Matthew 23

Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples.

1Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,

2He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.

2Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:

NoteScribes were the professional experts in the law of Moses: they copied it, taught it, and ruled on how it applied in daily life. The Pharisees were a movement, mostly laymen rather than priests, known for exact and detailed keeping of the law, including a body of rulings handed down from earlier teachers alongside the written text. "Moses' seat" means the position of one who teaches Moses' law with authority; some synagogues had an actual stone chair set near the scroll chest from which the law was read.

3So do and keep whatever they tell you. But do not copy what they do, because they say one thing and do another.

3All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

4They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and lay them on people's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

4For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

5Everything they do is done so that people will see it. They make their prayer boxes wide, and they make the tassels on their robes long.

5But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments,

Note"Phylacteries" are small leather boxes holding strips of parchment with passages of scripture, strapped to the forehead and the left arm for prayer, in obedience to the command to bind God's words "for a sign upon thine hand" (Deuteronomy 6:8). The "borders of their garments" are the tassels Israelites were told to attach to the corners of their clothing (Numbers 15:38) as a reminder of God's commands. Both were ordinary and expected; making them wider and longer made them easier to notice.

6They love the places of honor at dinners and the front seats in the synagogues.

6And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues,

Note"Uppermost rooms" in 1611 English does not mean upstairs rooms. It means the top places at the table: guests reclined on couches ranked by closeness to the host, so everyone present could see who had been seated where. A synagogue was the local meeting house where scripture was read and prayers were said; the seats facing the congregation, beside the chest that held the scrolls, were the places of honor.

7They love being greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and they love having people call them 'Rabbi, Rabbi.'

7And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi.

Note"Rabbi" means roughly "my master" or "my great one," the respectful way to address a recognized teacher of the law. Being greeted by that title in a public marketplace was a visible mark of standing.

8But you are not to be called Rabbi, because you have one Master, the Christ, and you are all brothers.

8But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren.

NoteThe word the King James renders "Master" here means teacher. "Christ" is not a surname but a title: the Greek word for "anointed one," which is what the Hebrew word "Messiah" means.

9And do not call anyone on earth your father, because you have one Father, and he is in heaven.

9And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.

Note"Father" was also a title of honor, used for revered teachers of earlier generations whose rulings were quoted by name.

10And you are not to be called instructors, because you have one Instructor, the Christ.

10Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ.

NoteA different Greek word from the one in verse 8. It means a guide or leader, the one whose direction you follow.

11The greatest among you will be your servant.

11But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant.

NoteThe word translated "servant" is the one used for an attendant who waits on others at table.

12Whoever lifts himself up will be brought low, and whoever makes himself low will be lifted up.

12And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.

Note"Abased" in 1611 English simply means brought low or lowered in rank. It does not carry the modern sense of being publicly shamed.

13But how terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in people's faces. You do not go in yourselves, and you do not allow those who are trying to go in.

13But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.

Note"Woe unto you" is not a curse meant to bring harm. It is a cry of grief and warning, closer to "how terrible it is for you." "Kingdom of heaven" is Matthew's regular phrase for God's reign; "heaven" stands in for the word "God," which careful Jewish speech avoided saying outright. Also note that "suffer" in "neither suffer ye" means allow, not endure pain.

14How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You take over the houses of widows, and to cover what you are doing you say long prayers. Because of this you will receive a heavier sentence.

14Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

ManuscriptsMost modern translations leave this verse out. It is in the Greek text the King James translators worked from, but not in the older manuscripts found since, so scholars generally take it as a copyist’s addition rather than part of the original.

NoteThis verse is absent from the oldest surviving manuscripts of Matthew, and where it does appear it sometimes stands before verse 13 rather than after. Many modern translations leave it out or move it to a footnote, which is why the numbering in some Bibles skips from 13 to 15. On the content: a widow had no independent legal standing and depended on others to manage what her husband left her, so "devour widows' houses" means stripping such women of their property. "Pretence" means a show put on for appearances. "Damnation" in 1611 English means a judgment or sentence handed down, not specifically eternal punishment.

15How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to win a single convert, and when you have won him, you make him twice as much a child of hell as you are.

15Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Note"Compass sea and land" means travel all over. A "proselyte" was a non Jew who converted fully to Judaism, taking on the whole law. "Child of hell" is a Semitic turn of phrase: to be called the son of something means to belong to it or to be headed for it. The word behind "hell" is Gehenna, the Valley of Hinnom just outside Jerusalem, a ravine with a grim history that had become a standard image for final punishment.

16How terrible it will be for you, blind guides! You say, 'If anyone swears an oath by the temple, that means nothing. But if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound to keep it.'

16Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

NoteOaths in ordinary speech were sworn by naming something valuable as a guarantee, and teachers argued over which wordings created a legally binding obligation and which did not. "It is nothing" means the oath does not count and can be broken. "He is a debtor" means he is under obligation, legally held to do what he swore.

