N. T. Word Study: skandalon and skandalizo in the Gospel of Matthew
These two words appear in the New Testament a total of 44 times. The Gospel of Matthew leads by far with 19 occurrences, Mark a distant second at 8. Of the 44 New Testament occurrences, 26 are placed in the mouth of Jesus by the gospel writers. 32 of the 44 are in the four gospels; 9 are from the letters of Paul; and one a piece for 1 Peter, 1 John, and Revelation.
The English translation of each occurence is bolded; notice the wide variation of renderings in English.
skandalon
3 verses, 5 occurrences
Matthew 13:41 [Jesus said,] “The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, …”
Matthew 16:23 But [Jesus] turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”
Matthew 18:7 [Jesus said,] “Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes!”
skandalizo
13 verses, 14 occurrences
Note: The passive voice is noted when it occurs; otherwise, the verbs are in active voice.
Matthew 5:29-30 [Jesus said,] “If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.”
Matthew 11:6 [Jesus said,] “And blessed is anyone who takes no offense [passive] at me.”
Matthew 13:21 [Jesus said,] “…yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away.”
Matthew 13:57 And they took offense [passive] at him. But Jesus said to them, “Prophets are not without honor except in their own country and in their own house.”
Matthew 15:12 Then the disciples approached and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees took offense [passive] when they heard what you said?”
Matthew 17:27 [Jesus said,] “However, so that we do not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook; take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a coin; take that and give it to them for you and me.”
Matthew 18:6-9 [Jesus said,] “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of stumbling blocks! Occasions for stumbling are bound to come, but woe to the one by whom the stumbling block comes! “If your hand or your foot causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life maimed or lame than to have two hands or two feet and to be thrown into the eternal fire. 9 And if your eye causes you to stumble, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and to be thrown into the hell of fire.”
Matthew 24:10 [Jesus said,] “Then many will fall away [passive], and they will betray one another and hate one another.”
Matthew 26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters [passive] because of me this night; for it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'”
Matthew 26:33 Peter said to him, “Though all become deserters [passive] because of you, I will never desert you.”
All biblical excerpts from the New Revised Standard Version.
