Matthew 12:20
New International Version
A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory.

New Living Translation
He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. Finally he will cause justice to be victorious.

English Standard Version
a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory;

Berean Standard Bible
A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory.

Berean Literal Bible
A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not quench, until He leads justice to victory.

King James Bible
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory.

New King James Version
A bruised reed He will not break, And smoking flax He will not quench, Till He sends forth justice to victory;

New American Standard Bible
“A BENT REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A DIMLY BURNING WICK HE WILL NOT EXTINGUISH, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

NASB 1995
“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

NASB 1977
“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

Legacy Standard Bible
A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK OFF, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT PUT OUT, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

Amplified Bible
“A BATTERED REED HE WILL NOT BREAK, AND A SMOLDERING WICK HE WILL NOT EXTINGUISH, UNTIL HE LEADS JUSTICE TO VICTORY.

Christian Standard Bible
He will not break a bruised reed, and he will not put out a smoldering wick, until he has led justice to victory.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
He will not break a bruised reed, and He will not put out a smoldering wick, until He has led justice to victory.

American Standard Version
A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
He will not break off a fractured reed, and the lamp that flickers he will not extinguish until he will bring the verdict of innocence,

Contemporary English Version
He won't break off a bent reed or put out a dying flame, but he will make sure that justice is done.

Douay-Rheims Bible
The bruised reed he shall not break: and smoking flax he shall not extinguish: till he send forth judgment unto victory.

English Revised Version
A bruised reed shall he not break, And smoking flax shall he not quench, Till he send forth judgment unto victory.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
He will not break off a damaged cattail. He will not even put out a smoking wick until he has made justice victorious.

Good News Translation
He will not break off a bent reed, nor put out a flickering lamp. He will persist until he causes justice to triumph,

International Standard Version
He will not snap off a broken reed or snuff out a smoldering wick until he has brought justice through to victory.

Literal Standard Version
A bruised reed He will not break, | And smoking flax He will not quench, | Until He may put forth judgment to victory,

Majority Standard Bible
A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory.

New American Bible
A bruised reed he will not break, a smoldering wick he will not quench, until he brings justice to victory.

NET Bible
He will not break a bruised reed or extinguish a smoldering wick, until he brings justice to victory.

New Revised Standard Version
He will not break a bruised reed or quench a smoldering wick until he brings justice to victory.

New Heart English Bible
He won't break a bruised reed. And he won't put out a smoldering wick, until he leads justice to victory.

Webster's Bible Translation
A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he shall send forth judgment to victory.

Weymouth New Testament
A crushed reed He will not utterly break, nor will He quench the still smouldering wick, until He has led on Justice to victory.

World English Bible
He won’t break a bruised reed. He won’t quench a smoking flax, until he leads justice to victory.

Young's Literal Translation
a bruised reed he shall not break, and smoking flax he shall not quench, till he may put forth judgment to victory,

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
God's Chosen Servant
19He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. 20A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish, till He leads justice to victory. 21In His name the nations will put their hope.”…

Cross References
Isaiah 42:3
A bruised reed He will not break and a smoldering wick He will not extinguish; He will faithfully bring forth justice.

Matthew 11:7
As John's disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?


Treasury of Scripture

A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment to victory.

bruised.

Matthew 11:28
Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

2 Kings 18:21
Now, behold, thou trustest upon the staff of this bruised reed, even upon Egypt, on which if a man lean, it will go into his hand, and pierce it: so is Pharaoh king of Egypt unto all that trust on him.

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

till.

Psalm 98:1-3
A Psalm. O sing unto the LORD a new song; for he hath done marvellous things: his right hand, and his holy arm, hath gotten him the victory…

Isaiah 42:3,4
A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth…

Romans 15:17-19
I have therefore whereof I may glory through Jesus Christ in those things which pertain to God…

Jump to Previous
Battered Break Broken Bruised Burning Crushed Feebly Flax Forth Judgment Justice Leads Overcome Quench Reed Righteousness Smoking Smoldering Stem Utterly Victory Wick Won't
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Battered Break Broken Bruised Burning Crushed Feebly Flax Forth Judgment Justice Leads Overcome Quench Reed Righteousness Smoking Smoldering Stem Utterly Victory Wick Won't
Matthew 12
1. Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath,
3. by scripture,
9. by reason,
13. and by a miracle.
22. He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute;
24. and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub,
32. he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.
36. Account shall be made of idle words.
38. He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign,
46. and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother.














