Bible Strands
Luke 6:37
Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses his disciples during the Sermon on the Plain, immediately following his command to be merciful as the Father is merciful. He frames the teaching as a direct ethical imperative for his followers.
The words — κρίνετε (krinete) and κριθῆτε (krithēte) are aorist active and passive subjunctive forms of κρίνω, literally "do judge" and "you may be judged." The parallel structure emphasizes a reciprocal divine response to human action.
The thread — This reciprocal principle appears in Matthew 7:1 with identical wording, while Ephesians 4:32 grounds the forgiveness command in Christ's prior forgiveness of believers. James 5:9 runs parallel by warning believers not to complain against one another so they will not be judged.
Why it lands — The text commands readers to refrain from condemning others and to actively forgive, promising that the same standard will be applied to them. It requires immediate behavioral alignment with the mercy previously commanded in Luke 6:36.
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
Judge not, and ye shall not be judged: condemn not, and ye shall not be condemned: forgive, and ye shall be forgiven:
Cross-references
- Ephesians 4:32 Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.
- James 5:9 Do not complain about one another, brothers, so that you will not be judged. Look, the Judge is standing at the door!
- Matthew 7:1 “Do not judge, or you will be judged.
- Mark 11:25 And when you stand to pray, if you hold anything against another, forgive it, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your trespasses as well.”
- 1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
- Romans 2:1 You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on another. For on whatever grounds you judge the other, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things.
- Romans 14:10 Why, then, do you judge your brother? Or why do you belittle your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat.
- Matthew 5:7 Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
- Romans 14:3 The one who eats everything must not belittle the one who does not, and the one who does not eat everything must not judge the one who does, for God has accepted him.
- Colossians 3:13 Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.