No man putteth a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, for that which is put in to fill it up taketh from the garment, and the rent is made worse.
What does Matthew 9:16 mean?
John was at this time in prison; his circumstances, his character, and the nature of the message he was sent to deliver, led those who were peculiarly attached to him, to keep frequent fasts.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside Matthew 9:14-17 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Matthew 9:16
No man putteth a piece of new cloth ... - A second illustration was drawn from a well-known fact, showing also that there was "a propriety or fitness of things." None of you, says he, in mending an old garment, would take a piece of entire new cloth. There would be a waste in it. An old piece, or a piece like the garment, would be better. The word here translated "new," in the original means "rude, undressed, not fulled" by the cloth-dresser.
Key words
- a piece of new
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a piece of new.
- the old garment
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the old garment.
- a piece of new
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a piece of new.
- the old garment
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the old garment.
Context in Matthew 9
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Matthew 9 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as ministry and teaching blocks. Matthew presents Jesus as Davidic Messiah, new Moses, teacher of the kingdom, suffering Son of Man, and risen Lord who commissions the nations. Read this chapter with the wider themes of fulfillment, kingdom of heaven, and discipleship in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.