The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:13-32
Eight woes pronounced on the Pharisees for their conduct and teaching. (Comp. Luke 11:42-52 .) read more
马太福音 23:23-24 Rcuvss
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:23-24
Fifth woe— against scrupulosity in trifles and neglect of weighty duties ( Luke 11:42 ). Ye pay tithe of ( ἀποδεκατοῦτε , ye tithe ) mint and anise and cummin. Practically, the law of tithe was enforced only in the case of the produce mentioned in Deuteronomy 14:23 —corn, wine, and oil—but the Pharisees, in their overstrained scrupulosity, applied the law of Le 27:30 ("all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land or of the fruit of the tree, is the Lord's") to... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:23-24
Monstrous trifling. Our Lord proceeds to pronounce upon the hypocrite the woe of his other evils. Note— I. THE LAW HAS ITS " WEIGHTIER MATTERS ." 1 . These are its moral precepts. (a) Justice in principle. (b) Justice in practice. (a) Faith in the sense of creed, or truth in belief. A true creed is of great importance. (b) Faith in the sense of sincerity, in opposition to the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Those called hypocrites are otherwise described as... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:24
The gnat and the camel. It was characteristic of the scribes and Pharisees to strain out the gnat and yet to swallow the camel. They would be very careful in avoiding minute formal improprieties, while they committed great sins without compunction. I. THE EVIL HAUNT . This is seen in many forms today. 1 . In moral conduct. People are found to be very scrupulous about points of politeness, and very negligent of real kindness. They will not offend an acquaintance with a harsh... read more
Spence, H. D. M., etc.
The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:24
The scruples of the formalist. "Strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." The proverbial character of this sentence is manifest, but the precise form is disputed. Trench thinks "straining out a gnat" is better; and he suggests reference to the scrupulous anxiety shown in drinking water. A traveller in North Africa reports that a Moorish soldier who accompanied him, when he drank, always unfolded the end of his turban, and placed it over the mouth of his bota, drinking through the muslin,... read more
Albert Barnes
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 23:23
Ye pay tithe - A tenth part. The law required the Jews to devote a tenth part of all their property to the support of the Levites, Numbers 18:20-24. Another tenth part they paid for the service of the sanctuary, commonly in cattle or grain, but where they lived far from the place of worship they changed it to money, Deuteronomy 14:22-24. Besides these, there was to be every third year a tenth part given to the poor, to be eaten at their own dwellings Deuteronomy 14:28-29; so that nearly... read more
Albert Barnes
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Matthew 23:24
Which strain at a gnat ... - This is a proverb. There is, however, a mistranslation or misprint here, which makes the verse unmeaning. “To strain” at a “gnat” conveys no sense. It should have been to strain out a gnat; and so it is printed in some of the earlier versions, and so it was undoubtedly rendered by the translators. The common reading is a “misprint,” and should be corrected. The Greek means to “strain” out by a cloth or sieve.A gnat - The gnat has its origin in the water; not in... read more
Joseph Benson
Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - Matthew 23:23-24
Matthew 23:23-24. Wo unto you, for ye pay tithe, &c. Here we have the fifth wo, which is denounced for their superstition. They observed the ceremonial precepts of the law with all possible exactness, while they utterly neglected the eternal, immutable, indispensable rules of righteousness. Judgment That is, justice; mercy Charity, or compassion toward the poor; faith Fidelity. “The word πιστις has undoubtedly this signification in many places; (compare Titus 2:10; Galatians 5:22;... read more
Donald C. Fleming
Bridgeway Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:1-39
129. More about scribes and Pharisees (Matthew 23:1-39; Mark 12:38-40; Luke 20:45-47)Instead of teaching only the law of Moses, the scribes and Pharisees added countless laws of their own. Instead of making the people’s load lighter, they made it heavier. People could profit from listening to the scribes’ teaching of Moses’ law, but they were not to copy the scribes’ behaviour (Matthew 23:1-4).Jesus gave two specific reasons for his condemnation of the scribes. First, they wanted to make a... read more
Subscribe
Get Bible verse every day in your inbox
Read on Mobile
Most Searched
Group of Brands
© 2025 Bibleportal.com All rights reserved.
The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 23:13-31
Condemnation of their hypocrisy. I. THE EIGHT WOES . 1 . The first. The reiterated "Woe unto you!" is an expression of holy indignation. Christ, the righteous Judge, denounces the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. He knew the hardness, the impenitence of their hearts, and in his awful justice he pronounces their condemnation. Yet those very woes are also utterances of holy sorrow. The word is thrice rendered "alas!" in Revelation 18:1-24 . (see also Matthew 24:19 ). The Lord... read more