Matthew - 21:7



7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their clothes on them; and he sat on them.

Verse In-Depth

Explanation and meaning of Matthew 21:7.

Differing Translations

Compare verses for better understanding.
And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon.
and brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their garments; and he sat thereon.
And they brought the ass and the colt, and laid their garments upon them, and made him sit thereon.
brought the ass and the colt and put their garments upon them, and he sat on them.
brought the ass and the colt, and did put on them their garments, and set him upon them;
they brought the she-ass and the foal, and threw their outer garments on them. So He sat on them;
And got the ass and the young one, and put their clothing on them, and he took his seat on it.
and brought the donkey and the colt, and placed their clothes on them; and he sat on them.
And they brought the donkey and the colt, and they laid their garments on them, and they helped him sit upon them.
They led the ass and the foal back, and, when they had put their cloaks on them, he seated himself on them.

*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.


Historical Commentaries

Scholarly Analysis and Interpretation.

And put on them their clothes - This was done as a token of respect, 2-Kings 9:13.

And put on them their clothes - Thus acknowledging him to be their king, for this was a custom observed by the people when they found that God had appointed a man to the kingdom. When Jehu sat with the captains of the army, and Elisha the prophet came, by the order of God, to anoint him king over Israel, as soon as he came out of the inner chamber into which the prophet had taken him to anoint him, and they knew what was done, every man took his garment, and spread it under him on the top of the steps, and blew the trumpets, saying, "Jehu is king." 2-Kings 9:13.
And they set him thereon - Και επεκαθισεν επανω αυτων, and he sat upon them; but instead of επανω αυτων, upon Them, the Codex Bezae, seven copies of the Itala, some copies of the Vulgate, and some others, read επ' αυτον, upon him, i.e. the colt. This is most likely to be the true reading; for we can scarcely suppose that he rode upon both by turns, - this would appear childish; or that he rode upon both at once, for this would be absurd. Some say he sat on both; for "the ass that was tied up was an emblem of the Jews bound under the yoke of the law; and the colt that had not been tied represented the Gentiles who were not under the law; and that Jesus Christ's sitting on both represented his subjecting the Jews and the Gentiles to the sway of his evangelical scepter." He who can receive this saying, let him receive it.

And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their (c) clothes, and they set [him] (d) thereon.
(c) Their uppermost garment.
(d) Upon their garments, not upon the ass and the colt.

And brought the ass and the colt,.... To Jesus, as Mark and Luke add, and who only make mention of the colt: both were undoubtedly brought; the colt being unloosed and taken away, the ass, its dam, followed after:
and put on them their clothes; their loose upper garments, to be instead of saddles and trappings, and that Christ might sit thereon with ease and decency: the other evangelists say, that they cast their garments on the colt; and the Syriac version here reads, "they put their garments on the colt, and Jesus rode upon it": but as both were brought, it is clear from hence, that their clothes were put upon both; not knowing which Christ would choose to ride on. And it should seem, that it was not unusual to put garments on asses to ride on; for the Targumist on Judges 5:10 represents the princes of Israel as riding upon asses, strewed or saddled with all kind of "painted garments". The Persic version, without the least colour of authority from the original text, renders it, "and Jesus put his own garment on the colt, and sat thereon"; which is ridiculous, as well as contrary to truth:
and they sat him thereon, or "on them": meaning either on the ass and colt, that is, on one of them, or both successively, or on the clothes they put upon them.

They set him thereon. Hitherto he had entered the holy city on foot; this day he would enter as David and the judges of Israel were wont--riding on the ass.

They set him thereon - That is, on the clothes.

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