The Meaning of Matthew 18:19 Explained

Matthew 18:19

KJV: Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.

YLT: Again, I say to you, that, if two of you may agree on the earth concerning anything, whatever they may ask -- it shall be done to them from my Father who is in the heavens,

Darby: Again I say to you, that if two of you shall agree on the earth concerning any matter, whatsoever it may be that they shall ask, it shall come to them from my Father who is in the heavens.

ASV: Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Again  I say  unto you,  That  if  two  of you  shall agree  on  earth  as touching  any  thing  that  they shall ask,  it shall be done  for them  of  my  Father  which  is in  heaven. 

What does Matthew 18:19 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 18:10-20 - Saving The Straying
How tenderly the Master speaks of the children! We must turn back to become like them, Matthew 18:3. To cause them to stumble is to incur terrible penalties, Matthew 18:6. Not one of them is to be despised, Matthew 18:10. Each has an angel from the Father's presence chamber-one of the most exalted-to take charge of him, Matthew 18:10. To seek and to save one of these, the Good Shepherd is prepared to traverse the mountain paths, Matthew 18:12. It is not the Father's will that one should perish.
When we have sinned against our brother, we must seek him out and be reconciled. See Matthew 5:23-24. But when our brother has sinned against us, we are to make three efforts before we give him up as hopeless. It is the presence of Jesus with His people that brings them into unison with the unseen world, so that their decisions and prayers are simultaneous with the divine mind. The Advocate-Paraclete in our hearts is at one with the Advocate-Paraclete on the throne, John 14:16. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 18

1  Jesus warns his disciples to be humble and harmless,
7  to avoid offenses,
10  and not to despise the little ones;
15  teaches how we are to deal with our brothers when they offend us,
21  and how often to forgive them;
23  which he sets forth by a parable of the king who took account of his servants,
32  and punished him who showed no mercy to his fellow servant

Greek Commentary for Matthew 18:19

Shall agree [συμπωνησωσιν]
Our word “symphony” is this very root. It is no longer looked at as a concord of voices, a chorus in harmony, though that would be very appropriate in a church meeting rather than the rasping discord sometimes heard even between two brethren or sisters. [source]
Of my Father [παρα του πατρος μου]
From the side of, “by my Father.” [source]
Shall agree [συμφωνήσουσιν]
From σύν , together, and φωνή , sound or voice. Transcribed in our word symphony. It has so far lost its distinctive character as a concord of voices as to be used for agreement in the deeper and more inward sense. [source]
Concerning anything that they shall ask [περὶ παντὸς πράγματος οὗ ἐὰν αἰτήσωνται]
The literal rendering is, if any thing, stronger: Everything, whatever it be, for which they may have asked. Wyc., Shall consent of everything whatever they shall ask. Tynd., Shall agree in any manner thing whatsoever they shall desire. The word πρᾶγμα , thing, is used like the Latin res; a matter, affair, business; with the meaning at bottom of something to be done, since it is cognate to the verb πράσσω , to do. Shall be done, however, is γενήσεται , it shall come to pass. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 18:19

Acts 1:14 With one accord [ὁμοθυμαδὸν]
See on agree, Matthew 18:19. [source]
Acts 1:14 With one accord [ομοτυμαδον]
Old adverb in δον — ̇don from adjective ομοτυμος — homothumos and that from ομος — homos same, and τυμος — thumos mind or spirit, with the same mind or spirit. Common in ancient Greek and papyri. In the N.T. eleven times in Acts and nowhere else save Romans 15:6. See note on Matthew 18:19. [source]
Acts 15:15 To this agree [τουτωι συμπωνουσιν]
Associative instrumental case (τουτωι — toutōi) after συμπωνουσιν — sumphōnousin (voice together with, symphony with, harmonize with), from συμπωνεω — sumphōneō old verb seen already in Matthew 18:19; Luke 5:36; Acts 5:9 which see. James cites only Amos 9:11, Amos 9:12 from the lxx as an example of “the words of the prophets” (οι λογοι των προπητων — hoi logoi tōn prophētōn) to which he refers on this point. The somewhat free quotation runs here through Acts 15:16-18 of Acts 15 and is exceedingly pertinent. The Jewish rabbis often failed to understand the prophets as Jesus showed. The passage in Amos refers primarily to the restoration of the Davidic empire, but also the Messiah‘s Kingdom (the throne of David his father,” Luke 1:32). [source]
2 Corinthians 6:15 Concord [συμφώνησις]
Only here in the New Testament. From σύν together φωνή voicePrimarily of the concord of sounds. So the kindred συφωνία , A.V., music, see on Luke 15:25. Compare σύμφωνος withconsent, 1 Corinthians 7:5; and συμφωνέω toagree, Matthew 18:19; Luke 5:36, etc. [source]
1 Thessalonians 4:6 In any matter [ἐν τῷ πράγματι]
Rev. correctly, in the matter. Comp. 2 Corinthians 7:11. The sense is the business in hand, whatever it be. The τῷ does not stand for τινι anyFor πράγματι , matter, see on Matthew 18:19. Those who connect this clause with the preceding, explain τῷ as the matter just mentioned - adultery. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 18:19 mean?

Again truly I say to you that if two might agree of you on the earth concerning any matter that they shall ask it will be done for them by the Father of Me who [is] in [the] heavens
Πάλιν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ἐὰν δύο συμφωνήσωσιν ἐξ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς περὶ παντὸς πράγματος οὗ αἰτήσωνται γενήσεται αὐτοῖς παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς

Πάλιν  Again 
Parse: Adverb
Root: πάλιν  
Sense: anew, again.
ἀμὴν  truly 
Parse: Hebrew Word
Root: ἀμήν  
Sense: firm.
λέγω  I  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
ὑμῖν  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
δύο  two 
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: δύο 
Sense: the two, the twain.
συμφωνήσωσιν  might  agree 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: συμφωνέω  
Sense: to agree together.
γῆς  earth 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: γῆ  
Sense: arable land.
περὶ  concerning 
Parse: Preposition
Root: περί 
Sense: about, concerning, on account of, because of, around, near.
παντὸς  any 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: πᾶς  
Sense: individually.
πράγματος  matter 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: πρᾶγμα  
Sense: that which has been done, a deed, an accomplished fact.
οὗ  that 
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Genitive Neuter Singular
Root: ὅς 
Sense: who, which, what, that.
αἰτήσωνται  they  shall  ask 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Middle, 3rd Person Plural
Root: αἰτέω  
Sense: to ask, beg, call for, crave, desire, require.
γενήσεται  it  will  be  done 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 3rd Person Singular
Root: γίνομαι  
Sense: to become, i.
αὐτοῖς  for  them 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Πατρός  Father 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root: προπάτωρ 
Sense: generator or male ancestor.
μου  of  Me 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular
Root: ἐγώ  
Sense: I, me, my.
τοῦ  who  [is] 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Singular
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
οὐρανοῖς  [the]  heavens 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: οὐρανός  
Sense: the vaulted expanse of the sky with all things visible in it.