Matthew 23:15-39 NIV

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:22

And he that shall swear by heaven ,.... As the Jews were wont to do in common, but did not look upon such an oath as obligatory on them; See Gill on Matthew 5:34 , though such an one sweareth by the throne of God ; for heaven is God's throne, where he sits, and, in an eminent manner, displays the glory of his majesty: and by him that sitteth thereon , by God himself. Thus swearing by anything that has any relation to God, is implicitly swearing by him; and therefore ought to be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:23

Woe unto you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ,.... Christ returns to the former epithets he had very rightly given to these men, and very pertinently repeats them here; and which are confirmed by the instances of their conduct and practice here alleged, which abundantly show their hypocrisy and deceit; since they were very strict in observing some outward things, which gave them credit with the people, and especially the priests and Levites, some little trifling ceremonies and traditions... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:24

Ye blind guides ,.... As in Matthew 23:16 . who strain at a gnat and swallow a camel : the Syriac and Persic versions read the words in the plural number, gnats and camels. The Jews had a law, which forbid them the eating of any creeping thing, Leviticus 11:41 and of this they were strictly observant, and would not be guilty of the breach of it for ever so much, "One that eats a flea, or a gnat; they say F16 T. Bab. Avoda Zara, fol. 26. 2. & Horaiot, fol. 11. 1. is ... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:25

Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ,.... Our Lord cannot be thought to bear too hard upon these men, nor does he continue this character of them, and denunciations of woe against them, without a reason: for ye make clean the outside of the cup and platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess . The allusion is to their traditions about washing their cups and pots, and brazen vessels; see Mark 7:4 which they strictly observed. In their oral law is a whole tract,... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:26

Thou blind Pharisee ,.... Well might Christ call such an one a blind Pharisee, who was so scrupulously careful to cleanse his cup and platter; and yet made no conscience of filling them with what was gotten in an unjust way, and so defiled himself and them: cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also : get food and drink in an honest way, remove all extortion and oppression out of thine hands, and luxury and intemperance from thy... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:27

Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ,.... It is much these men could bear to hear themselves so often called by this name; and it shows great courage in our Lord, so freely to reprove them, and expose their wickedness, who were men of so much credit and influence with the people: for ye are like unto whited sepulchres ; or "covered with lime", as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, render it. For the Jews used to mark their graves with white lime, that they might be... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:28

Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous ,.... By making broad their phylacteries, enlarging the borders of their garments, praying long prayers, compassing sea and land to make one proselyte, paying tithes of all manner of herbs, and cleansing the outside of the cup and platter, and doing all their works, prayers, fastings, and alms deeds, to be seen of men. This is the accommodation of the above simile; by reason of these things they looked like whited sepulchres, outwardly beautiful: so... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:29

Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ,.... This is the seventh and last time, in which these words are delivered in this exact form by our Lord, in this chapter; and expresses the certainty, both of their sin and punishment: and the instance annexed to it, no less discovers the hypocrisy of these persons, and supports the character given of them; as also furnishes out a sufficient reason, why a woe is denounced upon them, because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:30

And say, if we had been in the days of our fathers ,.... Their ancestors and predecessors: signifying, that if they had lived in the times they did, or had been in the same post and office with them, they should have opposed, at least not consented to their measures: we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets ; would not have joined them in persecuting the prophets, and in shedding their blood, and putting them to death; but would have received them as the... read more

John Gill

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:31

Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves ,.... Or "against yourselves", as the Syriac reads; for what they said was a plain acknowledgment, and a full confession, what their fathers had done, and whose offspring they were; and from whom better things were not to be expected; since they were their fathers' own children, and of the same temper and disposition with them: that ye are the children of them that killed the prophets . They plainly owned, that their fathers killed the prophets,... read more

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:22

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:23

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:24

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:25

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:26

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:27

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:28

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:29

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:30

John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Matthew 23:31

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