Matthew 28:17
New International Version
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

New Living Translation
When they saw him, they worshiped him—but some of them doubted!

English Standard Version
And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted.

Berean Standard Bible
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

Berean Literal Bible
And having seen Him they worshiped; but some doubted.

King James Bible
And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

New King James Version
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

New American Standard Bible
And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

NASB 1995
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

NASB 1977
And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful.

Legacy Standard Bible
And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted.

Amplified Bible
And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted [that it was really He].

Christian Standard Bible
When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When they saw Him, they worshiped, but some doubted.

American Standard Version
And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted.

Contemporary English Version
They saw him and worshiped him, but some of them doubted.

English Revised Version
And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When they saw him, they bowed down in worship, though some had doubts.

Good News Translation
When they saw him, they worshiped him, even though some of them doubted.

International Standard Version
When they saw him, they worshipped him, though some had doubts.

Majority Standard Bible
When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

NET Bible
When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.

New Heart English Bible
When they saw him, they bowed down to him, but some doubted.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when they saw him, they worshiped him: but some doubted.

Weymouth New Testament
There they saw Him and prostrated themselves before Him. Yet some doubted.

World English Bible
When they saw him, they bowed down to him; but some doubted.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and having seen Him, they worshiped Him, but some wavered.

Berean Literal Bible
And having seen Him they worshiped; but some doubted.

Young's Literal Translation
and having seen him, they bowed to him, but some did waver.

Smith's Literal Translation
And having seen him, they worshipped him; and some doubted.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And seeing them they adored: but some doubted.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And, seeing him, they worshipped him, but certain ones doubted.

New American Bible
When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted.

New Revised Standard Version
When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
And when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some of them were doubtful.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some of them doubted.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
And when they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted.

Godbey New Testament
and seeing Him, they worshiped Him: but some doubted.

Haweis New Testament
And when they saw him, they worshipped him. Still some doubted.

Mace New Testament
and when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

Weymouth New Testament
There they saw Him and prostrated themselves before Him. Yet some doubted.

Worrell New Testament
and seeing Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted.

Worsley New Testament
And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him: but some doubted.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Great Commission
16Meanwhile, the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain Jesus had designated. 17When they saw Him, they worshiped Him, but some doubted. 18Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.…

Cross References
John 20:24-29
Now Thomas called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. / So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” But he replied, “Unless I see the nail marks in His hands, and put my finger where the nails have been, and put my hand into His side, I will never believe.” / Eight days later, His disciples were once again inside with the doors locked, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” ...

Luke 24:36-43
While they were describing these events, Jesus Himself stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” / But they were startled and frightened, thinking they had seen a spirit. / “Why are you troubled,” Jesus asked, “and why do doubts arise in your hearts? ...

Mark 16:14
Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

John 20:19-23
It was the first day of the week, and that very evening, while the disciples were together with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you!” He said to them. / After He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. / Again Jesus said to them, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent Me, so also I am sending you.” ...

Acts 1:9-11
After He had said this, they watched as He was taken up, and a cloud hid Him from their sight. / They were looking intently into the sky as He was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. / “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen Him go into heaven.”

Matthew 14:31-33
Immediately Jesus reached out His hand and took hold of Peter. “You of little faith,” He said, “why did you doubt?” / And when they had climbed back into the boat, the wind died down. / Then those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God!”

John 6:66-69
From that time on many of His disciples turned back and no longer walked with Him. / So Jesus asked the Twelve, “Do you want to leave too?” / Simon Peter replied, “Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life. ...

Hebrews 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God. For anyone who approaches Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

James 1:6
But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.

John 12:37-41
Although Jesus had performed so many signs in their presence, they still did not believe in Him. / This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet: “Lord, who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” / For this reason they were unable to believe. For again, Isaiah says: ...

Exodus 34:8
Moses immediately bowed down to the ground and worshiped.

Genesis 17:3
Then Abram fell facedown, and God said to him,

1 Kings 18:39
When all the people saw this, they fell facedown and said, “The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!”

2 Chronicles 20:18
Then Jehoshaphat bowed facedown, and all the people of Judah and Jerusalem fell down before the LORD to worship Him.

Daniel 3:28
Nebuchadnezzar declared, “Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent His angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king’s command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.


Treasury of Scripture

And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

when.

Matthew 16:28
Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.

worshipped.

Matthew 28:9
And as they went to tell his disciples, behold, Jesus met them, saying, All hail. And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him.

Psalm 2:12
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Psalm 45:11
So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

but.

1 Corinthians 15:6
After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.

Jump to Previous
Bowed Doubt Doubted Doubtful Homage Prostrated Themselves Waver Worship Worshiped Worshipped
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Bowed Doubt Doubted Doubtful Homage Prostrated Themselves Waver Worship Worshiped Worshipped
Matthew 28
1. Christ's resurrection is declared by an angel to the women.
9. He himself appears unto them.
11. The chief priests pay the soldiers to say that he was stolen out of his tomb.
16. Christ appears to his disciples,
18. and sends them to baptize and teach all nations.














