Passage

Matthew 23

Book: Matthew · NASB95 lead with 4 PD reference translations

Matthew 23 is Jesus's final public discourse in the temple before the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24-25): a sustained prophetic denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, structured around seven "woes" and closing with the Jerusalem-lament. It is one of the most rhetorically severe chapters in the Gospels, and one of the most theologically load-bearing for Christology, for hypocrisy as a category, and for the doctrine of judgment.

Key verses

"But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in." (Matthew 23:13, NASB95)

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel!" (Matthew 23:23-24, NASB95)

"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones 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 unwilling. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" (Matthew 23:37-38, NASB95)

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"1. Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2. saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat: 3. all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not. 4. Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. 5. But all their works they do to be seen of men: for they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, 6. and love the chief place at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7. and the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called of men, Rabbi. 8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your teacher, and all ye are brethren. 9. And call no man your father on the earth: for one is your Father, even he who is in heaven. 10. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your master, even the Christ. 11. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled; and whosoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. 13. But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to enter. 15. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he is become so, ye make him twofold more a son of hell than yourselves. 16. Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor. 17. Ye fools and blind: for which is greater, the gold, or the temple that hath sanctified the gold? 18. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. 19. Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20. He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21. And he that sweareth by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22. And he that sweareth by the heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye tithe mint and anise and cummin, and have left undone the weightier matters of the law, justice, and mercy, and faith: but these ye ought to have done, and not to have left the other undone. 24. Ye blind guides, that strain out the gnat, and swallow the camel! 25. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye cleanse the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full from extortion and excess. 26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup and of the platter, that the outside thereof may become clean also. 27. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear beautiful, but inwardly are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness. 28. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but inwardly ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, 30. and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. 31. Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets. 32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33. Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell? 34. Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city: 35. that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of Abel the righteous unto the blood of Zachariah son of Barachiah, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar. 36. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killeth the prophets, and stoneth them that are sent unto her! how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! 38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39. For 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." (Matthew 23:1-39, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"1. Then Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 2. saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat. 3. All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do. 4. For 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. 5. But all their works they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the fringes of their garments, 6. and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, 7. the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men. 8. But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher, the Christ, and all of you are brothers. 9. Call no man on the earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. 10. Neither be called masters, for one is your master, the Christ. 11. But he who is greatest among you will be your servant. 12. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 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. 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. 15. Woe 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 of a son of Gehenna as yourselves. 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.’ 17. You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold? 18. ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated?’ 19. You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift? 20. He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it. 21. He who swears by the temple, swears by it, and by him who was living in it. 22. He who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God, and by him who sits on it. 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. 24. You blind guides, who strain out a gnat, and swallow a camel! 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. 26. You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the platter, that its outside may become clean also. 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. 28. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29. “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, 30. and 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.’ 31. Therefore you testify to yourselves that you are children of those who killed the prophets. 32. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers. 33. You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna? 34. Therefore 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; 35. that 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. 36. Most certainly I tell you, all these things will come upon this generation. 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! 38. Behold, your house is left to you desolate. 39. For 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!’”" (Matthew 23:1-39, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"1. Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples, 2. Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: 3. All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not. 4. For 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. 