Matthew 23: Jesus speaks against the scribes and Pharisees
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What happens?
Jesus tells the crowds and his disciples to do what the scribes and Pharisees tell them to keep, but not to do what they do. He tells his disciples not to be called Rabbi, father or master. Then he speaks a long series of woes to the scribes and Pharisees, naming what they do, and ends with a cry over Jerusalem.
Who is speaking?
The narrator tells verse 1. Jesus speaks from verse 2 to the end of the chapter: first to the crowds and his disciples, then, from verse 13, to the scribes and Pharisees. Inside his words he gives what they say about oaths (verses 16 and 18) and about the prophets (verse 30), and the words the people will say in verse 39. No verse is in gold. God's own words are printed in gold, and those verses are marked God speaks
1Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples,
In plain English: Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.
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2saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.
In plain English: Jesus said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat.
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3All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.
In plain English: So do and keep everything they tell you to keep. But do not do what they do, because they say things and do not do them.
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4For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.
In plain English: They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people's shoulders. But they themselves are not willing to move them with so much as a finger.
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5But they do all their works to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
In plain English: They do everything they do to be seen by people. They make their phylacteries (small cases for Scripture words) wide and make the fringes (or: tassels) of their garments long.
The Greek words: "Phylacteries" is phylakterion. The dictionary gives "a guard-case, i.e. "phylactery" for wearing slips of Scripture texts". It is in this verse only in the New Testament. "Fringes" is kraspedon, which the dictionary gives as "a margin, i.e. (specially), a fringe or tassel". It is in 5 verses of the New Testament, and in all 5 this Bible prints "fringe". In Matthew it is here and in and , where people touch the fringe of Jesus's garment.
Good to know: tells the people to make "fringes on the borders of their garments". says: "You shall bind them for a sign on your hand, and they shall be for frontlets between your eyes." Matthew does not link these verses to the phylacteries and does not say what they held.
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6and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues,
In plain English: They love the place of honor at feasts and the front seats in the synagogues,
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7the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men.
In plain English: the greetings in the marketplaces, and being called 'Rabbi, Rabbi' by people.
The Greek word: "Rabbi" is rhabbi. The dictionary gives "my master, i.e Rabbi, as an official title of honor". It is in 15 verses of the New Testament, and in all 15 this Bible prints "Rabbi". In Matthew it is in 4 verses: here, , and and , where Judas says it to Jesus.
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8But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi’, for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers.
In plain English: But you are not to be called 'Rabbi', for you have one teacher, the Christ, and you are all brothers.
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9Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven.
In plain English: Do not call anyone on earth your father, for you have one Father, the one in heaven.
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10Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ.
In plain English: Do not be called masters (or: teachers) either, for you have one master (or: teacher), the Christ.
The Greek word: "Masters" is kathegetes. The dictionary gives "a guide, i.e. (figuratively) a teacher". It is in 2 verses of the New Testament, this one and . In verse 8 this Bible prints "teacher" and here "masters" and "master". It is the same Greek word both times.
What changes: Read as "teacher", verses 8 and 10 say the disciples have one teacher. Read as "master" or "guide", they say they have one master or one guide. The word is the same in both verses, so the two verses say the same thing.
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11But he who is greatest among you will be your servant.
In plain English: The greatest among you will be your servant.
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12Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
In plain English: Whoever lifts himself up will be brought low, and whoever brings himself low will be lifted up.
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13“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
In plain English: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You devour (or: eat up) the houses of widows, and as a pretense you make long prayers. Because of this you will receive a greater judgment (this Bible: condemnation).
The Greek words: "Woe" is ouai. The dictionary gives "woe". It is in 12 verses of Matthew, and 8 of them are in this chapter (, , , , , , and ). "Hypocrites" is hypokrites. The dictionary gives "an actor under an assumed character (stage-player)". It is in 15 verses of Matthew, and this Bible prints "hypocrite" in all 15. Seven of them are in this chapter; the first is .
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14“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.
In plain English: But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You shut the Kingdom of Heaven in front of people. You do not go in yourselves, and you do not let those who are going in enter.
The Greek words: "The Kingdom of Heaven" is he basileia ton ouranon, word for word "the kingdom of the heavens". Ouranos is in 74 verses of Matthew. The dictionary gives "the sky; by extension, heaven (as the abode of God)". This Bible prints "heaven" in 65 of those verses and "sky" in 9. Matthew says "kingdom of God" in 5 verses: , , , and .
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15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves.
In plain English: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You go around the sea and the dry land to make one convert (proselyte). When he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as you are.
The Greek words: "Convert" is proselytos, which the dictionary gives as "an arriver from a foreign region, i.e. (specially), an acceder (convert) to Judaism ("proselyte")". It is in 4 verses of the New Testament, and in Matthew only here. "Gehenna" is geenna. The dictionary gives "valley of (the son of) Hinnom". It is in 7 verses of Matthew, and this Bible prints "Gehenna" in all 7. The valley is named in : "the valley of the son of Hinnom".
