Matthew 23 35

Matthew 23:35 kjv

That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

Matthew 23:35 nkjv

that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Matthew 23:35 niv

And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.

Matthew 23:35 esv

so that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

Matthew 23:35 nlt

As a result, you will be held responsible for the murder of all godly people of all time ? from the murder of righteous Abel to the murder of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you killed in the Temple between the sanctuary and the altar.

Matthew 23 verses

Matthew 23 35 Meaning

Matthew 23:35 proclaims a divine judgment upon "this generation" for the cumulative guilt of all the righteous blood shed throughout history, from the earliest recorded martyr, Abel, to Zechariah, a martyr killed within the sacred confines of the Temple. This statement highlights the principle of corporate responsibility, where the present generation, by perpetuating the rejection and persecution of God's messengers, ratifies and brings upon themselves the full measure of guilt for past wicked acts committed by their ancestors against God's chosen. It signifies the culmination of prophetic warnings against rejecting divine truth, culminating in a severe indictment of the religious leadership and their followers who shared in their stubborn refusal to acknowledge God's ultimate messenger, Jesus.

Matthew 23 35 Context

Matthew 23:35 forms a climactic part of Jesus' scathing denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, commonly referred to as the "Seven Woes." Preceding this verse, Jesus condemns their hypocrisy, self-exaltation, and obstruction of true spiritual entry into God's kingdom. Specifically, verses 29-36 deal with their seeming piety in building tombs for prophets their ancestors killed, while paradoxically exhibiting the very same murderous spirit towards God's current messengers. Jesus charges this "generation" with continuing the historical pattern of rejecting and persecuting God's divinely sent prophets and wise men. This accusation directly anticipates the coming persecution of Jesus' apostles and disciples. The phrase "this generation" implies corporate guilt and imminent judgment that would culminate in the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, seeing it as the ultimate act in the long history of national rejection of God's overtures.

Matthew 23 35 Word analysis

• that on you may come (ἵνα ἔλθῃ ἐφ’ ὑμᾶς, hina elthē eph' hymas): "That" (ἵνα) denotes purpose or result. It indicates the impending consequence for their actions and lineage. "On you" (eph' hymas) specifically directs the judgment towards the present generation being addressed, not just vaguely to humanity.
• all the righteous blood (πᾶν αἷμα δίκαιον, pan haima dikaion): "All" (pan) emphasizes the full accumulation, signifying completeness and totality. "Righteous blood" refers to the life-blood of innocent martyrs who faithfully served God, highlighting their moral purity and the injustice of their deaths.
• shed on earth (ἐκχυννόμενον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ekchynnomenon epi tēs gēs): "Shed" depicts the violent act of pouring out life. "On earth" broadens the scope to encompass all history and locations where such acts occurred.
• from the blood of righteous Abel (ἀπὸ τοῦ αἵματος Ἄβελ τοῦ δικαίου, apo tou haimatos Abel tou dikaiou): "From" (apo) marks the starting point. Abel, recorded in Gen 4, is the first human mentioned in the Bible whose blood was unjustly shed due to his righteousness, setting the precedent for future martyrdoms. He represents the dawn of human history and righteousness.
• to the blood of Zechariah the son of Barachiah (ἕως τοῦ αἵματος Ζαχαρίου υἱοῦ Βαραχίου, heōs tou haimatos Zachariou huiou Barachiou): "To" (heōs) marks the culmination point, establishing a chronological and symbolic range. This Zechariah is widely understood to be Zechariah son of Jehoiada from 2 Chronicles 24:20-22, martyred during the reign of Joash. His identification with "son of Barachiah" might stem from a scribal note or alternative lineage, or he might have been commonly known by both patronymics, or it reflects Jewish tradition. Crucially, the Book of 2 Chronicles is the last book in the traditional Hebrew canonical order, thus signifying the last major martyr in their scriptures, thereby encompassing the entire range of the Old Testament prophetic tradition, from Genesis (Abel) to 2 Chronicles (Zechariah).
• whom you murdered (ὃν ἐφονεύσατε, hon ephōneūsate): This direct accusation assigns culpability not just to historical figures, but corporately to the generation Jesus is addressing. By exhibiting the same Spirit-resisting attitude and persecution, they become heirs and perpetuators of the same wicked acts of their ancestors.
• between the temple and the altar (μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, metaxu tou naou kai tou thysiastēriou): This specific location refers to the outer court of the Temple in Jerusalem where the large bronze altar for sacrifices stood. Zechariah's murder there (2 Chron 24:21 says "in the court of the house of the LORD") was an egregious sacrilege, occurring in the most sacred space accessible to priests and near where worship and sacrifice took place.

