Matthew 23 30

Matthew 23:30 kjv

And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

Matthew 23:30 nkjv

and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'

Matthew 23:30 niv

And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

Matthew 23:30 esv

saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'

Matthew 23:30 nlt

Then you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.'

Matthew 23 verses

Matthew 23 30 Meaning

Matthew 23:30 records the self-righteous declaration of the scribes and Pharisees, where they claim that if they had lived during the time of their ancestors, they would not have participated in the killing of the prophets. This statement, delivered in the context of Jesus' severe condemnation of their hypocrisy, ironically serves to highlight their profound self-deception and moral blindness. They outwardly honor dead prophets by building their tombs while inwardly harboring the same murderous intent against God's current messengers, including Jesus himself and later His disciples. This verse exposes the danger of acknowledging past sin without recognizing one's own complicity in current or future transgressions.

Matthew 23 30 Context

Matthew chapter 23 serves as Jesus' most direct and scathing public rebuke of the scribes and Pharisees, denouncing their hypocrisy, spiritual pride, and moral corruption. The chapter contains the "Seven Woes," a series of pronouncements exposing their true character. Jesus begins by acknowledging their position of authority (v. 1-2) but immediately warns against imitating their actions, highlighting their failure to practice what they preach (v. 3-4) and their showy religiosity (v. 5-7). The specific context for verse 30 begins with Jesus condemning their superficial reverence for deceased prophets (v. 29): "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous." Verse 30 is their hypothetical retort, which Jesus immediately turns back on them in verse 31 by stating, "So you testify against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets." Historically, the Jewish people had a consistent pattern of rejecting and persecuting God's messengers throughout their history, a reality often lamented in the Old Testament. The Pharisees' statement is an attempt to distance themselves from this national sin, while Jesus' words expose their continued perpetuation of it against Him and His disciples.

Word Analysis

• And say (καὶ λέγετε - kai legete): This phrase indicates the continued nature of their utterance. "You say" (present tense) suggests it's a habitual or characteristic claim of theirs, highlighting their self-deceiving justification.
• 'If we had lived (Εἰ ἦμεν - Ei ēmen): This is a second-class conditional statement in Greek, indicating a hypothetical situation that is contrary to fact in the past. They claim a hypothetical moral superiority over their ancestors, believing they would have acted differently.
• in the days of our fathers (ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν): This phrase connects the current generation of religious leaders directly to the historical lineage of those who persecuted prophets. The term "fathers" (πατέρων - paterōn) emphasizes the direct ancestral connection and shared heritage, which Jesus later highlights to demonstrate their true spiritual lineage.
• we would not have taken part with them (οὐκ ἂν ἤμεν κοινωνοὶ αὐτῶν - ouk an ēmen koinōnoi autōn): "Taken part with them" is a translation of "we would not have been partners with them" (κοινωνοὶ - koinōnoi). Koinōnoi signifies being a participant, companion, or sharer in an activity. Their denial of complicity is a false assertion, as they exhibit the same murderous spirit.
• in shedding the blood of the prophets' (ἐν τῷ αἵματι τῶν προφητῶν - en tō haimati tōn prophētōn): "Shedding the blood" is implied by "in the blood" (αἵματι - haimati), a common biblical idiom for violent death, specifically murder. "Prophets" (προφητῶν - prophētōn) refers to the divine messengers sent by God throughout Israel's history, many of whom were indeed persecuted and killed by the people they sought to call back to God (e.g., Jeremiah, Uriah, Zechariah).

Words-group analysis:

• "If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them": This entire conditional clause exposes their self-righteous denial. They express a hypothetical wish to disassociate themselves from the violent history of their ancestors, yet their current actions ironically mirror that very violence against the contemporary messengers of God.
• "shedding the blood of the prophets": This phrase directly refers to the heinous crime of murdering God's chosen spokesmen. It's a recurring motif in the Old Testament, representing Israel's rejection of divine authority and warning, culminating in Jerusalem's reputation as a "killer of prophets."

Matthew 23 30 Commentary

Matthew 23:30 powerfully reveals the profound self-deception inherent in religious hypocrisy. The scribes and Pharisees, meticulous in their outward adherence to the Law and seemingly reverent toward historical figures, proudly declare their innocence regarding past atrocities against God's prophets. Their statement, "If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets," is a performative denial. However, Jesus immediately exposes this hollow boast. Their very words condemn them, revealing their blindness to their own current complicity in similar sin. They outwardly honor dead prophets while actively plotting against Jesus, who is the ultimate Prophet and Messenger of God. This highlights the severe irony and danger of outwardly upholding tradition and morality without possessing an inward heart of humility and genuine obedience. True reverence for God's messengers involves embracing and responding to the truth they speak, not merely commemorating those who spoke it in the past. Their statement is a precursor to their ultimate act of rejecting and crucifying Jesus, thereby "filling up the measure" of their fathers' sin.

Bonus Section

This verse brilliantly exposes a timeless pattern of spiritual blindness: people tend to venerate past religious figures (prophets, saints) while persecuting or rejecting present manifestations of God's truth, especially when that truth confronts their comfortable religious paradigms or demands genuine transformation. The Pharisees' meticulous tomb-building for prophets (Mt 23:29) perfectly illustrates this outward piety. They believe themselves morally superior to previous generations, yet their refusal to accept Jesus' divine authority and prophetic message demonstrates the same rebellious spirit that led their ancestors to murder God's messengers. Jesus uses their own words to condemn them, highlighting that their actions (plotting against Him) speak louder than their self-righteous claims. This serves as a potent warning against superficial religiosity that honors the past while being hostile to God's active voice in the present.