Matthew 23:17

Matthew 23:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
• New International Version (NIV)You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
• New King James Version (NKJV)Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
• New Living Translation (NLT)Blind fools! Which is more important—the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?

Context of Matthew 23:17

15Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. 16"Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'If anyone swears by the temple, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the temple that has made the gold sacred? 18And you say, 'If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.' 19You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?

Matthew 23:17 word by word

μωροὶ καὶ τυφλοί, τίς γὰρ μείζων ἐστίν, ὁ χρυσὸς ἢ ὁ ναὸς ὁ ἁγιάσας τὸν χρυσόν;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• foolsμωρόςmōros · foolishG3474
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• blindτυφλόςtuphlos · blindG5185
• forγάρgar · forG1063
• whetherτίςtis · which?G5101
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• greaterμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• the goldχρυσόςchrusos · goldG5557
• orἤē · orG2228
• the templeναόςnaos · templeG3485
• that sanctifiethἁγιάζωhagiazō · to sanctifyG37

Cross-references for Matthew 23:17

• Psalms 94:8Understand, O dullest of the people! Fools, when will you be wise?
• Matthew 23:19You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
• Exodus 30:26With it you shall anoint the tent of meeting and the ark of the testimony,
• Numbers 16:38As for the censers of these men who have sinned at the cost of their lives, let them be made into hammered plates as a covering for the altar, for they offered them before the Lord, and they became holy. Thus they shall be a sign to the people of Israel."

Commentaries on Matthew 23:17

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17The 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. It was foolish, then, to suppose that that was more holy than the temple, from which it received all the sanctity which it possessed.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 13-33Verses 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 from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party. Not for the glory of God and…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16-22The religious leaders said that some oaths were less binding, and this allowed them to deceive people. But Jesus called for honesty and for keeping every commitment (see Matthew 5:33–37).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-39For this long and terrible discourse we are indebted, with the exception of a few verses in Mark and Luke, to Matthew alone. But as it is only an extended repetition of denunciations uttered not long before at the table of a Pharisee, and recorded by Luke (Lu 11:37-54), we may take both together in the exposition. Denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees (Mt 23:1-36). The first twelve verses were addressed more immediately to the disciples, the rest to…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 23:17

• Blindness
• Church
• Ecclesiasticism
• Hypocrisy
• Pharisees
• Satire
• Teachers
• Temple

In the dictionaries

• Abase
• Bewray
• Devour
• Exalt
• Fill
• Gnat
• Ought
• Partaker
• Scribes
• Sit

Commentaries on Matthew 23

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings