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Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, `Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.`
Verse Takeaways
1
Religion for Profit
Commentators like Calvin and Gill explain that the Pharisees' strange rules about oaths were driven by greed. They taught that an oath sworn 'by the gold of the temple' (the offerings) was binding because they profited from those offerings. In contrast, an oath 'by the temple' was meaningless to them. This serves as a stark warning against twisting spiritual principles for personal or financial gain.
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Matthew
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9
18th Century
Presbyterian
Whosoever shall swear, etc. (See Barnes on Matthew 5:33-37).
The temple. (See Barnes on Matthew 21:12).
It is n…
Ye blind guides (οδηγο τυφλο). Note omission of "Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites" with this third woe. In 15:14 Jesus had alread…
19th Century
Anglican
Whoever swears by the temple — For the general teaching of the Pharisees on oaths, see the notes on Matthew 5:33-37.
It is …
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Baptist
The form of the fourth “woe” differs from all the rest. In the other seven, our Savior said, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!”…
See comments on 5:33–37 and 15:14 for the background and thrust of these verses. While it may be true that the rabbis fought the abuses of oaths an…
16th Century
Protestant
Woe to you, blind guides, As ambition is almost always connected with hypocrisy, so the superstitions of the people are usually encouraged…
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17th Century
Reformed Baptist
Woe unto you, you blind guides Meaning the same persons, the Scribes and Pharisees, as before, though not named, who…
The scribes and Pharisees were enemies of the gospel of Christ, and therefore of the salvation of people's souls. It is bad to keep away from Chris…
13th Century
Catholic
After He instructed the disciples and the multitudes about the caution they should have regarding the Jews' doctrine, He now directs His words to t…