When they saw Him
This phrase refers to the disciples' encounter with the resurrected Jesus on a mountain in Galilee. The setting is significant as Galilee was the region where Jesus began His ministry and performed many miracles. This meeting fulfills Jesus' promise to appear to His disciples after His resurrection (Matthew 26:32). The physical sighting of Jesus confirms the reality of His bodily resurrection, a cornerstone of Christian faith, affirming His victory over death and His divine nature.

they worshiped Him
The act of worship indicates recognition of Jesus' divine status. In Jewish culture, worship was reserved for God alone, so the disciples' worship of Jesus underscores their acknowledgment of His deity. This moment reflects the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies regarding the Messiah's divine nature (Isaiah 9:6) and aligns with New Testament affirmations of Jesus' divinity (John 1:1, Colossians 2:9). Worship here is both a physical act and a spiritual acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord and Savior.

but some doubted
This phrase highlights the human struggle with faith and doubt, even among those who were closest to Jesus. The Greek word for "doubted" can imply hesitation or uncertainty. This doubt does not necessarily indicate disbelief but rather a struggle to comprehend the miraculous nature of the resurrection. It serves as a reminder of the disciples' humanity and the process of growing in faith. This moment of doubt is echoed in other Gospel accounts, such as Thomas' skepticism (John 20:24-29), and it emphasizes the importance of faith in the unseen (Hebrews 11:1).

Persons / Places / Events
1. Jesus Christ
The resurrected Lord who appears to His disciples, affirming His victory over death and His divine nature.

2. The Disciples
The followers of Jesus who witness His resurrection. Their reactions vary, with some worshiping and others doubting.

3. The Mountain in Galilee
The specific location where Jesus had instructed His disciples to meet Him after His resurrection (Matthew 28:16).
Teaching Points
The Reality of Doubt
Even among the closest followers of Jesus, doubt can arise. This highlights the importance of addressing and overcoming doubt through faith and understanding.

Worship as a Response to Revelation
The disciples' worship signifies recognition of Jesus' divine authority and the appropriate response to His presence.

Faith Amidst Uncertainty
The passage encourages believers to hold onto faith even when faced with uncertainty or doubt, trusting in the truth of the resurrection.

Community and Support
The mixed reactions among the disciples suggest the importance of community in strengthening faith and addressing doubts collectively.

The Call to Witness
Despite their doubts, the disciples are commissioned to spread the Gospel, showing that God can use imperfect people to fulfill His purposes.(17) They worshipped him--i.e., fell prostrate at His feet. The act, as has been said, was not new in itself, but it seems certain that our Lord's manifestations of His Presence after the Resurrection had made the faith of the disciples stronger and clearer (comp. John 20:28), and so the act acquired a new significance.

Some doubted.--It seems hard at first to conceive how those who had been present in the upper chamber at Jerusalem (John 20:19-26) could still feel doubt; but the narrative of John 21:4 throws some light upon it. There was something mysterious and supernatural in the manifestation of the glorified body--outlines, at first indistinct and scarcely recognised, and then the whole form seen as it had been seen in life. The more devoted and loving disciples were probably, here as before, the first to recognise their Lord. Others questioned whether it was a phantom (comp. Notes on Matthew 14:26) or a reality.

Verse 17. - They worshipped him. Evidently here they, or the majority of those present (for it is plain that others beside the apostles were there), adored him as God and Lord. This is the first time that this action of supreme worship is mentioned in connection with the disciples, though the women had offered the same homage to him (ver. 9). But some doubted (οἱ δὲ - without οἱ μὲν - ἐδίστασαν). (For the verb, comp. Matthew 14:31.) The doubters could not have been any of the eleven, for they had seen the Lord more than once at Jerusalem, and had had indubitable proofs that he had risen from the dead, and was no mere spirit or spiritual appearance, but possessed of his former body, with new powers, faculties, and laws. Those who for the moment doubted did not hesitate to acknowledge his resurrection, but his identity. They were, perhaps, at a distance. Christ may have appeared surrounded with heavenly glory; at any rate, in a shape, or vesture, or with an aspect with which they were not familiar; hence in this majestic form, they failed to recognize the "despised and rejected of men," the lowly Jesus whom they had known (cf. John 21:4).

Parallel Commentaries ...


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

they saw
ἰδόντες (idontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3708: Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.

Him,
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

they worshiped Him,
προσεκύνησαν (prosekynēsan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 4352: From pros and a probable derivative of kuon; to fawn or crouch to, i.e. prostrate oneself in homage.

but
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

some
οἱ (hoi)
Article - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

doubted.
ἐδίστασαν (edistasan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 1365: To waver, doubt, hesitate. From dis; properly, to duplicate, i.e. to waver.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 28:17 When they saw him they bowed down (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 28:16
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