(20) A bruised reed shall he not break.--The prophet's words described a character of extremest gentleness. The "bruised reed" is the type of one broken by the weight of sorrow, or care, or sin. Such a one men in general disregard or trample on. The Christ did not so act, but sought rather to bind up and strengthen. The "smoking flax" is the wick of the lamp which has ceased to burn clearly, and the clouded flame of which seems to call for prompt extinction. Here (as afterwards, in Matthew 25:1-8) we read a parable of the souls in which the light that should shine before men has grown dim. Base desires have clogged it; it is no longer fed with the true oil. For such the self-righteous Pharisee had no pity; he simply gave thanks that his own lamp was burning. But the Christ in His tenderness sought, if it were possible, to trim the lamp and to pour in the oil till the flame was bright again. We cannot help feeling, as we read the words, that the publican-apostle had found their fulfilment in his own personal experience of the profound tenderness of his Master.

Till he send forth judgment unto victory.--In the Hebrew, unto truth. The citation was apparently from memory. What is implied in both readings is, that this tender compassion was to characterise the whole work of the Christ until the time of final judgment should arrive, and truth should at last prevail.

Verse 20. - A bruised reed shall he not break, and-smoking flax shall he not quench. Though what more feeble than a cracked reed or a wick just flickering? Yet he reckons neither as useless; he allows for possibilities of improvement. His treatment of the believer who is weakest, and, so to speak, least alive, is marked by long-suffering and gentleness. Observe that

(1) Matthew omits the words, "He shall not burn dimly nor be discouraged," because he is not concerned with anything else than Christ's relation to others;

(2) he combines into one the two clauses of Isaiah, "He shall bring forth judgment in truth" and "Till he have set judgment in the earth." Till he send forth (ἕως α}ν ἐκβάλῃ). This being the supreme object of Messiah's life and energy - bringing out, as from his own plans and resources, judgment unto victory; i.e. the revelation of the Divine Law (ver. 18, note) to a successful issue in human hearts. Unto victory. Apparently only a paraphrase of the thought in Isaiah.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
A bruised
συντετριμμένον (syntetrimmenon)
Verb - Perfect Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4937: From sun and the base of tribos; to crush completely, i.e. To shatter.

reed
κάλαμον (kalamon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2563: A reed; a reed-pen, reed-staff, measuring rod. Or uncertain affinity; a reed; by implication, a pen.

He will not break,
κατεάξει (kateaxei)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2608: To break down (in pieces), crush, break into. From kata and the base of rhegnumi; to rend in pieces, i.e. Crack apart.

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

a smoldering
τυφόμενον (typhomenon)
Verb - Present Participle Middle or Passive - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5188: To raise smoke, smolder. Apparently a primary verb; to make a smoke, i.e. Slowly consume without flame.

wick
λίνον (linon)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3043: Flax, linen. Probably a primary word; flax, i.e. 'linen'.

He will not extinguish,
σβέσει (sbesei)
Verb - Future Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 4570: (a) I extinguish, quench, (b) I suppress, thwart. A prolonged form of an apparently primary verb; to extinguish.

till
ἕως (heōs)
Conjunction
Strong's 2193: A conjunction, preposition and adverb of continuance, until.

He leads
ἐκβάλῃ (ekbalē)
Verb - Aorist Subjunctive Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1544: To throw (cast, put) out; I banish; I bring forth, produce. From ek and ballo; to eject.

justice
κρίσιν (krisin)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2920: Decision; by extension, a tribunal; by implication, justice.

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

victory.
νῖκος (nikos)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3534: Victory. From nike; a conquest, i.e. triumph.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 12:20 He won't break a bruised reed (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 12:19
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