Matthew 23:20 kjv
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.
Matthew 23:20 nkjv
Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.
Matthew 23:20 niv
Therefore, anyone who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
Matthew 23:20 esv
So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
Matthew 23:20 nlt
When you swear 'by the altar,' you are swearing by it and by everything on it.
Matthew 23 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Lev 19:12 | "You shall not swear falsely by My name, nor shall you profane the name..." | The Lord's command against false swearing. |
| Num 30:2 | "When a man makes a vow to the Lord... he shall not break his word..." | Importance of fulfilling vows and oaths. |
| Deut 23:21-23 | "When you make a vow to the Lord your God, you shall not delay to pay it..." | The binding nature of promises to God. |
| Ps 15:4 | "...who swears to his own hurt and does not change;" | Integrity and faithfulness in keeping oaths. |
| Ps 24:4 | "He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul..." | Prerequisite for worship, including truthful oaths. |
| Eccl 5:4-5 | "When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for God has no pleasure" | Urgency and consequence of broken vows. |
| Isa 29:13 | "These people draw near with their mouth and honor Me with their lips, but..." | Hypocrisy in worship, similar to oath manipulation. |
| Jer 7:9-10 | "...will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely... and come..." | Critique of false worship and breaking commandments. |
| Mal 1:7 | "You offer defiled food on My altar, but say, 'How have we defiled You?'..." | Priestly dishonor and defiling the altar. |
| Mal 1:12-14 | "But you profane it when you say, 'The table of the Lord is defiled...'" | Despising the altar and God's holy name. |
| Mat 5:33-37 | "Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, 'You shall not swear..." | Jesus teaching on transcending oaths; speak truth. |
| Mat 23:16 | "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, 'Whoever swears by the temple..." | Direct context: Jesus condemning false oath distinctions. |
| Mat 23:18 | "...and, 'Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears..." | Direct context: Pharisaic distinction rejected by Jesus. |
| Mat 23:19 | "Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies?" | Jesus' reasoning: the altar sanctifies the gift. |
| 2 Cor 1:17 | "Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things..." | Christian speech should be truthful, no need for oaths. |
| Jas 5:12 | "But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth..." | Apostolic teaching echoing Jesus on avoiding oaths. |
| Exod 29:37 | "Seven days you shall make atonement for the altar and consecrate it..." | The altar itself is consecrated and made holy by God. |
| Exod 40:9-10 | "You shall anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and hallow it..." | Anointing sanctifies sacred objects for God's use. |
| Heb 7:27 | "who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices..." | Contrast between earthly altars and Christ's one sacrifice. |
| Heb 9:13-14 | "For if the blood of bulls and goats... sanctifies for the purifying of the..." | Old Covenant rituals foreshadow Christ's greater purification. |
| Heb 13:10 | "We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right..." | The Christian "altar" is Christ, His sacrifice. |
Matthew 23 verses
Matthew 23 20 Meaning
This verse declares that when someone makes an oath using the altar as their reference point, they are inherently swearing not only by the altar itself but also by every offering and sacred item placed upon it. Jesus emphasizes that separating the altar from its sacred purpose and the sacrifices made on it is an invalid distinction. It highlights the principle that all parts connected to a sacred whole share in its holiness and binding authority, ultimately pointing to God.
Matthew 23 20 Context
Matthew 23 presents Jesus' final public discourse and a sharp rebuke to the scribes and Pharisees, who were the religious leaders of Israel. These verses (16-22) specifically address their distorted legalistic practices concerning oaths, where they distinguished between supposedly binding and non-binding vows. The overall chapter serves as a stark expose of religious hypocrisy, contrasting external religiosity with internal moral corruption. Historically, this legalistic approach was part of an oral tradition (Halakha) that sought to establish specific rulings, often missing the spirit of the Law. Jesus consistently challenged such traditions that rendered God's Word ineffective through man-made interpretations.
Matthew 23 20 Word analysis
- He who swears (Ὁ ὀμόσας, Ho omosas): This refers to anyone taking an oath, a solemn declaration invoking a divine witness or a sacred object to confirm the truth of a statement or the intent to fulfill a promise. In the context of the Pharisees, these oaths were used in daily life and legal disputes.
- by the altar (ἐν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ, en tō thusiastēriō): "Altar" (Greek: thysiastērion) refers specifically to the large altar of burnt offering in the Temple court. It was a focal point of worship, consecrated for sacrifice. The Pharisees claimed swearing by the altar alone was not binding unless one swore by the gold or the gift on it. Jesus corrects this distinction.
- swears by it (ὀμνύει ἐν αὐτῷ, omnyei en autō): The present tense of "swears" emphasizes the inherent, continuous connection. If you swear by the altar, the act logically and necessarily encompasses its nature. "By it" directly refers back to the altar itself, asserting its intrinsic sacredness and binding authority.
- and by everything on it (καὶ ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ, kai en pasi tois epanō autou): "Everything on it" refers to the sacrifices, offerings, and vessels placed on the altar for sacred use. This includes the very purpose for which the altar existed.
Words-Group Analysis:
- He who swears by the altar: This phrase identifies the act under scrutiny – the making of an oath referencing the Temple altar. This act was often an attempt to give weight to a statement or promise. The issue Jesus tackles is not the oath-taking itself but the attempt to categorize and undermine it.
- swears by it and by everything on it: This is Jesus' decisive theological correction. He posits that the altar's holiness isn't separate from what's placed upon it; rather, the altar's very purpose is to sanctify the offerings. The phrase connects the sacred object (altar) to its sacred function (sanctifying offerings). To swear by the altar is to swear by its purpose, its sanctifying power, and thus, ultimately, by God who consecrated it. This dismantles the Pharisees' deceptive legal hair-splitting, establishing that an oath on any part connected to the sacred whole is an oath on the whole, leaving no room for evasion.
Matthew 23 20 Bonus section
The concept presented by Jesus—that the sacredness of a part implies the sacredness of the whole, especially when that whole points to God—is foundational. The Pharisees’ casuistry created a deceptive pathway for insincerity, allowing individuals to make oaths they could later escape. Jesus' correction re-establishes the absolute nature of truth and commitment in God's eyes. This verse, therefore, is not just about the mechanics of ancient oaths, but about the integrity of the heart, where there are no half-truths or convenient omissions when engaging with matters of spiritual significance or divine witness.
Matthew 23 20 Commentary
In Matthew 23:20, Jesus continues His forceful condemnation of the religious hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees. Their system of oaths, specifically referenced in verses 16-22, was a clear demonstration of their twisted legalism. They taught that swearing by the temple was not binding, but swearing by its gold was; similarly, swearing by the altar was inconsequential, but swearing by the gift upon it was binding. Jesus exposes the sheer folly and moral bankruptcy of these distinctions.
His logic is profound and simple: the altar is not just a stone structure; it is holy because of God's presence and its designated purpose of sanctifying offerings (Exod 29:37). The gifts or offerings themselves derive their sanctity from the altar, not the other way around. Therefore, to swear by the altar necessarily includes swearing by all that makes it holy and by what it consecrates. To separate the gift from the altar that sanctifies it, or the gold from the Temple, reveals a heart attempting to find loopholes for dishonest speech, rather than upholding truthfulness before God. Jesus' teaching here underscores the divine truth that one cannot compartmentalize their commitment to truth and God; an oath is either a binding commitment rooted in the ultimate sanctity of God, or it is a lie. His teaching pushes towards absolute integrity, where "yes" means "yes" and "no" means "no" (Mat 5:37), making complicated oath systems obsolete.