What Does Matthew 26:1 Mean in the King James?
And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples,
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
“Finished” here means the teaching has reached its telos, and its ending is the hinge into what Jesus says next.
THE MEANING
Jesus’ teaching has reached its goal, and he addresses his disciples directly. Its completion is a threshold: the words that follow reveal what this finished teaching has been carrying.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
The belief that a message is over as soon as its final words are spoken. Here, the completed sayings open into a further word.
THE ROOT
ἐτέλεσεν
etelesen
GROWS FROM
τελ-
To bring to an end or goal; to complete.
Here, “finished” carries arrival at a goal: these sayings have reached their telos. Their completion becomes the hinge to Jesus’ next words.
ALSO GROWS
telos: End, goal, outcome.
τέλος
This related word makes completion a matter of reaching an end or purpose.
teleios: Complete, whole, mature.
τέλειος
Completion in this word family can carry the sense of wholeness, not simply stopping.
tetelestai: It has been completed; it is finished.
τετέλεσται
This form of the same verb appears in John 19:30, linking completed teaching with completion named there.
λόγους
logous
GROWS FROM
λεγ-/λογ-
The Greek λέγω–λόγος word family concerns saying and spoken words; λόγος can mean word, message, or account.
The plural λόγους gathers the sayings into a whole message. Jesus completes that message, then speaks directly to his disciples, so the next words emerge from what has already been said.
ALSO GROWS
legō: Say, speak, tell.
λέγω
This related verb shows the spoken quality carried by the word family.
logion: Saying, utterance, oracle.
λόγιον
This related noun preserves the sense of a spoken saying within the larger body of words.
logos: Word, message, account.
λόγος
This is the singular form behind λόγους and supports reading “sayings” as a gathered message.
THE PATTERN
Completion marks the point where a word or work reaches its goal and its outcome comes into view.
And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine:When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.THE THREAD
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.Matthew uses ἐτέλεσεν, from the same verb family as τετέλεσται, “It is finished,” in John. The shared root links the completed teaching here with the completion named there: both arrive at a telos.
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