Verse Lens · Concise explanation
Matthew 21:30 Explained in Context
Use this verse as a doorway into the larger passage—not as an isolated saying.
Verse 30. 30And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
King James Version — public domain in the United States · Bible text and permissions
Quick Meaning
Reports the second son's verbal agreement followed by inaction.
Read It With
- Matthew 21:28–21:32
Matthew 21:30 reports the second son's verbal agreement followed by inaction; within Matthew 21:28–21:32, it contributes to this controlling movement: One son refuses then goes, another promises then does not, and Jesus applies the contrast to tax collectors and prostitutes responding to John's righteous way before resistant leaders.
Why This Verse Appears Here
Reports the second son's verbal agreement followed by inaction. This precise contribution belongs inside “Two sons expose the gap between words and response” because One son refuses then goes, another promises then does not, and Jesus applies the contrast to tax collectors and prostitutes responding to John's righteous way before resistant leaders.
What Remains True
Because Matthew 21:30 reports the second son's verbal agreement followed by inaction, faithful readers should preserve this verse's exact role, first setting, affected people, and the complete movement of Matthew 21:28–21:32 before naming an enduring conclusion.
How It Can Shape Life
- For Matthew 21:30, first state this verse-specific contribution—reports the second son's verbal agreement followed by inaction; then explain it inside Matthew 21:28–21:32; preserve the source-controlled uncertainty—The application concerns response to John and particular leaders; stigmatized workers are not romanticized, and the saying does not condemn Jewish identity.; and refuse this misuse: This parable does not use sex workers as insults, excuse exploitation, authorize antisemitism, or teach that stated belief never matters.
Continue in Context
The full thought-unit study remains the final contextual authority for this Verse Lens.
Read Matthew 21:28–21:32 — Two sons expose the gap between words and responseSources used for this Verse Lens
How certain is this explanation? strong
These are the sources used directly for this lens. Language, grammar, disagreements, and the complete source shelf remain attached to the full thought-unit research record.
Biblical text
King James (Authorized) Version — eng-kjv2006
eBible.org and CrossWire Bible Society
USFM archive eng-kjv2006_usfm.zip; source files dated 2026-08-19; downloaded 2026-08-24; archive SHA-256 aec1b3b26c622fd3d963d2bbac963016b9513246ffbfa20da00bb100372ea007; normalized corpus SHA-256 09aef51d90488aa7b9722b3fd9a93f4b25f6bf2064c5fd798fb39673c300ddf2.
Supports: Exact displayed KJV wording, order, paragraph metadata, supplied-word markup, and thought-unit coverage.
Exact location: Matthew 21:28–21:32, pinned eng-kjv2006 USFM-derived repository corpus
Open source ↗Greek textual evidence
The Greek New Testament: SBL Edition
Michael W. Holmes, editor; Society of Biblical Literature and Logos
Society of Biblical Literature and Logos Bible Software, 2010
Supports: Greek wording and punctuation control without treating one edition as a complete apparatus.
Exact location: SBLGNT official text file data/sblgnt/text/Matt.txt, Matthew 21:28–21:32
Open the Matthew Greek text file ↗Lexical and grammatical evidence
STEP Bible Data
Tyndale House Cambridge
Tyndale House Cambridge, repository snapshot verified 2026
Supports: Morphology and lexical cross-check for the expressions actually discussed in this thought unit.
Exact location: STEP Bible Data TAGNT rows for Matthew 21:28–21:32
Open source ↗open translation and translator notes
NET Bible: Matthew with Translators' and Textual Notes
Biblical Studies Press
Biblical Studies Press, 2005-2026 online edition
Supports: Verse-attached textual, translation, language, historical, Jewish-background, and Synoptic notes for this unit.
Exact location: NET Bible Matthew PDF, printed pp. 1808-1867, exact tn/tc/sn entries attached to 21:28–21:32
Open source ↗