Matthew 18:16 (DBY)

Passage

But if he do not hear [thee], take with thee one or two besides, that every matter may stand upon the word of two witnesses or of three.

Nearby Context

Matthew 18:14 So it is not the will of your Father who is in [the] heavens that one of these little ones should perish.

Matthew 18:15 But if thy brother sin against thee, go, reprove him between thee and him alone. If he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.

Matthew 18:16 But if he do not hear [thee], take with thee one or two besides, that every matter may stand upon the word of two witnesses or of three.

Matthew 18:17 But if he will not listen to them, tell it to the assembly; and if also he will not listen to the assembly, let him be to thee as one of the nations and a tax-gatherer.

Matthew 18:18 Verily I say to you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on the earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever ye shall loose on the earth shall be loosed in heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hear", "thee", "take", "besides", "matter", "stand", and "upon". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hear" and "thee", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "But if thy brother sin against thee..." into verse 17's "But if he will not listen to...", so "hear" and "thee" 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 "hear" and "thee" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.