God’s Word Translation
Matthew 23:35
35As a result, you will be held accountable for all the innocent blood of those murdered on earth. This includes the murder of Abel, who had God’s approval, to that of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
Matthew 23:35 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.
- New International Version (NIV)And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
- English Standard Version (ESV)so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.
- New King James Version (NKJV)that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
Context of Matthew 23:35
33“You snakes! You poisonous snakes! How can you escape being condemned to hell? 34I’m sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers of the Scriptures. You will kill and crucify some of them. Others you will whip in your synagogues and persecute from city to city. As a result, you will be held accountable for all the innocent blood of those murdered on earth. This includes the murder of Abel, who had God’s approval, to that of Zechariah, son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36I can guarantee this truth: The people living now will be held accountable for all these things. 37“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you kill the prophets and stone to death those sent to you! How often I wanted to gather your children together the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings! But you were not willing!
Read all of Matthew 23Matthew 23:35 word by word
ὅπως ἔλθῃ ἐφ᾽ ὑμᾶς πᾶν αἷμα δίκαιον ἐκχυννόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος Ἅβελ τοῦ δικαίου ἕως τοῦ αἵματος Ζαχαρίου υἱοῦ Βαραχίου ὃν ἐφονεύσατε μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Thatὅπωςhopōs · thatG3704
- uponἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
- youσύsu · youG4771
- may comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- allπᾶςpas · allG3956
- the righteousδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
- bloodαἷμαaima · bloodG129
- shedἐκχέωekcheō ekchunō · to pour outG1632
- the earthγῆgē · earth: planetG1093
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- ofἌβελAbel · AbelG6
- untoἕωςheōs · untilG2193
- of ZachariasΖαχαρίαςZacharias · ZechariahG2197
- sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
- of BarachiasΒαραχίαςBarachias · BarachiahG914
- whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- ye slewφονεύωphoneuō · to murderG5407
- betweenμεταξύmetaxu · between/meanwhileG3342
- the templeναόςnaos · templeG3485
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- the altarθυσιαστήριονthusiastērion · altarG2379
Cross-references for Matthew 23:35
- Genesis 9:5In addition, I will demand your blood for your life. I will demand it from any animal or from any person. I will demand the life of any person ⌞who kills⌟ another person.
- Numbers 35:33“You must not pollute the land where you live. Murder is what pollutes the land. The land where a murder was committed can never make peace with the Lord except through the death of the murderer.
- Deuteronomy 21:7Then they must make this formal statement: “We didn’t commit this murder, and we didn’t witness it.
- 2 Kings 21:16In addition to his sin that he led Judah to commit in front of the Lord, Manasseh also killed a lot of innocent people from one end of Jerusalem to the other.
- 2 Kings 24:4including the innocent blood he had shed. He had a lot of innocent people in Jerusalem killed, and the Lord refused to forgive him.
- Isaiah 26:21The Lord is going to come out from his dwelling place to punish those who live on earth for their sins. The earth will uncover the blood shed on it and will no longer cover up its dead bodies.
- Jeremiah 2:30“I have punished your children without results. They didn’t respond to correction. You killed my prophets like a raging lion.
- Jeremiah 26:15But know for certain that if you put me to death, you, this city, and the people living in it will be guilty of killing an innocent person. The Lord has certainly sent me to speak all these things to you.”
- Lamentations 4:13⌞They got through⌟ because of the sins of Jerusalem’s prophets and the crimes of its priests, who spilled the blood of righteous people within it.
- Revelation 18:24“The blood of prophets, God’s people, and everyone who had been murdered on earth was found in it.”
- Genesis 4:8Cain talked to his brother Abel. Later, when they were in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
- Hebrews 11:4Faith led Abel to offer God a better sacrifice than Cain’s sacrifice. Through his faith Abel received God’s approval, since God accepted his sacrifices. Through his faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.
- Hebrews 12:24You have come to Jesus, who brings the new promise from God, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better message than Abel’s.
- 1 John 3:11The message that you have heard from the beginning is to love each other.
- 2 Chronicles 24:20God’s Spirit gave Zechariah, son of the priest Jehoiada, strength. Zechariah stood in front of the people and said to them, “This is what God says: Why are you breaking the Lord’s commands? You won’t prosper that way! The Lord has abandoned you because you have abandoned him.”
- Zechariah 1:1In the eighth month of Darius’ second year as king, the Lord spoke his word to the prophet Zechariah, who was the son of Berechiah and the grandson of Iddo. He said,
Commentaries on Matthew 23:35
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 35Upon the earth - , upon this land, meaning probably the land of Judea; for thus the word is often to be understood. The national punishment of all the innocent blood which had been shed in the land, shall speedily come upon you, from the blood of Abel the just, the first prophet and preacher of righteousness, Hebrews 11:4; 2 Peter 2:5, to the blood of Zachariah, the son of Barachiah. It is likely that our Lord refers to the murder of Zachariah, mentioned…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 35That upon you may come - That is, the nation is guilty. Your fathers were guilty. You have shown yourselves to be like them. You are about, by killing the Messiah and his messengers, to fill up the iniquity of the land. The patience of God is nearly exhausted, and the nation is about to be visited with signal vengeance. These national crimes deserve national judgments; and the proper judgment for all these crimes are about to come upon you in the…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 34-39Verses 34-39 Our Lord declares the miseries the inhabitants of Jerusalem were about to bring upon themselves, but he does not notice the sufferings he was to undergo. A hen gathering her chickens under her wings, is an apt emblem of the Saviour's tender love to those who trust in him, and his faithful care of them. He calls sinners to take refuge under his tender protection, keeps them safe, and nourishes them to eternal life. The present dispersion and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 35This covers the first and last murders recorded in the Hebrew Bible. Abel was killed in Genesis 4:8–11, and Zechariah in 2 Chronicles 24:15–22, which is the last book in the Hebrew Bible order. Jesus implies that his generation would be held guilty for all the murders of God’s righteous servants in the Old Testament (compare Matt 27:25).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 23:35
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
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