5. But all their works they do for to be seen of men: they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the borders of their garments, ^{phylacteries: pieces of parchment containing sentences of the law} 6. And love the uppermost rooms at feasts, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7. And greetings in the markets, and to be called of men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8. But be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your Master, even Christ; and all ye are brethren. 9. And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven. 10. Neither be ye called masters: for one is your Master, even Christ. 11. But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12. And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted. 13. But 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. 14. Woe 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. 15. Woe 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. 16. Woe 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! 17. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? 18. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. ^{guilty: or, debtor, or, bound} 19. Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? 20. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. 21. And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. 22. And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon. 23. Woe 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. ^{anise: Gr. dill} 24. Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. 25. Woe 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. 26. Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. 27. Woe 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. 28. Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. 29. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, 30. And 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. 31. Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets. 32. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers. 33. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? 34. Wherefore, 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: 35. That 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. 36. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. 37. O 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! 38. Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. 39. For 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." (Matthew 23:1-39, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"1. Then Jesus spake to the multitudes, and to his disciples, 2. saying, 'On the seat of Moses sat down the scribes and the Pharisees; 3. all, then, as much as they may say to you to observe, observe and do, but according to their works do not, for they say, and do not; 4. for they bind together burdens heavy and grievous to be borne, and lay upon the shoulders of men, but with their finger they will not move them. 5. 'And all their works they do to be seen by men, and they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the fringes of their garments, 6. they love also the chief couches in the supper, and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7. and the salutations in the market-places, and to be called by men, Rabbi, Rabbi. 8. 'And ye, ye may not be called Rabbi, for one is your director, the Christ, and all ye are brethren; 9. and ye may not call [any] your father on the earth, for one is your Father, who is in the heavens, 10. nor may ye be called directors, for one is your director, the Christ. 11. And the greater of you shall be your ministrant, 12. and whoever shall exalt himself shall be humbled, and whoever shall humble himself shall be exalted. 13. 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for ye do not go in, nor those going in do ye suffer to enter. 14. 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye eat up the houses of the widows, and for a pretence make long prayers, because of this ye shall receive more abundant judgment. 15. 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye go round the sea and the dry land to make one proselyte, and whenever it may happen, ye make him a son of gehenna twofold more than yourselves. 16. 'Woe to you, blind guides, who are saying, Whoever may swear by the sanctuary, it is nothing, but whoever may swear by the gold of the sanctuary, is debtor! 17. Fools and blind! for which [is] greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that is sanctifying the gold? 18. 'And, whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever may swear by the gift that is upon it, is debtor! 19. Fools and blind! for which [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that is sanctifying the gift? 20. 'He therefore who did swear by the altar, doth swear by it, and by all things on it; 21. and he who did swear by the sanctuary, doth swear by it, and by Him who is dwelling in it; 22. and he who did swear by the heaven, doth swear by it, and by Him who is sitting upon it. 23. 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye give tithe of the mint, and the dill, and the cumin, and did neglect the weightier things of the Law, the judgment, and the kindness, and the faith; these it behoved [you] to do, and those not to neglect. 24. 'Blind guides! who are straining out the gnat, and the camel are swallowing. 25. 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye make clean the outside of the cup and the plate, and within they are full of rapine and incontinence. 26. 'Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside of them also may become clean. 27. 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whitewashed sepulchres, which outwardly indeed do appear beautiful, and within are full of bones of dead men, and of all uncleanness; 28. so also ye outwardly indeed do appear to men righteous, and within ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. 29. 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, 30. and 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. 31. So that ye testify to yourselves, that ye are sons of them who did murder the prophets; 32. and ye, ye fill up the measure of your fathers. 33. 'Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of the gehenna? 34. 'Because of this, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and of them ye will kill and crucify, and of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will pursue from city to city; 35. that on you may come all the righteous blood being poured out on the earth from the blood of Abel the righteous, unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar: 36. verily I say to you, all these things shall come upon this generation. 37. 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that art killing the prophets, and stoning those sent unto thee, how often did I will to gather thy children together, as a hen doth gather her own chickens under the wings, and ye did not will. 38. Lo, left desolate to you is your house; 39. for I say to you, ye may not see me henceforth, till ye may say, Blessed [is] he who is coming in the name of the Lord.'" (Matthew 23:1-39, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: Matthew (traditionally the tax-collector-apostle) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
Audience: Jewish-Christian audience (heavy OT-fulfillment emphasis)
Location: the temple courts in Jerusalem (Passion Week, Tuesday); composition possibly Antioch
Time period: events c. AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80

Theological reading

Matthew 23 functions on three planes simultaneously and the apologetic mishandling almost always confuses them.

