Matthew 9:13

“So go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.””
Matthew 9:13 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

Soδὲgoπορευθέντεςand learnμάθετεwhatτίthis means:ἐστιν‘I desireθέλωmercy,Ἔλεοςandκαὶnotοὐsacrifice.’θυσίανForγὰρI did notοὐcomeἦλθονto callκαλέσαιthe righteous,δικαίουςbutἀλλὰsinners.”ἁμαρτωλούς

Quotation · Hosea 6:6

Go to Hosea 6:6

Jesus quotes the first half of Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” In Hebrew, “mercy” is chesed, “loyal love.”

Formula: πορευθέντες δὲ μάθετε τί ἐστιν “go and learn what this means” (Matthew 9:13)

See the original texts

Greek of the New Testament: πορευθέντες δὲ μάθετε τί ἐστιν Ἔλεος θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν οὐ γὰρ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους ἀλλὰ ἁμαρτωλούς

Hebrew (Masoretic text): כִּי חֶסֶד חָפַצְתִּי וְלֹא זָבַח וְדַעַת אֱלֹהִים מֵעֹלוֹת

Septuagint (Hosea 6:6 in the Septuagint numbering): διότι ἔλεος θέλω ἡ θυσίαν, καὶ ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ ἢ ὁλοκαυτώματα.

In the Septuagint verse that most resembles it, at most 2 consecutive words match the Greek of the NT. The transcription has reading errors, so a match may not show.

Septuagint, Swete’s text, First1KGreek transcription (with reading errors), CC BY-SA 4.0

Matthew 9:13, word by word

goπορευθέντεςporeuthentes

To go somewhere, set out.

Where else “poreuthentes” appears

and learnμάθετεmathete

learn

To come to know or understand something by teaching or by experience.

Where else “mathete” appears

this meansἐστινestin

To be: says who or what something is.

Where else “estin” appears

‘I desireθέλωthelō

delight in

To be ready, or to delight in: "mercy is what I want".

Where else “thelō” appears

mercyἜλεοςEleos

mercy

Mercy: compassion that acts.

Where else “Eleos” appears

sacrifice.’θυσίανthysian

sacrifice

What was offered to God on the altar.

Where else “thysian” appears

comeἦλθονēlthon

come as Messiah

The coming of Jesus; "the one who comes" is the awaited one.

Where else “ēlthon” appears

to callκαλέσαιkalesai

call to life

God inviting someone to a new life.

Where else “kalesai” appears

the righteousδικαίουςdikaious

righteous

One who lives well, as God wants.

Where else “dikaious” appears

sinnersἁμαρτωλούςhamartōlous

sinner

Sinner; in the Pharisees' mouth, someone who did not keep the law.

Where else “hamartōlous” appears

Translation note

Hosea 6:6 according to the ancient Greek translation; the Hebrew says: I desire “loyal love” (chesed), and not sacrifice.

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

The call of Levi (Matthew)

Mark 2:13-17 Luke 5:27-32

See them side by side

Matthew 9:9-13

⁹And passing on from there, Jesus saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax booth; and he says to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. ¹⁰And it happened, as he was reclining at table in the house, that look, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples. ¹¹And seeing this, the Pharisees were saying to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with the tax collectors and sinners?” ¹²But he, hearing it, said, “The healthy have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill. ¹³So go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Mark 2:13-17

¹³And he went out again beside the sea; and all the crowd was coming to him, and he was teaching them. ¹⁴And as he passed by, he saw Levi the son of Alphaeus sitting at the tax booth, and he says to him, “Follow me.” And he got up and followed him. ¹⁵And it happens that he is reclining at table in his house, and many tax collectors and sinners were reclining with Jesus and his disciples; for there were many, and they were following him. ¹⁶And the scribes of the Pharisees, seeing that he was eating with the sinners and tax collectors, were saying to his disciples, “Why does he eat with the tax collectors and sinners?” ¹⁷And hearing it, Jesus says to them, “Those who are well have no need of a doctor, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Luke 5:27-32

²⁷And after this he went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax booth, and he said to him, “Follow me.” ²⁸And leaving behind everything, he got up and began following him. ²⁹And Levi gave a great banquet for him in his house; and there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were reclining at table with them. ³⁰And the Pharisees and their scribes were grumbling to his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?” ³¹And Jesus answered and said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a doctor, but those who are sick. ³²I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to a change of mind.”

Quotation · Hosea 6:6

Jesus quotes the first half of Hosea 6:6: “I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.” In Hebrew, “mercy” is chesed, “loyal love.”

See them side by side

Matthew 9:13

¹³So go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Hosea 6:6

⁶For I desire loyal love and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of Elohim more than burnt offerings.

The context

12But he, hearing it, said, “The healthy have no need of a doctor, but those who are ill.

13 · This verse (above)

14Then the disciples of John come to him, saying, “Why do we and the Pharisees fast often, but your disciples do not fast?”

Read all of Matthew 9

To study Matthew 9 in a group

1. What it says
What did Jesus say to the paralyzed man before healing him, and how did some scribes react (vv. 2–3)?
2. What it means
What did Jesus mean by “I did not come to call the righteous but sinners” as he sat with them (vv. 10–13)?
3. How I live it
Jesus saw the crowds with compassion (v. 36). Whom around you could you look at with more compassion today?

How to use it