The Triumphal Entry

21 And when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village before you, and right away you will find a donkey tied and a colt with her. Untie them[a] and[b] bring them[c] to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you will say, ‘The Lord needs them,’[d] and he will send them at once.” Now this took place so that what was spoken through the prophet would be fulfilled, saying,

“Say to the daughter of Zion,
    ‘Behold, your king is coming to you,
humble and mounted on a donkey,
    and[e] on a colt, the foal of a pack animal.’”[f]

So the disciples went[g] and did[h] just as Jesus directed them, and[i] brought the donkey and the colt and put their[j] cloaks on them, and he sat on them. And a very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them[k] on the road. And the crowds who went ahead of him and the ones who followed were shouting, saying,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord![l]
    Hosanna in the highest heaven!”[m]

10 And when[n] he entered into Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth of Galilee!”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 21:2 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  2. Matthew 21:2 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participle (“untie”) has been translated as a finite verb
  3. Matthew 21:2 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  4. Matthew 21:3 Literally “has need of them”
  5. Matthew 21:5 Or “even”
  6. Matthew 21:5 A quotation from Zech 9:9
  7. Matthew 21:6 Here the participle (“went”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style
  8. Matthew 21:6 Here the participle (“did”) is translated as a finite verb because of English style
  9. Matthew 21:7 Here “and” is supplied because the previous participles (“went” and “did” in the previous verse) have been translated as finite verbs
  10. Matthew 21:7 Literally “the”; the Greek article is used here as a possessive pronoun
  11. Matthew 21:8 Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation
  12. Matthew 21:9 A quotation from Ps 118:25–26
  13. Matthew 21:9 *Here “heaven” is understood
  14. Matthew 21:10 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the temporal genitive absolute participle (“entered”)

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem as King(A)(B)

21 As they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,(C) Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.”

This took place to fulfill(D) what was spoken through the prophet:

“Say to Daughter Zion,
    ‘See, your king comes to you,
gentle and riding on a donkey,
    and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”[a](E)

The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on. A very large crowd spread their cloaks(F) on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna[b] to the Son of David!”(G)

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[c](H)

“Hosanna[d] in the highest heaven!”(I)

10 When Jesus entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred and asked, “Who is this?”

11 The crowds answered, “This is Jesus, the prophet(J) from Nazareth in Galilee.”

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 21:5 Zech. 9:9
  2. Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15
  3. Matthew 21:9 Psalm 118:25,26
  4. Matthew 21:9 A Hebrew expression meaning “Save!” which became an exclamation of praise; also in verse 15