Matthew 21:18
New International Version
Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry.

New Living Translation
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to Jerusalem, he was hungry,

English Standard Version
In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry.

Berean Standard Bible
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry.

Berean Literal Bible
And in the morning, having come back into the city, He became hungry.

King James Bible
Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered.

New King James Version
Now in the morning, as He returned to the city, He was hungry.

New American Standard Bible
Now in the early morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.

NASB 1995
Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.

NASB 1977
Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry.

Amplified Bible
Now early in the morning, as Jesus was coming back to the city, He was hungry.

Christian Standard Bible
Early in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
Early in the morning, as He was returning to the city, He was hungry.

American Standard Version
Now in the morning as he returned to the city, he hungered.

Contemporary English Version
When Jesus got up the next morning, he was hungry. He started out for the city,

English Revised Version
Now in the morning as he returned to the city, he hungered.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
In the morning, as Jesus returned to the city, he became hungry.

Good News Translation
On his way back to the city early next morning, Jesus was hungry.

International Standard Version
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, he became hungry.

Majority Standard Bible
In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry.

NET Bible
Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.

New Heart English Bible
Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.

Webster's Bible Translation
Now in the morning as he was returning into the city, he was hungry.

Weymouth New Testament
Early in the morning as He was on His way to return to the city He was hungry,

World English Bible
Now in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and in the morning turning back to the city, He hungered,

Berean Literal Bible
And in the morning, having come back into the city, He became hungry.

Young's Literal Translation
and in the morning turning back to the city, he hungered,

Smith's Literal Translation
And in the morn, having returned into the city, he hungered.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And in the morning, returning into the city, he was hungry.

Catholic Public Domain Version
Then, as he was returning to the city in the morning, he was hungry.

New American Bible
When he was going back to the city in the morning, he was hungry.

New Revised Standard Version
In the morning, when he returned to the city, he was hungry.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
In the morning, as he returned to the city, he became hungry.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But at dawn when he returned to the city he was hungry.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
Now in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry:

Godbey New Testament
And in the morning going into the city, He was hungry.

Haweis New Testament
Now in the morning, when returning into the city, he was hungry:

Mace New Testament
In the morning as he returned into the city, he was a hungry.

Weymouth New Testament
Early in the morning as He was on His way to return to the city He was hungry,

Worrell New Testament
And in the morning, returning into the city, He hungered.

Worsley New Testament
Now in the morning as He was returning to the city, He was hungry;

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Barren Fig Tree
17Then He left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where He spent the night. 18 In the morning, as Jesus was returning to the city, He was hungry. 19Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. “May you never bear fruit again!” He said. And immediately the tree withered.…

Cross References
Mark 11:12-14
The next day, when they had left Bethany, Jesus was hungry. / Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if there was any fruit on it. But when He reached it, He found nothing on it except leaves, since it was not the season for figs. / Then He said to the tree, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again.” And His disciples heard this statement.

Luke 13:6-9
Then Jesus told this parable: “A man had a fig tree that was planted in his vineyard. He went to look for fruit on it but did not find any. / So he said to the keeper of the vineyard, ‘Look, for the past three years I have come to search for fruit on this fig tree and haven’t found any. Therefore cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?’ / ‘Sir,’ the man replied, ‘leave it alone again this year, until I dig around it and fertilize it. ...

John 15:1-6
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. / He cuts off every branch in Me that bears no fruit, and every branch that does bear fruit, He prunes to make it even more fruitful. / You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ...

Isaiah 5:1-7
I will sing for my beloved a song of his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. / He dug it up and cleared the stones and planted the finest vines. He built a watchtower in the middle and dug out a winepress as well. He waited for the vineyard to yield good grapes, but the fruit it produced was sour! / “And now, O dwellers of Jerusalem and men of Judah, I exhort you to judge between Me and My vineyard. ...

Jeremiah 8:13
I will take away their harvest, declares the LORD. There will be no grapes on the vine, nor figs on the tree, and even the leaf will wither. Whatever I have given them will be lost to them.”

Hosea 9:10
I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness. I saw your fathers as the firstfruits of the fig tree in its first season. But they went to Baal-peor, and consecrated themselves to Shame; so they became as detestable as the thing they loved.

Micah 7:1
Woe is me! For I am like one gathering summer fruit at the gleaning of the vineyard; there is no cluster to eat, no early fig that I crave.

Matthew 7:16-20
By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? / Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. / A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ...

Matthew 3:10
The 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.

John 1:48-50
“How do You know me?” Nathanael asked. Jesus replied, “Before Philip called you, I saw you under the fig tree.” / “Rabbi,” Nathanael answered, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” / Jesus said to him, “Do you believe just because I told you I saw you under the fig tree? You will see greater things than these.”

James 3:12
My brothers, can a fig tree grow olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.

Psalm 1:3
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, yielding its fruit in season, whose leaf does not wither, and who prospers in all he does.

Psalm 92:12-14
The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. / Planted in the house of the LORD, they will flourish in the courts of our God. / In old age they will still bear fruit; healthy and green they will remain,

Ezekiel 17:24
Then all the trees of the field will know that I am the LORD. I bring the tall tree down and make the low tree tall. I dry up the green tree and make the withered tree flourish. I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it.’”

