Commentary Critical and Explanatory
Matthew 23:17
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? Ye fools, and blind! for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
THE TEMPLE THAT SANCTIFIETH THE GOLD - To sanctify is to make holy. The gold had no holiness but what it derived from the temple. If in any other place, it would be no more holy than any other gold. I...
11. THE WOES OF THE KING AND HIS LAMENTATION OVER JERUSALEM. CHAPTER 23 1. The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees.(Matthew 23:1 .) 2. The Woes of the King upon Them.(Matthew 23:13 .) 3. The Lamentation over...
SEVEN WOES. Seven is a sacred number and often used in Mt., as in OT (_cf._ especially Isaiah 5) and _Rev._ The first three treat of Pharisaic teaching, the last three of Pharisaic character, the four...
SCRIBES AND PHARISEES (Matthew 23:1-39) If a man is characteristically and temperamentally an irritable, ill-tempered and irascible creature, notoriously given to uncontrolled outbursts of passionate...
"Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees! Blind guides! You who say, 'If any one swears by the Temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the Temple is bound by his oath.' Foolish ones and b...
Matthew 23:1-36. A PROPHETIC ODE, DENOUNCING THE PHARISEES AND THE RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY OF THE AGE Each division is marked by its special beauty of poetical form....
ἉΓΙΆΣΑΣ for ἁγιάζων. The aorist, which is well established, gives a more accurate sense....
Ver 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: fo...
_WOE TO YOU SCRIBES, PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES MATTHEW 23:13-24:_ Woes were pronounced because the Pharisees would not enter the kingdom themselves and hindered those that would enter. (Matthew 23:13) The...
ΜΩΡΟΊ _voc._/nom. _pl. от_ ΜΩΡΌΣ (G3474) глупый, глупец, ΆΓΙΆΣΑΣ _aor. part. act. от_ ΆΓΙΆΖΩ (G37) святить, делать святым. Part, в роли _adj._...
YE FOOLS AND BLIND— The Apostle's words, Hebrews 6:16 are a proper comment on the 17th verse, _for men verily swear by the greater. Whoso shall swear by the altar,_ says our Saviour (Matthew 23:20.) _...
TEXT: 23:16-22 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 debtor. 17 Ye fools and blind:...
16 The Pharisees had practically annulled the Scriptures by false interpretations and especially by human additions. Their commentaries were full of distinctions which destroyed the spiritual force of...
23:17 temple (h-12) _ Naos_ , the house; properly speaking, the shrine....
ON DISHONEST CASUISTRY. The lax moralists of that time invented ways of evading the obligation of truthfulness, by saying that certain forms of swearing were binding and others not. Thus an oath by th...
DENUNCIATION OF THE PHARISEES 1-36. Final denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees. The other synoptists insert in this place a brief utterance directed against the scribes (Mark 12:38; Luke 20:45),...
THE SEVEN WOES ON THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. Jesus, knowing that His death was at hand, and that the conversion of His enemies was hopeless, poured upon them a torrent of righteous indignation, in the...
MATTHEW’S GOOD NEWS MATTHEW’S *GOSPEL _HILDA BRIGHT_ CHAPTER 23 JESUS ACCUSES THE *PHARISEES 23:1-12 V1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his *disciples. V2 ‘The men who teach the *Law and...
6; Matthew 22:1; Matthew 23:1 CHAPTER 17 Conflict in the Temple - Matthew 21:18 - Matthew 22:1 -...
_The third woe_ refers to the Jesuitry of the scribes in the matter of oaths; the point emphasised, however, is their stupidity in this part of their teaching (_cf._ Matthew 5:33 f.), where Christ's t...
_The seven woes_. There are eight, if we count that in Matthew 23:13 of T. R., but as this ver. is omitted in the best MSS. and appears to be a gloss from Mk. and Lk. I do not count it. _Vide_ notes o...
τίς γὰρ μείζων : Jesus answers this question by asserting the opposite principle to that laid down by the Rabbis: the general includes and is more important than the particular, which He applies to al...
WOES FOR THE FALSE-HEARTED Matthew 23:13-26 These repeated woes may be translated, _Alas for you!_ Our Lord with unfailing accuracy indicates the inevitable doom which such conduct as that of the Pha...
This chapter is one of the most sublime and awful in the whole inspired volume. It records the last words of Jesus to the crowds. He summed up, He reached His verdict, He pronounced sentence. It is a...
[Ye] fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that (r) sanctifieth the gold? (r) Causes the gold which is dedicated to a holy use to be considered holy....
WOES AGAINST THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES Luke 20:47; Mark 12:40; Matthew 23:13-39. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you devour the houses of widows, and through pretense make lo...
"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 unt...
We now enter on the Lord's final presentation of Himself to Jerusalem, traced, however, from Jericho; that is, from the city which had once been the stronghold of the power of the Canaanite. The Lord...
Chapter 23 clearly shews how far the disciples are viewed in connection with the nation, inasmuch as they were Jews, although the Lord judges the leaders, who beguiled the people and dishonoured God b...
