Matthew 23:16

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

Berean Standard Bible

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Study note

Setting — Jesus addresses the scribes and Pharisees immediately after condemning their proselytizing in Matthew 23:15, targeting their leadership role. The words — Οὐαὶ (Ouai) translates literally as Woe, and τυφλοὶ (tuphloi) means blind. The thread — Jesus repeats the blind guides motif in Matthew 15:14, addresses the underlying oath tradition in Matthew 5:33, and resolves the temple versus gold hierarchy in Matthew 23:17. Why it lands — The text exposes a contradictory oath system that dismisses the temple while binding oaths to its gold, requiring readers to abandon legalistic loopholes and acknowledge the sacred source that gives value to material offerings.

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, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!

Cross-references

Matthew 15:14 Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Matthew 5:33 Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
Matthew 23:17 You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
Matthew 23:24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
James 5:12 Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.
Isaiah 56:10 Israel’s watchmen are blind, they are all oblivious; they are all mute dogs, they cannot bark; they are dreamers lying around, loving to slumber.
Matthew 15:5 But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
Matthew 23:19 You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?
Matthew 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
John 9:39 Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”