Ezekiel 19:10-14
Your mother was like a vine in your vineyard, planted by the water; it was fruitful and full of branches because of the abundant waters. / It had strong branches, fit for a ruler’s scepter. It towered high above the thick branches, conspicuous for its height and for its dense foliage. / But it was uprooted in fury, cast down to the ground, and the east wind dried up its fruit. Its strong branches were stripped off and they withered; the fire consumed them. ...


Treasury of Scripture

Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungry.

in.

Mark 11:12,13
And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, he was hungry: …

he hungered.

Matthew 4:2
And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred.

Matthew 12:1
At that time Jesus went on the sabbath day through the corn; and his disciples were an hungred, and began to pluck the ears of corn, and to eat.

Luke 4:2
Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

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Matthew 21
1. Jesus rides into Jerusalem upon a donkey
12. drives the buyers and sellers out of the temple;
17. curses the fig tree;
23. puts to silence the priests and elders,
28. and rebukes them by the parable of the two sons,
33. and the husbandmen who slew such as were sent to them.














In the morning
This phrase sets the scene for the events that follow, indicating the time of day. Mornings in the biblical context often symbolize new beginnings and fresh starts. The Greek word for "morning" is "πρωΐ" (proi), which can also imply the early hours, a time of preparation and anticipation. In the context of Jesus' ministry, mornings often marked the start of significant teachings and actions. This particular morning follows Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, a pivotal moment in His earthly ministry.

as Jesus was returning to the city
The city referred to here is Jerusalem, the spiritual and cultural heart of Israel. Jesus' return to the city signifies His continued mission and the fulfillment of His purpose. The Greek word "ἐπανῆλθεν" (epanēlthen) for "returning" suggests a deliberate and purposeful action. Jerusalem holds deep historical and theological significance as the site of the Temple, the center of Jewish worship, and the prophesied location of the Messiah's work. Jesus' movements in and out of the city during this period are laden with prophetic fulfillment and divine intention.

He was hungry
This phrase highlights Jesus' humanity, reminding us that He experienced physical needs just as we do. The Greek word "ἐπείνασεν" (epeinasen) for "was hungry" underscores His genuine human experience. This moment of hunger is not merely a physical state but also serves as a prelude to the teaching and symbolic act that follows with the fig tree. It reflects the reality of Jesus' incarnation, fully God yet fully man, experiencing the same bodily needs and limitations. This hunger also sets the stage for a deeper spiritual lesson about fruitfulness and faith, as Jesus uses His physical hunger to illustrate a profound spiritual truth.

(18) In the morning.--The word implies "daybreak," probably about 5 A.M. This was the usual Jewish time for the first food of the day. If we may infer from Luke 21:37, John 18:1, that the greater part of the night had been spent either in solitary prayer or in converse with the disciples, we have an explanation of the exhaustion which sought food wherever there might seem even a chance of finding it.

Verses 18-22. - The cursing of the barren fig tree. (Mark 11:12-14:, 20-26.) Verse 18. - In the morning (πρωίας, which implies a very early time of the day, and is a term used for the fourth or last watch of the night, Mark 1:35). St. Matthew has combined in one view a transaction which had two separate stages, as we gather from the narrative of St. Mark. The curse was uttered on the Monday morning, before the cleansing of the temple; the effect was beheld and the lesson given on the Tuesday, when Jesus was visiting Jerusalem for the third time (vers. 20-22). Strauss and his followers, resenting the miraculous in the incident, have imagined that the whole story is merely an embodiment and development of the parable of the fruitless fig tree recorded by St. Luke (Luke 13:6, etc.), which in course of time assumed this historical form. There is no ground whatever for this idea. It claims to be, and doubtless is, the account of a real fact, naturally connected with the circumstances of the time, and of great practical importance. He hungered. True Man, he showed the weakness of his human nature, even when about to exert his power in the Divine. There is no need, rather it is unseemly to suppose (as many old commentators have done), that this hunger was miraculous or assumed, in order to give occasion for the coming miracle. Christ had either passed the night on the mountain-side in prayer and fasting, or had started from his lodging without breaking his fast. His followers do not seem to have suffered in the same way; and it was doubtless owing to his mental preoccupation and self-forgetfulness that the Lord had not attended to bodily wants.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
In the morning,
Πρωῒ (Prōi)
Adverb
Strong's 4404: Early in the morning, at dawn. Adverb from pro; at dawn; by implication, the day-break watch.

as [Jesus] was returning
ἐπανάγων (epanagōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 1877: From epi and anago; to lead up on, i.e. to put out; to return.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

the
τὴν (tēn)
Article - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

city,
πόλιν (polin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4172: A city, the inhabitants of a city. Probably from the same as polemos, or perhaps from polus; a town.

He was hungry.
ἐπείνασεν (epeinasen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 3983: To be hungry, needy, desire earnestly. From the same as penes; to famish; figuratively, to crave.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 21:18 Now in the morning as he returned (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 21:17
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