Good to know: "Son of Gehenna" is a way of speaking. The dictionary says "son" is "used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship", so here it names someone with a tie to Gehenna. The verse says only what it says about the convert; it does not describe Gehenna further. See also .
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16“Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’
In plain English: Woe to you, blind guides! You say, 'Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound (literally: owes).'
The Greek words: "Temple" is naos in verses 16, 17 and 21, and "sanctuary" in verse 35 is the same Greek word. Matthew has a second Greek word for the temple, hieron, for example in . The dictionary gives hieron as "the entire precincts" of the Temple, "whereas naos denotes the central sanctuary itself". Naos is in 8 verses of Matthew, where this Bible prints "temple" in 6 of those verses and "sanctuary" in 2. Hieron is in 9 verses, all "temple".
How it is translated: "Is bound" is opheilei. The dictionary gives "to owe (pecuniarily); figuratively, to be under obligation". Word for word, whoever swears by the gold "owes". This Bible has "obligated".
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17You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
In plain English: You foolish and blind men! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold holy?
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18And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated.’
In plain English: And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing. But whoever swears by the gift on it is bound.'
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19You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
In plain English: You foolish and blind men! Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
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20He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it.
In plain English: So the one who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
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21He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by him who has been living in it.
In plain English: The one who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who lives in it (or: who has lived in it).
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22He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by him who sits on it.
In plain English: The one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by the one who sits on it.
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23“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cumin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy, and faith. But you ought to have done these, and not to have left the other undone.
In plain English: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill and cumin, and you have left aside the weightier matters of the law: justice, mercy and faith (or: faithfulness). It was necessary to do these, and not to leave those aside.
The Greek words: "Weightier" is barytera, from barys. The dictionary gives "weighty, i.e. (fig) burdensome, grave". It is in 2 verses of Matthew: here, and , where the "heavy burdens" use the same Greek word in another form. "Faith" is pistis. The dictionary gives "persuasion, i.e. credence; moral conviction". It is in 8 verses of Matthew, and this Bible prints "faith" in all 8.
How it is translated: This Bible has "faith". Another way to put the word is "faithfulness", being someone others can rely on.
What changes: Read as "faith", the third weightier matter is trust. Read as "faithfulness", it is being trustworthy.
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24You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel!
In plain English: You blind guides! You strain out a gnat and swallow a camel.
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25“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and unrighteousness.
In plain English: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of greed (this Bible: extortion) and unrighteousness.
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26You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also.
In plain English: Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside may become clean also.
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27“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitened tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness.
In plain English: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs. Outside they look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all uncleanness.
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28Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
In plain English: In the same way you also look righteous to people on the outside, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness (this Bible: iniquity).
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29“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous,
In plain English: Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments (this Bible: tombs) of the righteous,
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30and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
In plain English: and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have shared with them in the blood of the prophets.'
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31Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets.
In plain English: So you give witness to yourselves that you are sons of those who killed the prophets.
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32Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers.
In plain English: Then you, fill up the measure of your fathers.
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33You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?
In plain English: You serpents! You offspring of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?
The Greek words: "Serpents" is ophis and "vipers" is echidna. The dictionary gives echidna as "an adder or other poisonous snake (literally or figuratively)". "Offspring of vipers" is in 3 verses of Matthew: , and here. "Gehenna" is as in .
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34Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets, wise men, and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify; and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
In plain English: Because of this, look, I myself send you prophets, wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will flog in your synagogues and chase from city to city,
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35that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.
In plain English: so that all the righteous blood poured out on the earth may come on you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar.
Good to know: The verse names Abel, whose killing by his brother Cain is told in , and "Zachariah son of Barachiah", killed "between the sanctuary and the altar". The Old Testament has a Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, stoned "in the court of Yahweh's house" ( to ), and a prophet Zechariah son of Berechiah (). Matthew does not say which one he means. has "from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zachariah, who perished between the altar and the sanctuary", without a father's name.
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36Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation.
In plain English: I tell you truly: all these things will come on this generation.
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37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I would have gathered your children together, even as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not!
In plain English: Jerusalem, Jerusalem! You who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings. And you were not willing!
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38Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
In plain English: Look, your house is left to you desolate (or: empty).
The Greek word: "House" is oikos. The dictionary gives "a dwelling (more or less extensive, literal or figurative); by implication, a family". The verse does not say which house is meant. The word is used of the temple in : "My house shall be called a house of prayer."
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39For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
In plain English: For I tell you, you will not see me from now on until you say, 'Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
Good to know: The words "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord" are in , which this Bible prints as "Blessed is he who comes in Yahweh's name!" In the crowds around Jesus shout the same words. The Greek word for "Lord" here is kyrios, the New Testament word this Bible prints "Lord" where the Old Testament verse has Yahweh.
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