Matthew 23 34

Matthew 23:34 kjv

Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

Matthew 23:34 nkjv

Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city,

Matthew 23:34 niv

Therefore I am sending you prophets and sages and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town.

Matthew 23:34 esv

Therefore I send you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town,

Matthew 23:34 nlt

"Therefore, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers of religious law. But you will kill some by crucifixion, and you will flog others with whips in your synagogues, chasing them from city to city.

Matthew 23 verses

Matthew 23 34 Meaning

Matthew 23:34 is a dire prophetic declaration by Jesus, directed at the hypocritical religious leaders of His time—the scribes and Pharisees. He announces that He will send His own messengers, referred to as "prophets, wise men, and scribes," who will suffer persecution and violent death at their hands, mirroring the pattern of previous generations who rejected God's spokesmen. This verse serves as a crucial bridge connecting their past actions (as detailed in the preceding woes) to their future opposition to Christ's gospel, ultimately leading to their accountability.

Matthew 23 34 Context

Matthew 23:34 falls within the "Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees" discourse (Matthew 23:1-36), Jesus' final and most severe public condemnation of the religious leaders in Jerusalem before His passion. Prior to this verse, Jesus pronounced eight "woes" upon them, exposing their hypocrisy, their legalism, their spiritual blindness, and their exploitation of people. He accused them of shutting off the kingdom of heaven, devouring widows' houses, being blind guides, and being outwardly righteous but inwardly full of lawlessness and self-indulgence. Verse 34 then serves as the climax and ultimate consequence of their continued rejection of God's authority and messengers, prophesying that they will continue their ancestral pattern of persecuting and killing God's sent ones, culminating in their ultimate guilt for "all the righteous blood shed on earth" (v. 35). This discourse takes place in the final week before the crucifixion, shortly after Jesus' triumphal entry and intense confrontation in the temple courts. Historically, the Jewish leadership would indeed persecute and execute many of the early Christians, fulfilling this prophecy.

Matthew 23 34 Word analysis

• Therefore (διὰ τοῦτο - dia touto): This phrase marks a significant transition, indicating a consequence or conclusion based on what has just been stated. Here, it directly links the religious leaders' past and present opposition (the "woes") to their future actions against Jesus's messengers.
• I send (ἀποστέλλω - apostellō): From the Greek "apostellō," meaning "to send forth," "to dispatch," or "to commission." It carries a strong sense of divine authority and purposeful mission. Jesus asserts His own divine authority, presenting Himself as the one who commissions and dispatches these individuals, paralleling God's historical sending of prophets.
• you (ὑμῖν - humin): This refers specifically to the "scribes and Pharisees" and "this generation" (v. 36) who represent the nation's rejecting leadership. Jesus is speaking directly to them, highlighting their culpability.
• prophets (προφήτας - prophētas): Literally, "forth-tellers" or "divine messengers." In the Old Testament, these were individuals inspired by God to declare His will and truth. In the New Testament, this refers to those with a spiritual gift of prophecy (e.g., Agabus in Acts) or, more broadly, anyone who authentically proclaims God's word, including the apostles and early evangelists.
• wise men (σοφούς - sophous): Those who possess and teach divine wisdom, interpreting God's truth. This could include teachers, catechists, or those with deep understanding of the Scriptures, applying it practically.
• and scribes (καὶ γραμματεῖς - kai grammateis): In the Jewish context, "scribes" (γραμματεῖς) were experts in the Law, responsible for copying, interpreting, and teaching it. Jesus uses this term, which was commonly associated with the very religious leaders He was condemning, to ironically describe His own followers who would authentically expound on God's truth, but His followers will be true interpreters of His teachings.
• some of whom (ἐξ αὐτῶν - ex autōn): "Out of them," indicating a portion, not necessarily all, would suffer these specific fates. This acknowledges the diversity of persecution and martyrdom among Jesus's disciples.
• you will kill (ἀποκτενεῖτε - apokteneite): From "apokteino," meaning "to kill" or "to slay." This indicates premeditated murder.
• and crucify (καὶ σταυρώσετε - kai staurōsete): "To impale on a cross." Crucifixion was a Roman method of execution, not typically Jewish. Its inclusion is highly significant, potentially referencing Peter's traditional crucifixion, or more generally, the ultimate form of rejection, echoing Christ's own fate. It shows the extreme extent of violence.
• and some you will scourge (καὶ μαστιγώσετε - kai mastigōsete): "To flog" or "to beat severely with a whip." Scourging was a common punishment inflicted by the Jewish authorities in their synagogues, highlighting their power and brutality.
• in your synagogues (ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ὑμῶν - en tais synagogais hymōn): Synagogues were places of worship, teaching, and also local Jewish courts where judicial beatings could occur. This indicates persecution happening within their religious institutions, by their religious authorities.
• and persecute (καὶ διώξετε - kai diōxete): "To pursue," "to chase," "to harass," or "to oppress." This term describes sustained, hostile action, not just a single act of violence.
• from town to town (ἀπὸ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν - apo poleōs eis polin): Emphasizes the widespread and relentless nature of the persecution, covering various locations.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "Therefore I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes": This statement emphasizes Jesus's divine authority. He is acting on God's behalf, sending out new covenant messengers who embody the Old Testament offices, but now centered on Christ. The use of "scribes" is particularly striking, reclaiming the term from those who perverted it. This is a prophetic commissioning of the apostolic era.
• "some of whom you will kill and crucify": This highlights the ultimate level of rejection and violence. "Crucify" is highly significant, reflecting the specific fate of Christ Himself, and possibly prophesying the similar martyrdom of some apostles (e.g., Peter). It denotes complicity, even if the actual act was by Roman hands.
• "and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town": These phrases depict the systematic, ongoing, and pervasive persecution carried out by Jewish authorities within their own established religious and societal structures. The synagogues were the seats of local authority where floggings were common, and persecution extended across their controlled territories. This points to the real-life suffering faced by early Christians, documented extensively in the book of Acts.