Word-Group Analysis:

• "all the righteous blood... from... Abel to... Zechariah": This forms a "merism," a rhetorical device that uses two extremes to encompass everything in between. It signifies the entire history of righteous martyrdom and emphasizes the cumulative guilt of Israel for its long history of persecuting God's messengers.
• "whom you murdered": This collective accusation emphasizes the corporate responsibility and shared spiritual identity of "this generation" with the murderous spirit of their forefathers. It’s not about their individual literal acts of murder of Abel or Zechariah, but their continuity with that spirit, bringing final judgment upon themselves.

Matthew 23 35 Bonus Section

• The Hebrew Canonical Order: The phrase "from Abel to Zechariah" in Matthew 23:35 holds profound significance concerning the order of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament). Unlike the common English Bibles (which follow the Septuagint/Latin Vulgate order), the traditional Hebrew canon concludes with the Book of 2 Chronicles. Abel is the first martyr mentioned in Genesis (the first book), and Zechariah son of Jehoiada (2 Chron 24) is the last martyr explicitly recorded in this canonical sequence. Thus, Jesus encompasses the entire sweep of Old Testament history and martyred prophets according to the standard Jewish arrangement of their own Scriptures.
• Zechariah's Identification in Tradition: While the Zechariah "son of Barachiah" is often identified as the prophet Zechariah (Zech 1:1), Jewish tradition more strongly associates Jesus' reference with Zechariah son of Jehoiada (2 Chron 24). Explanations for the "son of Barachiah" epithet range from a copyist error, a second name for Jehoiada, or a reference to an otherwise unknown Jewish martyr tradition, possibly referencing a second Zechariah during the Intertestamental period or early First Century, recorded by Josephus as "Zacharias the son of Baruch." However, the internal consistency of Genesis to 2 Chronicles makes Zechariah son of Jehoiada the most biblically compelling fit for Jesus' broad sweep of Israel's martyrs.
• Corporate Guilt vs. Individual Responsibility: This verse does not imply that every single individual in Jesus' generation was personally responsible for past murders. Rather, it signifies that by actively continuing the pattern of their ancestors—particularly the rejection and persecution of God's true messengers—they identified themselves with and therefore became accountable for the culmination of that historical rebellion. Their final act of rejecting the Messiah would complete the full measure of Israel's national apostasy, bringing ultimate consequences.

Matthew 23 35 Commentary

Matthew 23:35 is Jesus' most severe indictment against the religious leaders of His day, signaling the impending divine judgment upon them. By invoking the full span of righteous martyrs, from Abel (the first victim in the biblical narrative) to Zechariah (the last in the traditional Hebrew ordering of the Old Testament canon), Jesus charges the current generation with the aggregate guilt for centuries of rejecting and killing God's messengers. This generation's continued opposition, particularly their coming rejection of Christ Himself and His apostles, meant they would "fill up the measure" of their ancestors' sins, bringing a historical tally of unatoned blood upon their own heads. The chosen location of Zechariah's death – between the temple and the altar – underscores the ultimate profanity and sacrilege of their forefathers' actions and the continuity of such spiritual depravity. It's a prophetic declaration that God's long-suffering patience has reached its limit, and a generation's rejection of God's final and supreme messenger (Jesus) would precipitate catastrophic judgment.