Matthew 12:36

Matthew 12:36 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
• New International Version (NIV)But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the day of judgment for every empty word they have spoken.
• English Standard Version (ESV)I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
• New King James Version (NKJV)But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

Context of Matthew 12:36

34You poisonous snakes! How can you evil people say anything good? Your mouth says what comes from inside you. 35Good people do the good things that are in them. But evil people do the evil things that are in them. “I can guarantee that on judgment day people will have to give an account of every careless word they say. 37By your words you will be declared innocent, or by your words you will be declared guilty.” 38Then some experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees said, “Teacher, we want you to show us a miraculous sign.”

Matthew 12:36 word by word

Λέγω δὲ ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶν ῥῆμα ἀργὸν ὃ λαλήσουσιν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἀποδώσουσιν περὶ αὐτοῦ λόγον ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Butδέde · thenG1161
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• everyπᾶςpas · allG3956
• idleἀργόςargos · idleG692
• wordῥῆμαrhēma · declarationG4487
• thatὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• ·ἐάνean · ifG1437
• menὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• menἄνθρωποςanthrōpos · a humanG444
• shall speakλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
• they shall giveἀποδίδωμιapodidōmi · to payG591
• accountλόγοςlogos · wordG3056
• ·περίperi · aboutG4012
• thereofαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the dayἡμέραhēmera · dayG2250
• of judgmentκρίσιςkrisis · judgmentG2920

Cross-references for Matthew 12:36

• Ecclesiastes 12:14God will certainly judge everything that is done. This includes every secret thing, whether it is good or bad.
• Romans 2:16This happens as they face the day when God, through Christ Jesus, will judge people’s secret thoughts. He will use the Good News that I am spreading to make that judgment.
• Ephesians 6:4Fathers, don’t make your children bitter about life. Instead, bring them up in Christian discipline and instruction.
• Jude 1:14Furthermore, Enoch, from the seventh generation after Adam, prophesied about them. He said, “The Lord has come with countless thousands of his holy angels.
• Revelation 20:12I saw the dead, both important and unimportant people, standing in front of the throne. Books were opened, including the Book of Life. The dead were judged on the basis of what they had done, as recorded in the books.

Commentaries on Matthew 12:36

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 36Every idle word - , a word that does nothing, that neither ministers grace nor instruction to them who hear it. The word corresponds to the Hebrew שוא shave, which signifies not only vain or empty, but also wicked and injurious, such as a false testimony against a neighbor, compare Deuteronomy 5:11, Deuteronomy 5:20. Add to this, that Symmachus translates פגול piggul, polluted, Leviticus 19:7, by the very Greek word in the text. It was to explain this…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 36But I say unto you … - Christ closes this address to his malignant and wicked hearers by a solemn declaration that for these things God would bring them into judgment. Therefore. They who had spoken so malignantly against him, could not escape. Idle word - This literally means a vain, thoughtless, useless word; a word that accomplishes no good. Here it means, evidently, “wicked, injurious, false, malicious, for such” were the words which they had spoken.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 33-37Verses 33-37 Men's language discovers what country they are of, likewise what manner of spirit they are of. The heart is the fountain, words are the streams. A troubled fountain, and a corrupt spring, must send forth muddy and unpleasant streams. Nothing but the salt of grace, cast into the spring, will heal the waters, season the speech, and purify the corrupt communication. An evil man has an evil treasure in his heart, and out of it brings forth evil…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 36-37The careless word, in this context, was the claim that demons empowered Jesus. What a person says will either free or condemn them on the day of judgment. What people say shows the true state of their hearts.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 3636. But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment--They might say, "It was nothing: we meant no evil; we merely threw out a supposition, as one way of accounting for the miracle we witnessed; if it will not stand, let it go; why make so much of it, and bear down with such severity for it?" Jesus replies, "It was not nothing, and at the great day will not be treated as nothing: Words…Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 12:36

• Conversation
• Jesting
• Jesus, the Christ
• Judgment
• Miracles
• Slander
• Speaking
• Words

In the dictionaries

• Day of Judgment
• Adulterous
• Condemn
• Desolation
• Idle
• Judgment
• Restore
• Sin
• Wither
• Give

Commentaries on Matthew 12

• 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