Matthew 18:18
New International Version
“Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

New Living Translation
“I tell you the truth, whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

English Standard Version
Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Berean Standard Bible
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Berean Literal Bible
Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

King James Bible
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

New King James Version
“Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

New American Standard Bible
Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

NASB 1995
“Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

NASB 1977
“Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Legacy Standard Bible
Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Amplified Bible
I assure you and most solemnly say to you, whatever you bind [forbid, declare to be improper and unlawful] on earth shall have [already] been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose [permit, declare lawful] on earth shall have [already] been loosed in heaven.

Christian Standard Bible
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will have been loosed in heaven.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
I assure you: Whatever you bind on earth is already bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth is already loosed in heaven.

American Standard Version
Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Contemporary English Version
I promise you God in heaven will allow whatever you allow on earth, but God will not allow anything you don't allow.

English Revised Version
Verily I say unto you, What things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
I can guarantee this truth: Whatever you imprison, God will imprison. And whatever you set free, God will set free.

Good News Translation
"And so I tell all of you: what you prohibit on earth will be prohibited in heaven, and what you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.

International Standard Version
"I tell all of you with certainty, whatever you prohibit on earth will have been prohibited in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will have been permitted in heaven.

Majority Standard Bible
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

NET Bible
"I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will have been released in heaven.

New Heart English Bible
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Webster's Bible Translation
Verily I say to you, Whatever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

Weymouth New Testament
I solemnly tell you that whatever you as a Church bind on earth will in Heaven be held as bound, and whatever you loose on earth will in Heaven be held to be loosed.

World English Bible
Most certainly I tell you, whatever things you bind on earth will have been bound in heaven, and whatever things you release on earth will have been released in heaven.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
Truly I say to you, whatever things you may bind on the earth will be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things you may loose on the earth will be having been loosed in the heavens.

Berean Literal Bible
Truly I say to you, whatever you shall bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you shall loose on the earth shall have been loosed in heaven.

Young's Literal Translation
'Verily I say to you, Whatever things ye may bind upon the earth shall be having been bound in the heavens, and whatever things ye may loose on the earth shall be having been loosed in the heavens.

Smith's Literal Translation
Truly I say to you, Whatever things ye should bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever things ye should loose upon earth shall be loosed in heaven.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
Amen I say to you, whatsoever you shall bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven; and whatsoever you shall loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in heaven.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Amen I say to you, whatever you will have bound on earth, shall be bound also in heaven, and whatever you will have released on earth, shall be released also in heaven.

New American Bible
Amen, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

New Revised Standard Version
Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
Truly I say to you, Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And truly I say to you, everything whatsoever you will bind in the earth will have been bound in Heaven, and anything that you will release in the earth will have been released in Heaven.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Verily, I say to you, my disciples, Whatever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

Godbey New Testament
Truly I say unto you, that whatsoever things you may bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever things you may loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Haweis New Testament
Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever things ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever things ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Mace New Testament
I declare unto you, "whatever things ye disallow on earth, are disallow'd by heaven: and whatever ye authorize on earth, are authoriz'd by heaven."

Weymouth New Testament
I solemnly tell you that whatever you as a Church bind on earth will in Heaven be held as bound, and whatever you loose on earth will in Heaven be held to be loosed.

Worrell New Testament
Verily, I say to you, whatsoever ye bind upon the earth shall have been bound in Heaven, and whatsoever ye loose on the earth shall have been loosed in Heaven.

Worsley New Testament
Verily I say unto you, whatsoever ye shall bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
A Brother who Sins
17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector. 18Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19Again, I tell you truly that if two of you on the earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by My Father in heaven.…

Cross References
John 20:23
If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

Matthew 16:19
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

John 16:23-24
In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you. / Until now you have not asked for anything in My name. Ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.

1 John 5:14-15
And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. / And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.

James 5:16
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man has great power to prevail.

Mark 11:24
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

Luke 11:9-10
So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. / For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

1 Corinthians 5:4-5
When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus, / hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 2:10
If you forgive anyone, I also forgive him. And if I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven it in the presence of Christ for your sake,

Acts 15:28-29
It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond these essential requirements: / You must abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.

Isaiah 22:22
I will place on his shoulder the key to the house of David. What he opens no one can shut, and what he shuts no one can open.

Job 22:28
Your decisions will be carried out, and light will shine on your ways.

Genesis 18:18-19
Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and through him all the nations of the earth will be blessed. / For I have chosen him, so that he will command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing what is right and just, in order that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has promised.”

Deuteronomy 19:15
A lone witness is not sufficient to establish any wrongdoing or sin against a man, regardless of what offense he may have committed. A matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.

Numbers 30:2
If a man makes a vow to the LORD or swears an oath to obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word; he must do everything he has promised.


Treasury of Scripture

Truly I say to you, Whatever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Matthew 16:19
And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

John 20:23
Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.

Acts 15:23-31
And they wrote letters by them after this manner; The apostles and elders and brethren send greeting unto the brethren which are of the Gentiles in Antioch and Syria and Cilicia: …

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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.