Matthew 23 34 Bonus section

The identity of the "prophets, wise men, and scribes" is widely understood by scholars as Jesus’s apostles and subsequent early Christian missionaries and teachers. This can be directly linked to the Great Commission (Mat 28:19-20) and the accounts in the Book of Acts. Jesus’s reference to "scribes" in His prophecy (which were traditionally experts of the Old Testament law among the Pharisees) being among those He sends can be interpreted as a divine redefinition and re-purposing of spiritual leadership roles for the New Covenant era. It suggests that His followers, even those without the formal training of the temple scribes, would become true and authoritative interpreters and teachers of God’s Word—His own Gospel. This highlights the transfer of divine authority from the corrupt religious establishment to Jesus's community of disciples. The language also implies that Jerusalem, the very seat of their authority and pride, would be the primary place where this hostility originates, even extending its reach throughout Judea and Galilee.

Matthew 23 34 Commentary

Matthew 23:34 is a profound and poignant prophecy delivered by Jesus amidst His final and most scathing critique of the Jewish religious elite. It directly follows a litany of woes that expose their deep-seated hypocrisy and spiritual blindness. In this verse, Jesus steps beyond mere accusation and reveals their ultimate culpability through a predictive statement of what they will do to His own followers.

The phrase "Therefore I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes" is pivotal. "I send" asserts Jesus's divine prerogative, mirroring God's historical sending of messengers (Jer 7:25; Amos 3:7). He does not say God will send, but I will send, clearly claiming divine authority and aligning Himself with the very God these leaders ostensibly served. The titles "prophets, wise men, and scribes" redefine the offices of divine communication. Unlike the self-serving, legalistic scribes and 'wise' men of their own religious establishment, Jesus’s "scribes" will be authentic interpreters of His New Covenant, and His "prophets" will be spirit-empowered proclaimers of His truth (cf. Acts 13:1). These titles are descriptive of various roles in the nascent Christian community (e.g., apostles, teachers, evangelists).

The chilling prediction that "some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from town to town" foretells the precise suffering His disciples would endure. "Kill and crucify" signifies the ultimate rejection, with "crucify" resonating with His own coming fate, underscoring the spiritual lineage of those who would suffer this way for His name. While direct Jewish law did not allow crucifixion, the Jewish leaders’ complicity in Jesus’s crucifixion and their role in inciting the Romans against Christians would be understood as fulfilling this prophecy. "Scourge in your synagogues" accurately predicts the physical abuse early Christians (like Paul in 2 Cor 11:24) faced within the very religious centers controlled by these leaders. "Persecute from town to town" speaks to the pervasive and systematic nature of the hostility (Acts 8:1; Acts 9:1-2), a reality documented vividly throughout the book of Acts, where disciples like Stephen and James met violent deaths, and Peter, Paul, and many others endured severe beatings and continuous harassment for proclaiming the Gospel.

This prophecy serves multiple purposes: it highlights the consistency of human rebellion against God's truth, showing that this "generation" would recapitulate the sin of their ancestors; it foreshadows the severe tribulations of the early Church, thus preparing believers for suffering; and it ultimately sets the stage for the climactic judgment upon Jerusalem, articulated in the very next verses (Matt 23:35-36) and expanding in Matthew 24. The verse underscores that the spiritual lineage of these religious leaders, despite their outward piety, was one of rejecting God's anointed ones and His messengers.