God’s Word Translation
Matthew 23:21
21To swear an oath by the temple is to swear by it and by the one who lives there.
Matthew 23:21 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein.
- New International Version (NIV)And anyone who swears by the temple swears by it and by the one who dwells in it.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it.
- New King James Version (NKJV)He who swears by the temple, swears by it and by Him who dwells in it.
Context of Matthew 23:21
19You blind men! What is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy? 20To swear an oath by the altar is to swear by it and by everything on it. To swear an oath by the temple is to swear by it and by the one who lives there. 22And to swear an oath by heaven is to swear by God’s throne and the one who sits on it. 23“How horrible it will be for you, experts in Moses’ Teachings and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You give ⌞God⌟ one-tenth of your mint, dill, and cumin. But you have neglected justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These are the most important things in Moses’ Teachings. You should have done these things without neglecting the others.
Read all of Matthew 23Matthew 23:21 word by word
καὶ ὁ ὀμόσας ἐν τῷ ναῷ ὀμνύει ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐν τῷ κατοικοῦντι αὐτόν,Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for Matthew 23:21
- 1 Kings 8:13I certainly have built you a high temple, a home for you to live in permanently.”
- 2 Chronicles 6:2But I have built you a high temple, a home for you to live in permanently.”
- 2 Chronicles 7:2The priests couldn’t go into the Lord’s temple because the Lord’s glory had filled the Lord’s temple.
- Psalms 26:8O Lord, I love the house where you live, the place where your glory dwells.
- Psalms 132:13The Lord has chosen Zion. He wants it for his home.
- Ephesians 2:22Through him you, also, are being built in the Spirit together with others into a place where God lives.
- Colossians 2:9All of God lives in Christ’s body,
Commentaries on Matthew 23:21
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 21Whoso shall swear by the temple - Perhaps it is to this custom of swearing by the temple, that Martial alludes, lib. xi. epist. 95. Ecce negas, jurasque mihi per templa Tonantis; Non credo; jura, Verpe, per Anchialum. "Behold, thou deniest, and swearest to me by the temples of Jupiter; I will not credit thee: swear, O Jew, by the temple of Jehovah." This word probably comes from יה היכל heical Yah, the temple of Jehovah. This seems a better derivation…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 21Him that dwelleth therein - That is, God. The temple was his house, his dwelling. In the first, or Solomon‘s temple, he dwelt between the cherubims in the most holy place. He manifested himself there by a visible symbol, in the form of a cloud resting on the mercy-seat, 1 Kings 8:10, 1 Kings 8:13; Psalm 80:1.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. 20-2220-22. Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, &c.--See on Mt 5:33-37.Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 23:21
In the dictionaries
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
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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