the ivp new testament commentary series

Matthew

Craig S. Keener

Grant R. Osborne

series editor

D. Stuart Briscoe

Haddon Robinson

consulting editors

InterVarsity Press
P.O. Box 1400, Downers Grove, IL 60515, USA
38 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GP, England

Copyright 1997 by Craig S. Keener

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of InterVarsity Press.

InterVarsity Press, U.S.A., is the book-publishing division of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship®, a student movement active on campus at hundreds of universities, colleges and schools of nursing in the United States of America, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and regional activities, write Public Relations Dept., InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, 6400 Schroeder Rd., P.O. Box 7895, Madison, WI 53707–7895.

Inter-Varsity Press, England, is the book-publishing division of the Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (formerly the Inter-Varsity Fellowship), a student movement linking Christian Unions in universities and colleges throughout the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland, and a member movement of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. For information about local and national activities write to UCCF, 38 De Montfort Street, Leicester LE1 7GP.

All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House and Hodder and Stoughton Ltd. All rights reserved.

USA ISBN 0-8308-1801-4
UK ISBN 0-85111-682-5

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Kenner, Craig S., 1960-
Matthew / Craig S. Keener.
p.cm. -(IVP New Testament commentary series; 1)
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 0-8308-1801-4 (alk. paper)
1. Bible. N.T. Matthew-Commentaries.I. Title. II. Series.
BS2575.3.K44 1997
226.2’07-dc21 96–36847

CIP

British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

To my dear brothers and sisters in Christ
at Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church and
Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, in North Carolina,
and the intensely devoted students
of New Generation Campus Ministries’ and Youth United’s
Leadership Training School

General Preface

Acknowledgments

Abbreviations

Introduction

Outline of Matthew

Commentary

Bibliography

General Preface

In an age of proliferating commentary series, one might easily ask why add yet another to the seeming glut. The simplest answer is that no other series has yet achieved what we had in mind—a series to and from the church, that seeks to move from the text to its contemporary relevance and application.

No other series offers the unique ...