New Living Translation
Matthew 23:34
34“Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.
Matthew 23:34 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:
- New International Version (NIV)Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.
- English Standard Version (ESV)Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,
- New King James Version (NKJV)Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,
Context of Matthew 23:34
32Go ahead and finish what your ancestors started. 33Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? “Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city. 35As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time—from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar. 36I tell you the truth, this judgment will fall on this very generation.
Read all of Matthew 23Matthew 23:34 word by word
διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω πρὸς ὑμᾶς προφήτας καὶ σοφοὺς καὶ γραμματεῖς· ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενεῖτε καὶ σταυρώσετε καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν μαστιγώσετε ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ὑμῶν καὶ διώξετε ἀπὸ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν·Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Whereforeδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
- ·οὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- beholdὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- sendἀποστέλλωapostellō · to sendG649
- untoπρόςpros · to/withG4314
- youσύsu · youG4771
- prophetsπροφήτηςprophētēs · prophetG4396
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- wise menσοφόςsophos · wiseG4680
- scribesγραμματεύςgrammateus · scribeG1122
- ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- ye shall killἀποκτείνωapokteinō · to killG615
- crucifyσταυρόωstauroō · to crucifyG4717
- shall ye scourgeμαστιγόωmastigoō · to whipG3146
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- synagoguesὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- synagoguesσυναγωγήsunagōgē · synagogueG4864
- persecuteδιώκωdiōkō · to pursueG1377
- fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
- cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
- toεἰςeis · towardG1519
Cross-references for Matthew 23:34
- Matthew 10:16“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.
- Matthew 28:19Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
- Luke 11:49This is what God in his wisdom said about you: ‘I will send prophets and apostles to them, but they will kill some and persecute the others.’
- Luke 24:47It was also written that this message would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’
- John 20:21Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.”
- Acts 1:8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
- 1 Corinthians 12:3So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit.
- Ephesians 4:8That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”
- Acts 11:27During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch.
- Acts 13:1Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul.
- Acts 15:32Then Judas and Silas, both being prophets, spoke at length to the believers, encouraging and strengthening their faith.
- Revelation 11:10All the people who belong to this world will gloat over them and give presents to each other to celebrate the death of the two prophets who had tormented them.
- Proverbs 11:30The seeds of good deeds become a tree of life; a wise person wins friends.
- 1 Corinthians 2:6Yet when I am among mature believers, I do speak with words of wisdom, but not the kind of wisdom that belongs to this world or to the rulers of this world, who are soon forgotten.
- 1 Corinthians 3:10Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.
- Colossians 1:28So we tell others about Christ, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all the wisdom God has given us. We want to present them to God, perfect in their relationship to Christ.
Commentaries on Matthew 23:34
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 34Wherefore - To show how my prediction, Ye will fill up the measure of your fathers, shall be verified, Behold, I send (I am just going to commission them) prophets, etc. and some ye will kill, (with legal process), and some ye will crucify, pretend to try and find guilty, and deliver them into the hands of the Romans, who shall, through you, thus put them to death. See on Luke 11:49; (note). By prophets, wise men, and scribes, our Lord intends the…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 34I send unto you prophets - Jesus doubtless refers here to the apostles, and other teachers of religion. Prophets, wise men, and scribes were the names by which the teachers of religion were known among the Jews, and he therefore used the same terms when speaking of the messengers which he would send. “I send” has the force of the future, I “will” send. Some of them ye shall kill - As in the case of Stephen Acts 7:59 and James Acts 12:1-2. Crucify…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. 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. 3434. Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes--The I here is emphatic: "I am sending," that is, "am about to send." In Lu 11:49 the variation is remarkable: "Therefore also, said the wisdom of God, I will send them," &c. What precisely is meant by "the wisdom of God" here, is somewhat difficult to determine. To us it appears to be simply an announcement of a purpose of the Divine Wisdom, in the high style of ancient prophecy…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 23:34
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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