Bible Strands
Luke 11:43
Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues and the greetings in the marketplaces.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus pronounces a woe against the Pharisees in a sequence of condemnations, following a critique of their selective tithing and preceding a comparison to unmarked graves.
The words — The text records Jesus using ἀγαπᾶτε (agapate, "you love") and πρωτοκαθεδρίαν (prōtokathedrian, "first seat") to describe their explicit preference for positions of honor. Interpreters note this language targets a deliberate pursuit of social prestige rather than mere cultural custom.
The thread — This condemnation of seeking honored places and public acclaim appears in parallel accounts in Matthew 23:6, Mark 12:38, and Luke 20:46.
Why it lands — The passage demands a reader examine whether personal religious practice seeks genuine obedience or public validation, rejecting the pursuit of social prestige within faith communities.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Cross-references
- Luke 20:46 “Beware of the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, and they love the greetings in the marketplaces, the chief seats in the synagogues, and the places of honor at banquets.
- Mark 12:38 In His teaching Jesus also said, “Watch out for the scribes. They like to walk around in long robes, to receive greetings in the marketplaces,
- Matthew 23:6 They love the places of honor at banquets, the chief seats in the synagogues,
- Luke 14:7 When Jesus noticed how the guests chose the places of honor, He told them a parable:
- Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.
- Romans 12:10 Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Outdo yourselves in honoring one another.
- Philippians 2:3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or empty pride, but in humility consider others more important than yourselves.
- James 2:2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in.
- 3 John 1:9 I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction.