Matthew · 17 verses

Matthew 3

Every verse links to the people and places named in it, and to the passages readers connect it with.

The chapter

What happens here

Atlas's own reading, written from this chapter and nothing else, and published only once a person has approved it. Each scene names the verses it covers; the names inside it link to the people and places they name.

John baptizes a crowd, rebukes its distinguished visitors, and then finds Jesus asking to be baptized by him.

John in the wildernessvv. 1–12

John appears in the wilderness of Judea with a message about repentance and a kingdom near at hand. His clothing and menu receive the same plain attention as his preaching: camel’s hair, a leather belt, locusts, and wild honey. People stream out from Jerusalem, Judea, and the Jordan region to confess their sins and be baptized. When Pharisees and Sadducees arrive, John greets them as a brood of vipers and demands fruit worthy of repentance. The sermon then fills with stones, axes, trees, threshing floors, wheat, chaff, and fire—a remarkably busy countryside for one short warning.

The baptism of Jesusvv. 13–17

Jesus comes from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John, and John immediately tries to stop the arrangement: the man doing the baptizing says he needs baptism from the man before him. Jesus gives one brief reply about fulfilling all righteousness, and John permits it. Then Jesus rises from the water, the heavens open, the Spirit of God descends like a dove, and a voice from heaven names Him as a beloved Son. The scene begins with John objecting and ends with heaven speaking.

The text

Read it

Berean Standard Bible, public domain. Names the Hebrew and Greek put in the verse link to the person, place or people they name; the address beside each verse is a link to that verse, which is what a reader copies and shares.

Matt 3:1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
Matt 3:2and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
Matt 3:3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
Matt 3:4 John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
Matt 3:5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan.
Matt 3:6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
Matt 3:7But when John saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his place of baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
Matt 3:8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance.
Matt 3:9And do not presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
Matt 3:10The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.
Matt 3:11I baptize you with water for repentance, but after me will come One more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
Matt 3:12His winnowing fork is in His hand to clear His threshing floor and to gather His wheat into the barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”
Matt 3:13At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.
Matt 3:14But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”
Matt 3:15“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.
Matt 3:16As soon as Jesus was baptized, He went up out of the water. Suddenly the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and resting on Him.
Matt 3:17And a voice from heaven said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased!”

01 — Also here

Who else the chapter reaches

Names written in the English are linked in the text above. These are the ones that are not: an entity the Hebrew or Greek names under a spelling the translation does not use, or one reached only by an assertion about a verse of this chapter.

Named in the Hebrew or Greek somewhere in this chapter, under a form the English renders differently — the registry's Ludim against the translation's Ludites — so there is no word in the sentence to hang the link on.

Reached by an assertion Atlas extracted from a verse of this chapter rather than by a name written in it — a pronoun, a title, or a participant the sentence carries without naming. This layer is model-read and measured at 88.6–90.3% precision, and it is kept separate from the names above for that reason.

02 — Read alongside

Where this is echoed

Readers' own connections, from OpenBible's crowd-voted cross-references — agreement about relevance, and not scholarly confidence. 353 passages were voted onto 17 verses of this chapter; the 16 shown lead on votes, and each is listed at the verse it was voted onto most strongly.

3 Isaiah 40:3A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
17 Isaiah 42:1“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My Chosen One, in whom My soul delights. I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will bring justice to the nations.
11 Isaiah 4:4when the Lord has washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains from the heart of Jerusalem by a spirit of judgment and a spirit of fire.
17 Matthew 17:5While Peter was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Listen to Him!”
11 Luke 3:16John answered all of them: “I baptize you with water, but One more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
17 Psalms 2:7I will proclaim the decree spoken to Me by the LORD: “You are My Son; today I have become Your Father.
2 Mark 1:15“The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”
2 Matthew 4:17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
8 Luke 3:8Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.
10 John 15:6If anyone does not remain in Me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers. Such branches are gathered up, thrown into the fire, and burned.
3 Malachi 3:1“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.
11 Acts 1:5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”
12 Malachi 4:1“For behold, the day is coming, burning like a furnace, when all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble; the day is coming when I will set them ablaze,” says the LORD of Hosts. “Not a root or branch will be left to them.”
16 Isaiah 11:2The Spirit of the LORD will rest on Him—the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and strength, the Spirit of knowledge and fear of the LORD.
8 Acts 26:20First to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, then to everyone in the region of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, I declared that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds worthy of their repentance.
10 Luke 3:9The axe lies ready at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”

Onward

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