hoti or και — kai after και εγενετο — kai egeneto one of the clear Hebraisms in the N.T. (Robertson, Grammar, pp. 1042f.). This verse is a sort of formula in Matthew at the close of important groups of λογια — logia as in Matthew 7:28; Matthew 11:1; Matthew 13:53. [source]
Mark 7:37 Astonished []
See on Matthew 7:28. [source]
Mark 6:2 Astonished []
See on Matthew 7:28. [source]
Luke 9:43 Astonished [ἐξεπλήσσοντο]
See on Matthew 7:28. [source]
Luke 4:32 They were astonished [ἐξεπλήσσοντο]
See on Matthew 7:28. [source]
Luke 7:1 Had ended [εις τας ακοας του λαου]
First aorist active indicative. There is here a reference to the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount, but with nothing concerning the impression produced by the discourse such as is seen in Matthew 7:28. This verse really belongs as the conclusion of Chapter 6, not as the beginning of Chapter 7.In the ears of the people (Ακοη — eis tas akoas tou laou). ακουω — Akoē from akouō to hear, is used of the sense of hearing (1 Corinthians 12:17), the ear with which one hears (Mark 7:35; Hebrews 5:11), the thing heard or the report (Romans 10:16) or oral instruction (Galatians 3:2, Galatians 3:5). Both Matthew 8:5-13; Luke 7:1-10 locate the healing of the centurion‘s servant in Capernaum where Jesus was after the Sermon on the Mount. [source]
Acts 13:12 Astonished [ἐκπλησσόμενος]
See on Matthew 7:28. [source]
Acts 13:12 Believed [επιστευσεν]
Ingressive aorist active indicative. Renan considers it impossible that a Roman proconsul could be converted by a miracle. But it was the teaching about the Lord (του κυριου — tou kuriou objective genitive) by which he was astonished (εκπλησσομενος — ekplēssomenos present passive participle of εκπλησσω — ekplēssō See note on Matthew 7:28) or struck out as well as by the miracle. The blindness came “immediately” (παραερημα — paraehrēma) upon the judgment pronounced by Paul. It is possible that Sergius Paulus was converted to Christ without openly identifying himself with the Christians as his baptism is not mentioned as in the case of Cornelius. But, even if he was baptized, he need not have been deposed from his proconsulship as Furneaux and Rackham argue because his office called for “official patronage of idolatrous worship.” But that could have been merely perfunctory as it probably was already. He had been a disciple of the Jewish magician, Elymas Barjesus, without losing his position. Imperial persecution against Christianity had not yet begun. Furneaux even suggests that the conversion of a proconsul to Christianity at this stage would have called for mention by the Roman and Greek historians. There is the name Sergia Paullina in a Christian cemetery in Rome which shows that one of his family was a Christian later. One will believe what he wills about Sergius Paulus, but I do not see that Luke leaves him in the category of Simon Magus who “believed” (Acts 8:13) for revenue only. [source]
1 Timothy 3:16 Was received up into glory [ἀνελήμφθη ἐν δόξῃ]
Better, received or taken up in glory. Ἁναλαμβάνειν is the formal term to describe the ascension of Christ (see Acts 1:2, Acts 1:22), and the reference is most probably to that event. Comp. lxx, 2 Kings 2:11, of Elijah, and Matthew href="/desk/?q=mt+16:27&sr=1">Matthew 16:27; Matthew 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:31; Luke 12:27; 1 Corinthians 15:43; 2 Corinthians 3:7, 2 Corinthians 3:8, 2 Corinthians 3:11.Additional Note on 1 Timothy 3:16Christ's existence before his incarnation was purely spiritual ( ἐν πνεύματι ). He was in the form of God (Philemon 2:6): He was the effulgence of God's glory and the express image of his substance (Hebrews 1:3), and God is spirit (John 4:24). From this condition he came into manifestation in the flesh ( ἐν σαρκί ). He became man and entered into human conditions (Philemon 2:7, Philemon 2:8). Under these human conditions the attributes of his essential spiritual personality were veiled. He did not appear to men what he really was. He was not recognised by them as he who “was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1, John 1:2); as “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15); as one with God (John 10:30; John 14:9); as he who had all power in heaven and earth (Matthew 28:18); who was “before all things and by whom all things consist” (Colossians 1:17); who was “the king of the ages” (1 Timothy 1:17). On the contrary, he was regarded as an impostor, a usurper, and a blasphemer. He was hated, persecuted, and finally murdered. He was poor, tempted, and tried, a man of sorrows. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
