Matthew 23:14

Matthew 23:14 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

Context of Matthew 23:14

12And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. 13“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation. 15“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves. 16“Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obliged to perform it.’

Matthew 23:14 word by word

Words taken from the KJV.

• Woeοὐαίouai · woe!G3759
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• scribesγραμματεύςgrammateus · scribeG1122
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• Phariseesὑποκριτήςhupokritēs · hypocriteG5273
• forὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• ye devourκατεσθίωkatesthiō · to devourG2719
• widows’ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• widows’χήραchēra · widowG5503
• housesοἰκίαoikia · homeG3614
• for a pretenceπρόφασιςprophasis · pretenseG4392
• makeπροσεύχομαιproseuchomai · to prayG4336
• longμακρόςmakros · long/distantG3117
• ·διάdia · through/because ofG1223
• thereforeοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
• ye shall receiveλαμβάνωlambanō · to takeG2983
• the greaterπερισσόςperissos · excessiveG4053
• damnationκρίμαkrima · judgmentG2917

Cross-references for Matthew 23:14

• Exodus 22:22“You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child.
• Job 22:9You have sent widows away empty, And the strength of the fatherless was crushed.
• Job 31:16“If I have kept the poor from their desire, Or caused the eyes of the widow to fail,
• Mark 12:40who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
• Luke 20:47who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
• 2 Timothy 3:6For of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts,
• 2 Peter 2:14having eyes full of adultery and that cannot cease from sin, enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in covetous practices, and are accursed children.
• Matthew 23:33Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?
• Matthew 11:24But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you.”
• Luke 12:48But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more.
• James 3:1My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.
• 2 Peter 2:3By covetousness they will exploit you with deceptive words; for a long time their judgment has not been idle, and their destruction does not slumber.

Commentaries on Matthew 23:14

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 14Ye devour widows' houses - On this subject I am in possession of nothing better than the following note of Dr. Whitby. "This sect," says Josephus, (Ant. l. xvii. chap. 3), "pretended to a more exact knowledge of the law, on which account the women were subject to them, as pretending to be dear to God. And when Alexandra obtained the government, (Jewish War, b. I. ch. 4), they insinuated themselves into her favor, as being the exactest sect of the Jews…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 14Devour widows‘ houses - The word “houses” is used here to denote “property” or possessions of any kind. You take away or get possession of the property of widows by improper arts and pretences. This was done in two ways: 1. They claimed a very exact knowledge of the law and a perfect observance of it. They pretended to extraordinary justice toward the poor, friendship for the distressed, and willingness to aid those who were in embarrassed circumstances…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. 13-36Matthew gathered seven warnings of sorrow to come (literally woe to you) inspired by similar Old Testament lists (Isaiah 5:8–23; Habakkuk 2:6–20). Matthew arranged them to reach a climax with the killing of the prophets.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1414. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, &c.--Taking advantage of the helpless condition and confiding character of "widows," they contrived to obtain possession of their property, while by their "long prayers" they made them believe they were raised far above "filthy lucre." So much "the greater damnation" awaits them. What a lifelike description of the Romish clergy, the true successors of those scribes!Read the comment

Topics related to Matthew 23:14

• Church
• Ecclesiasticism
• Hypocrisy
• Judgment
• Pharisees
• Prayer
• Punishment
• Satire
• Teachers
• Wicked (People)
• Widow

In the dictionaries

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

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