Matthew 18:17

If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, regard him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses the disciples in a discourse on resolving conflict, following the initial steps of private appeal and small-group witness. He speaks to them as the final authority for handling an unrepentant individual within the community.

The words — The text uses παρακούσῃ (parakousē), meaning "he shall fail to listen," and ἐκκλησίᾳ (ekklēsia), meaning "church." These terms mark the formal escalation from personal refusal to communal reckoning.

The thread — The text commands treating a persistently unrepentant person as a "pagan or a tax collector," which aligns with the separation instructions in 1 Corinthians 5:9 and 2 Thessalonians 3:6, 14. These passages collectively establish a pattern of non-association for those who reject community correction.

Why it lands — The text requires the community to enforce its boundaries by formally excluding those who refuse its correction. It asks the reader to prioritize communal accountability over personal accommodation when dealing with unrepentance.

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

And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.

Cross-references

2 Thessalonians 3:6 Now we command you, brothers, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to keep away from any brother who leads an undisciplined life that is not in keeping with the tradition you received from us.
1 Corinthians 5:9 I wrote you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people.
2 Thessalonians 3:14 Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.
1 Corinthians 5:3 Although I am absent from you in body, I am present with you in spirit, and I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did this, just as if I were present.
Ephesians 5:11 Have no fellowship with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
2 John 1:10 If anyone comes to you but does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your home or even greet him.
Romans 16:17 Now I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who create divisions and obstacles that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Turn away from them.
Ephesians 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking.
3 John 1:9 I have written to the church about this, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first, will not accept our instruction.
Ezekiel 11:12 Then you will know that I am the LORD. For you have neither followed My statutes nor practiced My ordinances, but you have conformed to the ordinances of the nations around you.”