The justification or vindication of what he really was did not therefore come out of the fleshly sphere. He was not justified in the flesh. It came out of the sphere of his spiritual being. Glimpses of this pneumatic life ( ἐν πνεύματι ) flashed out during his life in the flesh. By his exalted and spotless character, by his works of love and power, by his words of authority, in his baptism and transfiguration, he was vindicated as being what he essentially was and what he openly claimed to be. These justifications were revelations, expressions, and witnesses of his original, essential spiritual and divine quality; of the native glory which he had with the Father before the world was. It was the Spirit that publicly indorsed him (John 1:32, John 1:33): the words which he spake were spirit and life (John 6:63): he cast out demons in the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:28): his whole earthly manifestation was in demonstration of the Spirit. These various demonstrations decisively justified his claims in the eyes of many. His disciples confessed him as the Christ of God (Luke 9:20) some of the people said “this is the Christ” (John 7:41): others suspected that he was such (John 4:29). Whether or not men acknowledged his claims, they felt the power of his unique personality. They were astonished at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority (Matthew 7:28, Matthew 7:29). -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
Then followed the more decisive vindication in his resurrection from the dead. Here the work of the Spirit is distinctly recognised by Paul, Romans 1:4. See also Romans 8:11. In the period between his resurrection and ascension his pneumatic life came into clearer manifestation, and added to the vindication furnished in his life and resurrection. He seemed to live on the border-line between the natural and the spiritual world, and the powers of the spiritual world were continually crossing the line and revealing themselves in him. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
In the apostolic preaching, the appeal to the vindication of Christ by the Spirit is clear and unequivocal. The spiritual nourishment of believers is “the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philemon 1:19): the Holy Spirit is called “the Spirit of Christ” (Romans 8:9; Galatians 4:6): Paul identifies Christ personally with the Spirit (2 Corinthians 3:17); and in Romans 8:9, Romans 8:10, “Spirit of God,” “Spirit of Christ,” and “Christ” are used as convertible terms. The indwelling of the Spirit of Christ is the test and vindication of belonging to Christ (Romans 8:9). Thus, though put to death in the flesh, in the Spirit Christ is vindicated as the Son of God, the Christ of God, the manifestation of God. -DIVIDER-
-DIVIDER-
[source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 7:28 mean?

And it came to pass when had finished - Jesus the words these were astonished the crowds at the teaching of Him
Καὶ ἐγένετο ὅτε ἐτέλεσεν Ἰησοῦς τοὺς λόγους τούτους ἐξεπλήσσοντο οἱ ὄχλοι ἐπὶ τῇ διδαχῇ αὐτοῦ

ἐγένετο  it  came  to  pass 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
ἐτέλεσεν  had  finished 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: τελέω  
Sense: to bring to a close, to finish, to end.
  - 
Parse: Article, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
Ἰησοῦς  Jesus 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular
Root: Ἰησοῦς  
Sense: Joshua was the famous captain of the Israelites, Moses’ successor.
λόγους  words 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: λόγος  
Sense: of speech.
τούτους  these 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
ἐξεπλήσσοντο  were  astonished 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Middle or Passive, 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἐκπλήσσω  
Sense: to strike out, expel by a blow, drive out or away.
ὄχλοι  crowds 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: ὄχλος  
Sense: a crowd.
ἐπὶ  at 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐπί  
Sense: upon, on, at, by, before.
διδαχῇ  teaching 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: διδαχή  
Sense: teaching.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.