Matthew 11:3 (ASV)

Passage

and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?

Nearby Context

Matthew 11:1 And it came to pass when Jesus had finished commanding his twelve disciples, he departed thence to teach and preach in their cities.

Matthew 11:2 Now when John heard in the prison the works of the Christ, he sent by his disciples

Matthew 11:3 and said unto him, Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?

Matthew 11:4 And Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and tell John the things which ye hear and see:

Matthew 11:5 the blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good tidings preached to them.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "thou", "cometh", "look", and "another". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "Now when John heard in the prison..." into verse 4's "And Jesus answered and said unto them...", so "said" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "said" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.