YE FOOLS, AND BLIND,.... That argue after so ridiculous a manner, that make use of such thin sophistry, that everybody may see through it; who must be stupid and sottish to the last degree, and their...
_Ye_ fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? Ver. 17. _Whether is greater, the gold, &c._] The cause must needs be more noble than the effect. But...
_Wo unto you, ye blind guides_ Before he had styled them _hypocrites_, from their personal character; now he gives them another title respecting their false doctrine and influence upon others. Both th...
The fourth woe:...
YE FOOLS AND BLIND! FOR WHETHER IS GREATER, THE GOLD, OR THE TEMPLE THAT SANCTIFIETH THE GOLD?...
The Lord now turns to speak to the entire crowd, His disciples being mentioned as included. He warns them against the hypocrisy of scribes and Pharisees, for they sat in Moses' seat as enforcers of th...
13-33 The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others f...
SEE POOLE ON "MATTHEW 23:22"....
Matthew 23:17 Fools G3474 and G2532 blind G5185 For G1063 which G5101 is G2076 (G5748) greater G3187 gold...
WORDS IN THE TEMPLE (23:1-39). a Exhortation to His disciples and the crowds not to be like the Scribes and Pharisees, but to be doers and not hearers only. In contrast to the Scribes and Pharisees t...
JESUS PASSES JUDGMENT ON THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES AND DESCRIBES THE DEVASTATIONS COMING ON THE WORLD PRIOR TO HIS COMING AGAIN AND THE JUDGMENT THAT WILL FOLLOW (23:1-25). Having made clear that He h...
JESUS FACES THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES UP TO THEIR HYPOCRISY (23:13-33). It will be quite clear that the words which Jesus has spoken to His disciples and the crowds could hardly have failed to rile th...
THEIR FAILURE TO DISCERN WHAT IS TRULY HOLY (23:16-22). Their next condemnation lies in the fact that they lay greater emphasis on their own gifts and offerings than they do on the God-provided and t...
“Woe/alas to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing, but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.' You fools and blind, for which is gr...
Matthew 23:17. Fools and blind. The distinction was foolish and false, revealing the character of those making it. THE TEMPLE THAT HATH SANCTIFIED THE GOLD. Any sanctity in the gold came from the tem...
This discourse (peculiar to Matthew) was delivered on Tuesday preceding the crucifixion, although similar sayings (found in Luke 11:13) were uttered on a previous occasion. The intercourse with the Ph...
YE FOOLS (μωρο). In Matthew 5:22 Jesus had warned against calling a man μωρος in a rage, but here he so terms the blind Pharisees for their stupidity, description of the class. "It shows that not t...
Matthew 23:17 The Visible Temple. I. A Temple there has been upon earth, a spiritual Temple, made up of living stones a Temple, as I may say, composed of souls. This Temple is invisible, but it is pe...
CONTENTS: Jesus denounces woes upon the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. His lament over Jerusalem. CHARACTERS: Jesus. CONCLUSION: Nothing is more displeasing to our Lord Jesus Christ than hyprocrisy,...
Matthew 23:2. _Sit in Moses' seat._ The sanhedrim had seventy one chairs of gold, or rather gilt with gold. The council which sat at Alexandria had also chairs of gold. The highpriest was the presiden...
BLIND FOOLS! The temple makes the gold holy, so the temple is more important. They are looking at it backwards!...
_Whosoever shall swear by the Temple, it is nothing._ THOUGHTLESS PROFANITY Are there any before me who are accustomed to use God’s name as an expletive, and to bandy it as a byword? Who employ it in...
MATTHEW—NOTE ON MATTHEW 23:16 _Third woe: binding oaths._ The Pharisees focus on superficial distinctions and overlook the higher principles of the law. ⇐...
MATTHEW—NOTE ON MATTHEW 23:13 Jesus now speaks directly to the scribes and Pharisees. He declares seven “woes” (or laments) upon them that echo the criticisms he has repeated throughout his ministry....
CHAPTER 23 _Then Jesus spake_, &c. _Then_, that is to say, when, by His most wise answers and reasonings, He had confounded the errors of the Scribes and Pharisees, and had proved that He was the Mes...
_CRITICAL NOTES_ Matthew 23:16. GOLD OF THE TEMPLE.—The exact meaning of this expression is uncertain; but the probability is that it refers to money offered as a gift to God, to which the scribes an...
EXPOSITION MATTHEW 23:1 _Denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, and lamentation over Jerusalem which followed their guidance to her own destruction. _(Peculiar to St. Matthew.) MATTHEW 23:1 TH...
Matthew's gospel twenty-three. Jesus has been at the temple and He was challenged as to His authority by these priests, and then He was asked questions by the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees. An...
Exodus 30:26; Matthew 23:19; Numbers 16:38; Numbers 16:39; Psalms 94
Why did Jesus call people fools and yet condemn others for doing the same thing? PROBLEM: Jesus said, “whoever says [to his brother], `You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). Yet H...