Matthew 8:11 (DBY)

Passage

But I say unto you, that many shall come from [the] rising and setting [sun], and shall lie down at table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens;

Nearby Context

Matthew 8:9 For *I* also am a man under authority, having under me soldiers, and I say to this [one], Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my bondman, Do this, and he does it.

Matthew 8:10 And when Jesus heard it, he wondered, and said to those who followed, Verily I say unto you, Not even in Israel have I found so great faith.

Matthew 8:11 But I say unto you, that many shall come from [the] rising and setting [sun], and shall lie down at table with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of the heavens;

Matthew 8:12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outer darkness: there shall be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 8:13 And Jesus said to the centurion, Go, and as thou hast believed, be it to thee. And his servant was healed in that hour.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "come", "rising", "setting", "down", "table", and "abraham". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 10's "And when Jesus heard it he wondered..." into verse 12's "but the sons of the kingdom shall...", so "shall" and "come" 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 "shall" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.