The Meaning of Matthew 9:11 Explained

Matthew 9:11

KJV: And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?

YLT: and the Pharisees having seen, said to his disciples, 'Wherefore with the tax-gatherers and sinners doth your teacher eat?'

Darby: And the Pharisees seeing it, said to his disciples, Why does your teacher eat with tax-gatherers and sinners?

ASV: And when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Teacher with the publicans and sinners?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And  when the Pharisees  saw  [it], they said  unto his  disciples,  Why  eateth  your  Master  with  publicans  and  sinners? 

What does Matthew 9:11 Mean?

Study Notes

sinners
Sin.
sinned
Sin, Summary: The literal meanings of the Heb. and (Greek - ἀλεκτοροφωνία sin," "sinner," etc)., disclose the true nature of sin in its manifold manifestations. Sin is transgression, an overstepping of the law, the divine boundary between good and evil Psalms 51:1 ; Luke 15:29 , iniquity, an act inherently wrong, whether expressly forbidden or not; error, a departure from right; Psalms 51:9 ; Romans 3:23 , missing the mark, a failure to meet the divine standard; trespass, the intrusion of self-will into the sphere of divine authority Ephesians 2:1 , lawlessness, or spiritual anarchy 1 Timothy 1:9 , unbelief, or an insult to the divine veracity John 16:9 .
Sin originated with Satan Isaiah 14:12-14 , entered the world through Adam Romans 5:12 , was, and is, universal, Christ alone excepted; Romans 3:23 ; 1 Peter 2:22 , incurs the penalties of spiritual and physical death; Genesis 2:17 ; Genesis 3:19 ; Ezekiel 18:4 ; Ezekiel 18:20 ; Romans 6:23 and has no remedy but in the sacrificial death of Christ; Hebrews 9:26 ; Acts 4:12 availed of by faith Acts 13:38 ; Acts 13:39 . Sin may be summarized as threefold: An act, the violation of, or want of obedience to the revealed will of God; a state, absence of righteousness; a nature, enmity toward God.

Context Summary

Matthew 9:9-17 - The Friend Of Sinners
The name Levi indicates that Matthew sprang from a priestly line. He had lost all self-respect to become the abhorred instrument of the Roman government, collecting dues on the merchandise that crossed the lake. But our Lord sees veins of gold and precious gems in most unlikely places, and He detected the apostle and evangelist in this despised publican.
Wherever a man is found by Christ, He sets Himself to find others, and the Lord is willing to co-operate in any effort to bring others to know Him. He will sit with perfect grace among publicans and sinners, lifting them to His own pure and holy level. He is always to be found where there are sin-sick souls; and where hearts are famished for love and joy, He is with them as their bridegroom.
But the joy of Christ will make for itself its own impression. The ancient forms will not suffice. The old skin-bottle will not contain the ferment of the new wine. How wonderfully Christ could extract lessons from familiar objects! [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 9

1  Jesus heals a paralytic
9  calls Matthew from the receipt of custom;
10  eats with tax collectors and sinners;
14  defends his disciples for not fasting;
20  cures the sick woman;
23  raises Jairus' daughter from death;
27  gives sight to two blind men;
32  heals a mute man possessed of a demon;
36  and has compassion on the multitude

What do the individual words in Matthew 9:11 mean?

And having seen [it] the Pharisees said to disciples of Him Because of why with the tax collectors sinners eats the Teacher of you
καὶ ἰδόντες οἱ Φαρισαῖοι ἔλεγον τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ Διὰ τί μετὰ τῶν τελωνῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν ἐσθίει διδάσκαλος ὑμῶν

ἰδόντες  having  seen  [it] 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: εἶδον 
Sense: to see with the eyes.
Φαρισαῖοι  Pharisees 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: Φαρισαῖος  
Sense: A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile.
ἔλεγον  said 
Parse: Verb, Imperfect Indicative Active, 3rd Person Plural
Root: λέγω  
Sense: to speak, say.
μαθηταῖς  disciples 
Parse: Noun, Dative Masculine Plural
Root: μαθητής  
Sense: a learner, pupil, disciple.
αὐτοῦ  of  Him 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Root: αὐτός  
Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself.
Διὰ  Because  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
τί  why 
Parse: Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: τίς  
Sense: who, which, what.
τελωνῶν  tax  collectors 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: τελώνης  
Sense: a renter or farmer of taxes.
ἁμαρτωλῶν  sinners 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: ἁμαρτωλός  
Sense: devoted to sin, a sinner.
ἐσθίει  eats 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular
Root: ἐσθίω 
Sense: to eat.
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.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.