Matthew 15 7

Matthew 15:7 kjv

Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying,

Matthew 15:7 nkjv

Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying:

Matthew 15:7 niv

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you:

Matthew 15:7 esv

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

Matthew 15:7 nlt

You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,

Matthew 15 verses

Matthew 15 7 Meaning

This verse represents a sharp and direct confrontation by Jesus with the Pharisees and scribes. He identifies their religious externalism and insincerity as hypocrisy, asserting that their actions and attitudes perfectly fulfill the ancient prophecy spoken by Isaiah. The core meaning conveys that their outward show of piety conceals a heart that is far from God, prioritising human traditions over divine commandments.

Matthew 15 7 Context

Matthew chapter 15 begins with Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem confronting Jesus. Their concern is that Jesus' disciples violate their oral tradition of hand-washing before eating, which they consider an essential purity rite. Jesus counters their accusation not by defending his disciples' lack of ritual, but by exposing the deeper hypocrisy of the accusers themselves. He turns the debate from external ceremonial practices to the internal state of the heart and the conflict between human traditions and God's explicit commands. Verse 7 is Jesus' direct retort, where He indicts their insincerity by drawing upon an ancient prophecy, revealing that their external religious show masked a heart far removed from genuine devotion to God. This passage underscores Jesus' authority to reinterpret the law and prophetic scriptures, emphasizing inward purity over outward ritualism.

Matthew 15 7 Word analysis

• Ye (ὑμεῖς - hymeis): A strong, emphatic pronoun in the original Greek, highlighting direct accusation toward the Pharisees and scribes present. It sets a confrontational tone, indicating that the following words are personal and direct.
• Hypocrites (ὑποκριταί - hypocritai): From a Greek word originally referring to an actor on a stage, someone who wears a mask or plays a role. In religious discourse, it means someone who feigns piety, virtue, or religious devotion while lacking true internal conviction. This term signifies spiritual insincerity, portraying an outward image that contradicts the inner reality. Jesus consistently uses this term to expose the Pharisees' and scribes' deceptive religious facade.
• well did: An affirmation by Jesus of the absolute accuracy and applicability of the prophecy from Isaiah to them. It underscores that Isaiah's words are not merely relevant but are perfectly fulfilled in their behavior and attitude.
• Esaias (Ἡσαΐας - Hēsaias): The Greek transliteration of the Hebrew name "Isaiah." This explicitly names the Old Testament prophet, appealing to his undeniable prophetic authority and God's foreknowledge in identifying such behavior centuries beforehand. It links their present spiritual failure directly to an ancient divine indictment.
• prophesy (ἐπροφήτευσεν - eprophēteusen): To speak by divine inspiration, often foretelling future events but also speaking God's word into present situations. Here, it emphasizes that Isaiah's words about superficial worship were a God-breathed declaration directly condemning their kind of religion.
• of you: Direct and personal application of the prophecy. It asserts that Isaiah's ancient condemnation was not just a general truth, but specifically applied to the very people standing before Jesus. This makes the prophecy a direct divine judgment on their lives.
• saying: Introduces the direct quote from Isaiah 29:13, connecting the prophecy with the current situation and setting the stage for the specific accusations about their lip service.

Words-group analysis

• "Ye hypocrites": This is a potent and stinging accusation from Jesus. It dismisses their authority based on their perceived piety and exposes their inner character. It implies that their challenge about hand-washing is not driven by sincere devotion to God's law but by self-righteous pretense. This group of words sets the tone for the severity of Jesus' rebuke.
• "well did Esaias prophesy of you": This phrase functions as a definitive judicial statement. It declares God's ancient judgment (through Isaiah) as a perfect mirror of their current spiritual condition. It links the New Testament spiritual crisis directly to Old Testament prophecy, validating Jesus' authority to interpret and apply scripture and highlighting the continuity of divine revelation concerning true versus false worship.

Matthew 15 7 Bonus section

The scene in Matthew 15, especially verses 7-9, directly portrays the tension between external observance of the Law (and accompanying traditions) versus internal spiritual reality, a pervasive theme throughout the Gospels. The Pharisees, masters of outward religious display, epitomized the "letter of the law" approach. Jesus consistently emphasized the "spirit of the law" – the heart's intent and true righteousness. Isaiah's prophecy was particularly poignant because it originally indicted Israel during a time when elaborate temple rituals were maintained, yet social justice and true reverence for God were absent. Jesus' application of this prophecy demonstrated that historical patterns of insincere worship repeat, and God's condemnation of them remains consistent. It highlights Jesus' divine insight, not only knowing the Scriptures intimately but possessing the authority to apply them directly to individuals in real-time, fulfilling prophecy in a dynamic sense by showing it to be true in the lives of those standing before Him.

Matthew 15 7 Commentary

Matthew 15:7 acts as the climactic preface to Jesus' profound indictment of the religious leaders. He bypasses their legalistic arguments about human tradition to expose their fundamental spiritual flaw: hypocrisy. By labelling them "hypocrites," Jesus cuts through their outward display of piety and directly challenges their sincerity. He reinforces this by invoking Isaiah 29:13, not as a loose reference, but as a direct prophetic mirror reflecting their very hearts. This quote highlights their external worship – their adherence to rituals and traditions – is empty, for their hearts are distant from God. This is not merely a critique of specific actions but a wholesale rejection of a religious system that elevates human rules above God's divine commands and replaces true reverence with superficial conformity. The issue isn't whether their hands are ritually clean, but whether their hearts are truly dedicated to God. This confrontation serves as a timeless warning against any form of worship or religious practice that is performed outwardly without genuine internal devotion and obedience to God's revealed will.