What does Matthew 16:27-28 mean?
Matthew 16:27-28 says the Son of Man will come in his Father’s glory with his angels and repay each person for what he has done. It also says some who were standing there would not die before they saw the Son of Man coming in his kingdom. Early Christian writers such as Tatian, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Origen tied this to Daniel 7 and to Jesus’ other end-time sayings. The main debate is whether verse 28 points to the transfiguration, the resurrection, Jerusalem’s fall, or the final coming.
143 early-church witnesses · 264 source quotations · compared with Scripture
What does Matthew 16:27-28 mean?
Matthew 16:27-28 says Jesus will come in glory with his angels to judge and repay people for what they have done. The next verse says some of the people then living would see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom before they died, so the passage points to a real coming of kingdom power, not just a private thought or symbol.
Early Christian writers commonly read this with Daniel 7:13 and other coming-in-glory passages, and Origen spends the most time explaining how “not taste death” should be understood. Many more early Christian quotations, Bible passages, and source links are gathered below so you can study the evidence for yourself.
Passage context
Right before this, Jesus tells his disciples that following him means losing your life for his sake, and that gaining the whole world is not worth losing your soul. Right after that, he speaks about the Son of Man coming in glory with angels and giving each person what he deserves. The passage sits in a section about discipleship, judgment, and the cost of following Jesus.
Why early Christian sources matter
Early Christian writers help show how the first generations after the apostles read this passage. Tatian, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and later Origen all connect Matthew 16:27-28 with Daniel 7 and Jesus’ future coming in glory. Their comments also show that the hard phrase “not taste death” was read in more than one way, so this is not a simple one-line Bible passage.
Common interpretation points
- The strongest shared theme is future judgment and reward, not merely a general moral lesson.
- Verse 28 is the debated line: early writers connect it to several events, so the interpretation is not fully settled in the sources.
- Daniel 7:13 and Matthew 24:30 are the closest Bible parallels for the coming of the Son of Man in glory.
Evidence-Based Summary
Matthew 16:27-28 means Jesus promised that the Son of Man would come with his angels in his Father's glory and repay people for what they have done, and that some of his hearers would live to see his kingdom come in a real way. Early Christian writers such as Tatian, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and Origen linked the passage with Daniel 7:13, Matthew 24:30, Matthew 26:64, and Mark 13:26, reading it as a true coming in glory tied to judgment and kingdom power.
Origen is the main witness for the harder question of what “not taste death” means, and he explains the phrase in a way that does not require every listener to die before the event. The evidence is broad on the coming-with-glory and reward theme, but mixed on whether Matthew 16:28 points first to the transfiguration, the resurrection, the destruction of Jerusalem, or the final judgment.
Key Takeaways
- Matthew 16:27-28 is about the Son of Man coming in glory, judging people, and repaying each person for his deeds.
- Early Christian writers often linked the verse to Daniel 7:13 and other end-time sayings of Jesus.
- The phrase 'some standing here shall not taste death' was read in different ways, so the passage’s timing question is mixed in the early sources.
Questions Answered by the Sources
Did early Christians read Matthew 16:27 as Jesus coming in glory to judge?
Yes. Early Christian writers read Matthew 16:27 as Jesus' coming in glory with his angels to judge and repay people for their deeds. Tatian, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, and the Apostolic Constitutions all connect this language with Daniel 7 and other coming-in-glory sayings.
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Direct teaching
Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man is about to come in the glory of his Father with his holy angels;
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Direct teaching
Then, too, is this same individual beheld as the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven, and drawing near to the Ancient of Days, and receiving from Him all power and glory, and a kingdom.
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Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness
...glory, saw His glorious life at the Father’s right hand; others saw Him coming on the clouds as the Son of man; and those who declared about Him, “They shall look on Him whom they have pierced,” indicated His second coming, about which He Himself says, “Do you think that when the Son of man comes, He will find faith on the earth?” Paul also refers to this event when he says, “If it is a righteous thing with God to repay trouble to those who trouble you, and to you who are troubled, rest with us, at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels, and in a flame of fire.” Others, speaking of Him as a judge, and referring to the day of the Lord as if it were a burning furnace, who “gathers the wheat into His barn but will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire,” were accustomed to warn those who were unbelieving, concerning whom also the Lord Himself declares, “Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, which my Father has prepared for the devil and his angels.” And the apostle in the same way says of them, “Who shall be punished with everlasting death from the face of the Lord, and from the glory of His power, when He shall come to be glorified in Hi
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Justin Martyr, The First Apology Supporting witness
His words are: “Behold, as the Son of man He cometh in the clouds of heaven, and His angels with Him.”
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Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness
Him Daniel describes as the Son of man coming to the Father, and receiving all judgment and honour from Him;
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Matthew 16:27 Direct teaching
For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.
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Matthew 26:64 Supporting witness
Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter shall ye see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
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Matthew 25:31 Background
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
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Daniel 7:13 Background
“I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him.
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Luke 21:27 Background
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
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Mark 13:26 Background
And then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory.
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Mark 14:62 Background
And Jesus said, I am: and ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.
More related quotations from this section 4 shown
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Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness
For He shall come on the clouds as the Son of man, so Daniel foretold, and His angels shall come with Him.
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all his pure angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. He will gather all the nations before him and separate them from one another, like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will set the sheep on his right, and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. I was hungry, and you gave me food. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. I was naked, and you clothed me. I was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you cared for me.” Then the righteous will say to him, “Our Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When did we see you a stranger and take you in, or naked and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and care for you?” The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, whatever you did to one of these my brothers, the little ones, you did to me.” Then he will also say to those on his left, “Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his host
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Revelation 22:12 Background
And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
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Romans 2:6 Background
He will render to each one according to his works:
What did early Christians think 'some standing here will not taste death' means?