17You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold holy?

17Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?

18You also say, 'If anyone swears an oath by the altar, that means nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift lying on the altar, he is bound to keep it.'

18And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

NoteThe altar is the large stone altar in the temple courtyard where sacrifices were burned. The "gift" is the animal or offering a worshiper has placed on it.

19You blind fools! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy?

19Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?

20So anyone who swears by the altar swears by the altar and by everything on it.

20Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

21And anyone who swears by the temple swears by the temple and by the One who lives in it.

21And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.

22And anyone who swears by heaven swears by God's throne and by the One who sits on it.

22And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

23How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your mint and dill and cumin, but you have ignored the weightier parts of the law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have done these without leaving the others undone.

23Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone.

NoteThe law required a tenth of the produce of the land to be set aside for God and for the priests. Mint, anise (the plant meant is dill) and cumin are kitchen herbs grown in tiny quantities in a household garden; whether such small crops even fell under the tithe law was debated, so weighing them out was a mark of extreme scrupulousness. "Judgment" in 1611 English here means justice. "Weightier" is a scales image: the matters that carry more weight.

24You blind guides! You strain a gnat out of your drink, but you swallow a camel.

24Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.

NoteWine and other drinks were poured through a cloth to strain out insects, because insects counted as unclean food, and the camel was the largest unclean animal anyone would think of. "Strain at" is an old idiom, possibly a printer's slip, for "strain out." In Aramaic the words for gnat and camel sound alike, so the saying is also a pun.

25How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and lack of self-control.

25Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Note"Extortion" here means what is seized by force or grasping; "excess" means lack of self restraint, indulgence without limit. There were detailed rules about washing cups and dishes to remove ritual uncleanness, including disputes over whether the inside or the outside of a vessel mattered.

26Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and the dish, so that the outside may be clean too.

26Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

27How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like tombs painted white, which look fine on the outside but inside are full of dead people's bones and every kind of filth.

27Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.

NoteTombs around Jerusalem were coated with white lime each spring before Passover. The purpose was practical: touching a grave or a corpse made a person ritually unclean for seven days and so unable to share in the feast, and the whitewash made a tomb impossible to step on by accident. From a distance the fresh white also looked handsome, which is the point being made here.

28In the same way, on the outside you look like good and honest people, but on the inside you are full of pretending and wrongdoing.

28Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.

29How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of those who lived rightly,

29Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,

Note"Garnish" in 1611 English means decorate or adorn. Ornamented tombs and monuments honoring prophets and other revered figures of the past were being built around Jerusalem in this period.

30and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

30And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

31So you are witnesses against yourselves that you are the descendants of those who killed the prophets.

31Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

32Go ahead, then, and finish filling up the measure of your ancestors.

32Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.

NoteA measuring container filled to the brim is the picture. The phrase treats a family's or a generation's wrongdoing as a quantity that accumulates until the vessel is full.

33You snakes! You family of poisonous snakes! How will you escape being sentenced to hell?

33Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Note"Generation of vipers" means brood or offspring of poisonous snakes. "Generation" here means the young a creature produces, not a span of years; contrast verse 36, where "this generation" does mean the people now living.

34Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and crucify. Others you will whip in your synagogues and chase from town to town.

34Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

Note"Scourge" means flog with a whip; a synagogue court had authority to impose a set number of lashes on someone it judged. Crucifixion was a Roman method of public execution. Note that "scribes" is used here of the teachers Jesus himself sends, without the criticism attached to the word earlier in the chapter.

35And so all the righteous blood shed on the earth will come on you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

35That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

NoteAbel, killed by his brother Cain in Genesis 4, is the first murder recorded in scripture. The killing of a Zechariah in the temple courtyard is told in 2 Chronicles 24, and in the Hebrew ordering of the books Chronicles comes last, so the two names together span the scriptures from the first page to the last. That Zechariah is called the son of Jehoiada in Chronicles; "son of Barachias" is the name of a different Zechariah, the prophet, and the discrepancy has never been satisfactorily explained.

36I tell you the truth: all these things will come on this generation.

36Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

Note"Verily I say unto you" is a formula meaning "truly, I tell you," used to mark what follows as weighty. "This generation" means the people alive at the time of speaking.

37Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing!

37O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

NoteStoning was the prescribed public execution: the community threw stones until the condemned person died. The image of a bird sheltering her young under her wings is a standard picture of protection in the Hebrew scriptures.

38Look, your house is left to you empty and deserted.

38Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Note"Your house" is left unexplained in the Greek and can be heard either way: the temple, or the city and nation as a household. "Desolate" means abandoned and emptied of its occupant.

39For I tell you, you will not see me again from now on until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"

39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

NoteThese words come from Psalm 118:26, part of the psalms sung by pilgrims arriving at the temple for the festivals. The crowd had shouted them at Jesus a few days earlier as he entered Jerusalem.