New Living Translation
Matthew 23:21
21And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it.
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
19How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20When you swear ‘by the altar,’ you are swearing by it and by everything on it. And when you swear ‘by the Temple,’ you are swearing by it and by God, who lives in it. 22And when you swear ‘by heaven,’ you are swearing by the throne of God and by God, who sits on the throne. 23“What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things.
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 8:13Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!”
- 2 Chronicles 6:2Now I have built a glorious Temple for you, a place where you can live forever!”
- 2 Chronicles 7:2The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it.
- Psalms 26:8I love your sanctuary, Lord, the place where your glorious presence dwells.
- Psalms 132:13For the Lord has chosen Jerusalem; he has desired it for his home.
- Ephesians 2:22Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.
- Colossians 2:9For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human 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
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