The early Christian reading is mixed, but Origen gives the clearest explanation. He treats 'not taste death' as a phrase that needs careful interpretation and does not have to mean the words are broken if the full event is not yet visible in one single moment.
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Direct teaching
... that the Savior’s promise sets a time limit on their not tasting death, namely, that they will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His own kingdom in Matthew 16:28, but that after this they will taste it, let us show that in Scripture the word “until” means that the time about the thing being spoken of is at hand. Yet it is not defined in such a way that, after the “until,” the opposite of the thing spoken of must then happen. Now when the Savior rose from the dead, He said this among other things to the eleven disciples: “Behold, I am with you all the days, even until the consummation of the age,” in Matthew 28:20. When He said this, did He mean that He would be with them only until the consummation of the age, but that after the consummation of the age, when another age was near, which is called the age to come, He would no longer be with them? If that were so, then the condition of the disciples would be better before the consummation of the age than after it. But I do not think that anyone would dare to say that after the consummation of the age the Son of God would no longer be with the disciples. For the words show that He would be with them for that w
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
But we must try to understand what it means to taste death. He is life who says, "I am the life," John 14:6. And this life has certainly been hidden with Christ in God. And when Christ our life is revealed, then those who are worthy to be revealed with Him in glory will also be revealed with Him, Colossians 3:3-4. But the enemy of this life, who is also the last enemy of all His enemies to be destroyed, is death, 1 Corinthians 15:26. The soul that sins dies by having a condition opposite to the one found in the soul that lives rightly, and because it lives rightly, truly lives. And when it is said in the law, "I have placed life before your face," Deuteronomy 30:15, Scripture says this about Him who said, "I am the Life," and about His enemy, death. By his deeds, each of us is always choosing one or the other. And when we sin while life is before our face, the curse is fulfilled against us which says, "And your life shall be hanging up before you," and so on, down to the words, "and for the sights of your eyes which you shall see," Deuteronomy 28:66-67. Therefore, just as the Life is also the living bread that came down from heaven and gave life to the world, John 6:33, 51, so His
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
But since it is written here in the three Gospels, “They shall not taste death,” while other writers say different things about death, it is fitting to bring forward those passages also and examine them along with the phrase “taste of death.” In the Psalms it says, “What man is he that shall live and not see death?” And again, in another place, “Let death come upon them, and let them go down into Hades alive.” But in one of the prophets, “Death becoming mighty has swallowed them up,” Isaiah 25:8, and in the Apocalypse, “Death and Hades follow some,” Revelation 6:10. Now in these passages, it seems to me that it is one thing to taste death, another thing to see death, and another for death to come upon some. A fourth thing, different from those already mentioned, is meant by the words, “Death becoming mighty has swallowed them up.” And a fifth thing, different from these, is meant by the words, “Death and Hades follow them.” If you were to collect these passages, you would perhaps also find other differences besides those we have mentioned. By comparing them with one another and examining them rightly, you would find what is meant in each place. But here I ask whether it is a lesser
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
But, if it be necessary to give an exposition clearer than what has been said of what is signified by seeing the Son of man coming in His own kingdom, or in His own glory, and what is signified by seeing the kingdom of God come with power, these things — whether those that are made to shine in our hearts, or that are found by those who seek, or that enter gradually into our thoughts, — let each one judge as he wills — we will set forth.
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Origen, Commentary on Matthew Supporting witness
But since here it is written in the three Evangelists, They shall not taste of death, but in other writers different things are written concerning death, it may not be out of place to bring forward and examine these passages along with the taste.
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Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness
1 Mark 9:1 And he said to them, Verily I say unto you, There be here now some standing that shall not taste death, until they see the kingdom of God come with strength, Matthew 16:28b and the Son of man who comes in his kingdom.
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Matthew 16:28 Direct teaching
Verily I say unto you, There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in his kingdom.
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Matthew 24:30 Supporting witness
And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
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Matthew 25:13 Background
Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.
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Luke 17:30 Background
Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.
Common Questions
Did early Christians think Matthew 16:27-28 was about Jesus' second coming?
Yes, many early Christian writers read it as a real coming of the Son of Man in glory with angels, tied to judgment and reward. Tatian, Irenaeus, and Justin Martyr connect it with Daniel 7 and other coming-in-glory texts.
What does 'some standing here shall not taste death' mean in Matthew 16:28?
Origen treats it as a phrase that does not have to mean every listener would die before all of the event happened. He looks for a meaning that fits a coming of kingdom power and says the wording can be understood in more than one way.
Which Old Testament passage is behind Matthew 16:27-28?
Daniel 7:13 is the main background passage. It speaks of one like a son of man coming with the clouds of heaven, and early Christian writers use that text to explain Matthew 16:27-28.
What is the main idea of Matthew 16:27-28?
Jesus says he will come in glory with his angels to judge and repay people, and that some people then alive will see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom.
Do the early Christian writers agree on Matthew 16:28?
They agree that it points to the Son of Man coming in power, but they do not all explain the timing the same way.
Source Index for Matthew 16:27-28
The guided sections above show the strongest quotations. This compact index highlights 160 ranked source links from 264 compiled sources for deeper study.
Source index 160 ranked links shown
Early Christian Writings 80 shown of 143
Primary-source quotations from early Christian writers and church documents.
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Unknown, Unknown Work
Bible Passages 80 shown of 121
Related Bible passages saved for comparison with the early Christian quotations.
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