Matthew 23 38

Matthew 23:38 kjv

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.

Matthew 23:38 nkjv

See! Your house is left to you desolate;

Matthew 23:38 niv

Look, your house is left to you desolate.

Matthew 23:38 esv

See, your house is left to you desolate.

Matthew 23:38 nlt

And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate.

Matthew 23 verses

Matthew 23 38 Meaning

This verse is a profound and somber declaration by Jesus Christ, serving as a prophetic judgment upon Jerusalem and, by extension, the Jewish nation and its spiritual leadership. It signifies the impending abandonment of the Temple and the city by God's manifest presence and protection, leading to their ultimate desolation. This desolation is a direct consequence of their historical pattern of rejecting and persecuting God's prophets, culminating in their imminent rejection of His Son, the Messiah. It proclaims that God's unique covenantal dwelling in the Temple (the "house") is withdrawn, leaving it empty of divine favor and protection, effectively turning "God's house" into merely "your house."

Matthew 23 38 Context

Matthew 23:38 falls at a climactic point in Jesus' earthly ministry, just before His crucifixion. It is part of His final public discourse in Jerusalem, delivered directly after a series of seven "woes" pronounced against the Scribes and Pharisees, denouncing their hypocrisy and spiritual blindness. Immediately preceding verse 38, Jesus utters a lament over Jerusalem (Mt 23:37), expressing His sorrow over their rejection of Him, despite His longing to gather them. This lament underscores His prophetic insight into their imminent downfall. Historically, Jesus spoke these words to a vibrant Jerusalem, with its magnificent Temple complex recently enhanced by Herod the Great. Yet, beneath the facade of religious grandeur and political stability under Roman rule, deep-seated spiritual rebellion brewed, epitomized by the leadership's refusal to recognize their Messiah. This verse serves as a chilling prophecy of the catastrophic destruction of Jerusalem and its Temple by the Roman army in AD 70, a direct consequence of the nation's final and most profound act of rejection.

Matthew 23 38 Word analysis

• Behold (ἰδοὺ - idou): An emphatic Greek interjection, akin to "Look!" or "Listen!" It is used to arrest attention and highlight the solemn, often prophetic, significance of the statement that follows. It emphasizes that what is being said is of critical importance and a divine pronouncement.
• your (ὑμῶν - hymōn): The plural possessive pronoun, pointing directly to the Jewish leaders (Pharisees and Scribes previously addressed) and, by extension, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and the nation of Israel. It denotes their ownership and responsibility, sharply contrasting with God's previous claim over "My house." This shift highlights God's relinquishment of protection due to their actions.
• house (οἶκος - oikos): This significant term has multiple layers of meaning:
  • The Temple: Its primary reference. The sacred dwelling place where God's presence was manifested. By calling it "your house" instead of "My house" (e.g., Mk 11:17), Jesus signals that God's special, protective presence is being withdrawn, and it will be handed over to its destroyers.
  • Jerusalem: The capital city, intrinsically linked to the Temple and the spiritual heart of the nation.
  • The nation of Israel: Metonymically representing the entire Jewish people, implying a withdrawal of national divine favor and covenantal protection for a time.
• is left (ἀφίεται - aphietai): The Greek verb is in the present passive indicative, indicating a divine decree and an active abandonment or dismissal that is either underway or already decided. It is not an accidental event but a judicial act of God. The form signifies "is being abandoned" or "is delivered up," underscoring the finality and the consequence.
• unto you (ὑμῖν - hymin): The dative plural pronoun, further emphasizing that this desolation is directed at them and is for them—a direct consequence of their choices and actions.
• desolate (ἔρημος - erēmos): This adjective means "empty, deserted, barren, desolate, laid waste, wilderness." It implies a state of complete emptiness, void of life or activity, particularly in a spiritual or divinely-ordained sense. The term is often used in the Septuagint (Greek OT) to describe cities and lands laid waste due to God's judgment, as well as prophetic desolations related to the "abomination of desolation" (Dan 9:27). It speaks to both the physical ruin that would come upon Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and, more importantly, the spiritual void left by God's withdrawal.

Words-group analysis:

• "Behold, your house": This phrase marks a dramatic and poignant transition. Jesus publicly disclaims divine ownership of the Temple in the immediate future, shifting responsibility onto its unfaithful stewards. The 'behold' signifies a prophecy of monumental judgment.
• "is left unto you desolate": This conveys the complete and permanent (for a time) relinquishment of divine protection and indwelling presence. God abandons the once-sacred place and people to their chosen fate, leaving them without the special divine oversight and protection they once enjoyed, leading to utter emptiness.

Matthew 23 38 Bonus section

• This declaration functions as Jesus' last public utterance of judgment before entering His Passion week. It marks the effective end of His public ministry of salvation to the nation of Israel as a whole, signifying a pivot point towards His redemptive work on the cross for all humanity and a temporary "turning away" from the national rejection of Israel (until their future spiritual restoration at His return, implied by Mt 23:39).
• The pronouncement directly connects to and fulfills the Old Testament prophecies of "abomination that makes desolate" (Dan 9:26-27), reinterpreting it as stemming from the nation's spiritual apostasy and rejection of the Messiah. The physical destruction in A.D. 70 was the visible manifestation of this spiritual desolation.
• The divine 'abandonment' does not mean God ceases to love His people or fulfill His promises, but rather withdraws His protective presence from specific covenantal arrangements when persistently violated, initiating a period of divine discipline. However, God’s ultimate covenant promises to Israel as a people will still be fulfilled in the future.

Matthew 23 38 Commentary

Matthew 23:38, "Behold, your house is left unto you desolate," is a climactic declaration within Jesus' final discourse against the hypocritical religious leaders and a somber prophecy for Jerusalem. It builds on the preceding lament where Jesus mourns Jerusalem's persistent rejection of God's overtures and His messengers, ultimately culminating in their rejection of Him, the Messiah.

The phrase "your house" is central to the pronouncement. It is no longer referred to as "My Father's house" (Jn 2:16) or "My house of prayer" (Mk 11:17), signaling a divine divorce. God's protective presence and indwelling glory are to be withdrawn from the Temple and the city. This implies not merely physical abandonment but spiritual disfavor. The historical fulfillment came vividly in A.D. 70 when the Roman general Titus utterly destroyed Jerusalem and its Temple, leaving it literally "desolate" as Jesus had prophesied.

The word "desolate" encompasses both physical ruin and spiritual emptiness. It means God's presence, the source of their covenantal distinctiveness and protection, is withdrawn. This act is not arbitrary but a righteous judgment on generations of resistance to God's will, culminated by their rejection of Christ. It demonstrates the profound consequences of failing to recognize the time of one's visitation by God (Lk 19:44). Though a declaration of judgment, Jesus’ subsequent words in Mt 23:39 offer a hint of future hope for Israel’s restoration when they will ultimately welcome Him upon His return.