The first plane is internal prophetic critique, not external ethnic polemic. Jesus is a first-century Jew, addressing Jewish crowds, in the Jewish temple, in continuity with the Hebrew-prophetic tradition of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos, who denounced their own religious authorities in identical terms. The "you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous" (v. 29-31) line explicitly aligns Jesus with the murdered prophets. Critics who cite Matthew 23 as proof of New Testament anti-Semitism are reading the discourse outside its first-century setting; the speaker, the audience, and the moral tradition are all internal to Israel.

The second plane is judgment on hypocrisy as a category. The seven woes are not arbitrary catalog: each pairs an outward religious performance with an inward moral default. Phylacteries broad and seats prominent (v. 5-7); proselytizing without discipling (v. 15); ritual swearing without integrity (v. 16-22); tithing herbs while neglecting justice and mercy (v. 23-24); external purity over internal corruption (v. 25-26); whitewashed tombs with dead bones inside (v. 27-28); honoring dead prophets while persecuting living ones (v. 29-32). The structural diagnosis of hypocrisy is canonical for Hypocrisy as a codex concept and underlies the Christian critique of religiosity-without-substance across every century since.

The third plane is christological self-presentation. Verse 10 ("one is your master, the Christ") is one of the Synoptic Gospels' more direct self-applications of christos by Jesus. Verse 34 ("Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes") puts Jesus in the place of YHWH-as-sender in the prophetic literature: it is Jesus, not merely God-through-Jesus, who commissions the prophets. The Jerusalem-lament (v. 37, "how often I wanted to gather your children together") presupposes preexistence and ongoing divine action toward Israel across centuries; the most natural reading is that the speaker has been sending prophets to Jerusalem all along. This contributes a load- bearing piece to Cumulative Case for the Deity of Christ and Old Testament Christology.

Key words

G932 - basileia, basileia, "kingdom of heaven" (v. 13); the kingdom shut against entrants by hypocritical gatekeepers
G1067 - geenna, geenna, "Gehenna" / "hell" (v. 15, 33); the eschatological judgment-language Jesus uses against false teachers
G2920 - krisis, krisis, "justice" / "judgment" (v. 23); the "weightier provision" neglected by tithers of mint
G1656 - eleos, eleos, "mercy" (v. 23); paired with krisis as the weighty matter
G4102 - pistis, pistis, "faithfulness" (v. 23); the third weighty matter
G3551 - nomos, nomos, "the law" (v. 23); the standard the scribes invert by majoring on minors
G5547 - christos, christos, "the Christ" (v. 10); the self-naming
G3962 - pater, pater, "Father" (v. 9); the relativizing of human authority titles under divine fatherhood

Theological themes

Internal prophetic critique, Jesus stands within the Hebrew-prophetic line denouncing Israel's leaders; the discourse is not anti-Jewish polemic, it is Jewish self-critique. Critical for the New-Testament-anti-Semitism objection.
Hypocrisy as the master vice of religiosity, outward observance + inward corruption is the structural failure mode of religious systems; see Hypocrisy.
Judgment language, geenna twice (v. 15, 33), "judgment of hell" (v. 33), "your house is left to you desolate" (v. 38) prefigure both AD 70 and final judgment; see Hell and Eternal Punishment and Eschatology.
Christological self-disclosure, "one is your master, the Christ" (v. 10) + "I send to you prophets" (v. 34) + the Jerusalem-lament's presupposed preexistence (v. 37) feed the deity-of-Christ case.
Levelling of titles in the new community, no human father / rabbi / master because the church is brotherhood under one Father, one Teacher (v. 8-12); foundational for ecclesiology.

Cross-references

Matthew 23.37, the Jerusalem-lament closing this chapter
Luke 11:37-54, the Lukan parallel woes (same material, different setting)
Isaiah 1, Jeremiah 7, Amos 5, the prophetic-critique tradition Jesus inherits
Matthew 24-25, the Olivet Discourse immediately following, on judgment of Jerusalem and the end of the age

Quoted in

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.