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

This echoes the Mat 16:19, which I discussed extensively here, but this time without discuss in the key of the kingdom. In that earlier verse, the context was the link underlying the spirit or truth of things and our physical world. Here the immediate context is the truth in relationships but the larger context of the chapter is how things are seen from a heavenly or spiritual perspective.

From both versions, you get the sense that our limitations on earth limit our perceptions of the greater reality of heaven and the more open we are on earth, the more open we are to understanding heaven.

Alternative version: Truly I tell you, what we bind on earth and we will bind in heaven and those free on earth will be freed in heaven.


"You shall bind" is from deô, means "to tie," "to bind," "to fetter," and "to keep in bonds." It is a metaphor for chaining. The term isn't in the second person and itsn't in the future tense. The "you shall" part of this is added by the translator.

"You shall loose" is from luô, which means "to unbind," "to unfasten," and "to open." The term isn't in the second person and itsn't in the future tense. The "you shall" part of this is added by the translator.