The Wycliffe Bible Commentary joins in the chorus and states, 'The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence.
The verb may be regarded either as middle - violently forces its way (cf. Luk 16:16), or as passive - is
violently treated. The latter is more consistent with the next clause. From John's initial announcement of the
coming of the Kingdom, the response had been a violent one, whether by vicious opponents (cf. vv. 18, 19;
14:3, 4) or by enthusiastic supporters. The violent take it by force (or, seize it). Compare Luk 16:16. Among
the most prominent of Christ's adherents were the publicans, harlots, and other open sinners, who flocked to
our Lord in great numbers‘. (Charles F. Pfeiffer, Old Testament, Everett F. Harrison, New Testament, The
Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1977), p. 948.)
As Solomon once said, ―there is nothing new under the sun‖ (Eccl 1:9). Are we now to understand that the
harlots and the sinners are looked upon by Y‘shua as taking the Kingdom by violence? This hardly fits with
the account of the 'sinner' (harlot) who washed Y‘shua's feet with her tears and dried them with her hair
(Luke 7:36-50). Where are accounts that these people acted violently toward the Kingdom?
Alfred Edersheim speaks in the same vein but also registers an objection to the common understanding.
First he writes, 'When we remember, that in 'the Sermon on the Mount' the call was only to 'enter in‘, we feel
that we have now reached a period, when the access to 'the narrow door' was obstructed by the enmity of so
many, and when it needed 'violence' to break through, and 'take the Kingdom' 'by force (Matt. 11:12). This
personal breaking through the opposing multitude, in order to enter in through the narrow door, was in
opposition to the many - the Pharisees and Jews generally - who were seeking to enter in, in their own way,
never doubting success, but who would discover their terrible mistake‘. (Alfred Edersheim, The Life and
Times of Jesus The Messiah (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000), p. 682.)
'From the time that John began to preach the Kingdom, hindrances of every kind had been raised. To
overcome them and enter the Kingdom, it required, as it were, violence like that to enter a city which was
surrounded by a hostile army‘. (Ibid. p. 460.)
Of importance to us is his unconscious use of the term, 'breaking through'. More on this in a moment. He
goes on to say in another place, 'The common interpretations of this verse have seemed to me singularly
unsatisfactory‘ (this is where he registers the objection to the scholarly insights) (Ibid. Footnote 31). I am
inclined to agree with him, although his writing that there are 'hindrances of every kind' to all those that would
seek to enter the Kingdom is certainly a truth. But it really doesn't help in explaining what Y‘shua meant.
In the Nestle-Aland Interlinear, we read: 'And from the days of John the Baptist until now, the Kingdom of the
Heavens is forcibly entered (by-aides-zeh-tie), and violent men (by-ace-tie), seize it (hah-pahdz-zu-sin)‘ (The
Greek for both words in Nestle-Aland is identical to the Textus Receptus).
The word for 'forcibly entered' is by-aides-zeh-tie and means, 'to urge, constrain, overpower by force; to
press earnestly forward, to rush, Luke 16:16'. (Wesley J. Perschbacher, Editor, The New Analytical Greek
Lexicon (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publications, 1990), p. 70.) Another account states that the word
occurs, 'always with a component of force...in a good sense press (in), try hard to (enter)'. (Timothy Friberg
and Barbara Friberg, Editors, with Neva Miller, Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament (Grand
Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2000), p. 91.) Still yet another reveals that, inherent within the Greek word is the
meaning of 'apply force...use force, enter forcibly into something'. (Walter Bauer, augmented by William F.
Arndt, F. W. Gingrich and Frederick Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early
Christian Literature (London: The University of Chicago Press, 1979), p. 140.) As we will see, the use of
force will be in the Hebrew word; but its application will be toward a specific 'breaking through' as Edersheim
unintentionally mentioned.
The word for ―violent men‖ is by-ace-tie and means, 'one who uses violence, or is impetuous, one who is
forceful in eager pursuit'. (Perschbacher, The New Analytical Greek Lexicon, p. 70.) And here is the place
where it doesn't mean it in a negative sense but 'in a good sense (forceful people) lay hold of (it)' (Friberg,
Analytical Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, p. 91). Another source tells us that it can mean 'the sense
of 'strong‘, 'bold' or 'brave' (Kittel, Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, vol. 1, p. 613). This
demonstrates that the word doesn't always have to have a negative connotation to it as R. T. France
suggested above. A further meaning is, 'the stormy waves of the passions beating against the ship of the
soul' (Ibid. p. 614). This meaning of ̳force‘ will be present in the Hebrew, but in a pictorial sense of sheep
breaking through a fence in order to get to the other side.
The word for 'seize it' (hah-pahdz-zu-sin) means, 'to seize, as wild beast, John 10:12; take away by force,
snatch away...to seize on with avidity, eagerly, appropriate, Matt. 11:12' (Perschbacher, The New Analytical
Greek Lexicon, p. 53). This parallels another account that states, 'as forcibly taking someone or something,
snatch, seize, take away...as the action of thieves and wild beasts steal, carry off, drag away‘ (Friberg,