Truly I tell you
This phrase is a translation of the Greek word "ἀμὴν" (amen), which is often used by Jesus to emphasize the truth and importance of His statements. In the Jewish tradition, "amen" is a declaration of affirmation, often used at the end of prayers to mean "so be it" or "it is true." Here, Jesus uses it at the beginning of His statement to underscore the certainty and authority of His words. This introduction sets the tone for the gravity of the teaching that follows, indicating that what He is about to say is of utmost importance and should be received with full assurance of its truth.

whatever you bind on earth
The term "bind" comes from the Greek word "δέω" (deo), which means to tie or fasten. In a Jewish legal context, to "bind" something was to declare it forbidden or unlawful. This phrase suggests the authority given to the disciples to make binding decisions regarding the community of believers. Historically, this reflects the rabbinic practice of binding and loosing, which involved making authoritative decisions on the interpretation and application of the law. In the context of the church, this can be seen as the authority to establish or prohibit certain practices or teachings, always in alignment with God's will.

will be bound in heaven
This part of the verse indicates a divine endorsement of the decisions made by the disciples on earth. The passive voice "will be bound" suggests that it is God who ultimately enacts these decisions in heaven. This reflects the close relationship between the earthly church and the heavenly realm, where the actions and decisions made by the church are in harmony with God's will. It underscores the responsibility and accountability of the church leaders to seek divine guidance and wisdom in their decisions.

and whatever you loose on earth
The word "loose" is translated from the Greek "λύω" (luo), meaning to release or set free. In the same way that "bind" refers to prohibiting, "loose" refers to permitting or allowing. This phrase indicates the authority to declare something permissible or lawful within the community of believers. It highlights the role of the church in discerning and applying the teachings of Jesus in a way that is faithful to the gospel and responsive to the needs of the community.

will be loosed in heaven
Similar to the binding, this phrase assures that the decisions to permit or allow certain practices on earth are also recognized and affirmed in heaven. It emphasizes the divine backing of the church's authority when exercised in accordance with God's will. This assurance provides confidence to the church leaders that their faithful and prayerful decisions are supported by God, reinforcing the unity between the church's earthly mission and the heavenly kingdom.

(18) Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth.--(See Note on Matthew 16:19.) The promise before made to Peter is now extended not only to the other Apostles, but to the whole society of which they were the representatives, and is, of course, to be understood as dependent on the same implied, though not expressed, condition. So far as the Ecclesia was true to its Lord, and guided by His Spirit, it was not to think that its decisions depended on any temporal power. They were clothed, as truth and righteousness are ever clothed, with a divine authority. As connected with the treatment of individual offenders, the words "bind" and "loose" may seem here to approximate more closely than in Matthew 16:19, to "condemning" and "absolving" in their force, but there is no ground for setting aside, even here, their received meaning in the language of the scribes. The Christian had to apply general laws to particular instances. The trial of each offender became a ruling case. It was binding or loosing, directly as interpreting the Law, only secondarily and indirectly as punishing or pardoning.

Verse 18. - The following words are addressed, not, as the preceding verse, to the offended Christian, but to the apostles, as possessed of some superior powers above those of any individual congregation. Verily I say unto you. The Lord solemnly confers the grant made to Peter (Matthew 16:19) on the whole apostolate. The binding and loosing, in a restricted sense, and in logical connection with what precedes, refer to the confirmation and authorization of the sentence of the Ecclesia, which is not valid, so to speak, in the heavenly court till endorsed by Christ's representatives - the apostles. Whether the verdict was the excommunication of the offender ("bind") or his pardon and restoration ("loose"), the ratification of the apostles was required, and would be made good in heaven. The treatment of the incestuous Christian by St. Paul is a practical comment on this passage. The congregation decides on the man's guilt, but St. Paul "binds" him, retains his sins, and delivers him to Satan (1 Corinthians 5:1-5); and when on his repentance he is forgiven, it is the apostle who "looses" him, acting as the representative of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:10). In a general sense, the judicial and disciplinary powers of the Christian priesthood have been founded on this passage, which from early times has been used in the service of ordination. Each body of Christians has its own way of interpreting the promise. While some opine that, speaking in Christ's name and with his authority, the priest can pronounce or withhold pardon; others believe that external discipline is all that is intended; others again think that the terms are satisfied by the ministration of the Word and sacraments, as a physician gives health by prescribing remedies.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Truly
Ἀμὴν (Amēn)
Hebrew Word
Strong's 281: Of Hebrew origin; properly, firm, i.e. trustworthy; adverbially, surely.

I tell
λέγω (legō)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

you,
ὑμῖν (hymin)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

whatever
ὅσα (hosa)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3745: How much, how great, how many, as great as, as much. By reduplication from hos; as As.

you bind
δήσητε (dēsēte)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 1210: To bind, tie, fasten; I impel, compel; I declare to be prohibited and unlawful. A primary verb; to bind.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

earth
γῆς (gēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.

will be
ἔσται (estai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

bound
δεδεμένα (dedemena)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 1210: To bind, tie, fasten; I impel, compel; I declare to be prohibited and unlawful. A primary verb; to bind.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

heaven,
οὐρανῷ (ouranō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

whatever
ὅσα (hosa)
Personal / Relative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3745: How much, how great, how many, as great as, as much. By reduplication from hos; as As.

you loose
λύσητε (lysēte)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 3089: A primary verb; to 'loosen'.

on
ἐπὶ (epi)
Preposition
Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at.

earth
γῆς (gēs)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 1093: Contracted from a primary word; soil; by extension a region, or the solid part or the whole of the terrene globe.

will be
ἔσται (estai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

loosed
λελυμένα (lelymena)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Nominative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3089: A primary verb; to 'loosen'.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

heaven.
οὐρανῷ (ouranō)
Noun - Dative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3772: Perhaps from the same as oros; the sky; by extension, heaven; by implication, happiness, power, eternity; specially, the Gospel.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 18:18 Most certainly I tell you whatever things (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 18:17
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