New Living Translation
Matthew 23:35
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.
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
33Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell? 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. As 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. 37“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me.
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 9:5“And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die.
- Numbers 35:33This will ensure that the land where you live will not be polluted, for murder pollutes the land. And no sacrifice except the execution of the murderer can purify the land from murder.
- Deuteronomy 21:7Then they must say, ‘Our hands did not shed this person’s blood, nor did we see it happen.
- 2 Kings 21:16Manasseh also murdered many innocent people until Jerusalem was filled from one end to the other with innocent blood. This was in addition to the sin that he caused the people of Judah to commit, leading them to do evil in the Lord’s sight.
- 2 Kings 24:4who had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood. The Lord would not forgive this.
- Isaiah 26:21Look! The Lord is coming from heaven to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will no longer hide those who have been killed. They will be brought out for all to see.
- Jeremiah 2:30“I have punished your children, but they did not respond to my discipline. You yourselves have killed your prophets as a lion kills its prey.
- Jeremiah 26:15But if you kill me, rest assured that you will be killing an innocent man! The responsibility for such a deed will lie on you, on this city, and on every person living in it. For it is absolutely true that the Lord sent me to speak every word you have heard.”
- Lamentations 4:13Yet it happened because of the sins of her prophets and the sins of her priests, who defiled the city by shedding innocent blood.
- Revelation 18:24In your streets flowed the blood of the prophets and of God’s holy people and the blood of people slaughtered all over the world.”
- Genesis 4:8One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.” And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
- Hebrews 11:4It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel’s offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.
- Hebrews 12:24You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.
- 1 John 3:11This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another.
- 2 Chronicles 24:20Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest. He stood before the people and said, “This is what God says: Why do you disobey the Lord’s commands and keep yourselves from prospering? You have abandoned the Lord, and now he has abandoned you!”
- Zechariah 1:1In November of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave this message to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah and grandson of Iddo:
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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