Matthew 3 7

Matthew 3:7 kjv

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Matthew 3:7 nkjv

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Matthew 3:7 niv

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

Matthew 3:7 esv

But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, "You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Matthew 3:7 nlt

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to watch him baptize, he denounced them. "You brood of snakes!" he exclaimed. "Who warned you to flee the coming wrath?

Matthew 3 verses

Matthew 3 7 Meaning

Mt 3:7 depicts John the Baptist's direct and fiery confrontation with religious leaders, the Pharisees and Sadducees, who approached his baptism. John challenges their insincere motives and presumptive religious authority, issuing a stark warning of impending divine judgment that they must genuinely repent to escape. The verse emphasizes that outward religious observance without inward spiritual transformation and producing the "fruit of repentance" is futile in the face of God's holy wrath.

Matthew 3 7 Context

Mt 3:7 is situated within John the Baptist's dynamic ministry in the Judean wilderness. John is portrayed as the fulfillment of ancient prophecies (Isa 40:3, Mal 3:1), serving as a messenger preparing the way for the Messiah. His core message is an urgent call to repentance (metanoia), accompanied by water baptism as a public sign of this inner change and commitment to God. Crowds from various regions, including Jerusalem and Judea, are flocking to him, confessing sins, and being baptized.

The arrival of the Pharisees and Sadducees, distinct and often opposing religious factions of Jewish society, marks a pivotal moment. The Pharisees, devout adherents to both written and oral Law, sought to meticulously observe purity regulations, believing their lineage and practices assured them God's favor. The Sadducees, mostly priestly aristocracy, adhered only to the written Torah (Pentateuch), rejected the resurrection, angels, and spirits, and often held political power through cooperation with Roman authorities. John’s direct rebuke in v. 7 indicates their probable motive was not genuine repentance but rather to scrutinize John, perhaps to ascertain if he posed a threat to their authority or theological doctrines, or merely to participate in a popular movement for social standing. John immediately discerns their lack of true heart change and challenges their presumption that their religious standing would exempt them from God's impending judgment. This confrontation sets a crucial tone for understanding the challenges Jesus himself would face from these same groups.

Matthew 3 7 Word analysis

• But when he saw: Idon (ἰδὼν - seeing). Signifies an act of intentional perception. John does not merely notice but discerns the nature and intentions of those approaching him. It implies a prophetic insight or divine discernment.

• many of the Pharisees: Pharisaiōn (Φαρισαίων). From the Hebrew/Aramaic perishaya, meaning "separated ones." A significant Jewish religious sect emphasizing strict adherence to oral and written Law, resurrection, angels, and a future messianic kingdom. Their influence was considerable among the common people due to their piety, though their righteousness often became self-righteousness.

• and Sadducees: Saddoukaiōn (Σαδδουκαίων). Likely derived from Zadok, the high priest in David's time. They represented the priestly and aristocratic elite, holding power in the Sanhedrin. They accepted only the Pentateuch as authoritative, rejecting oral traditions, the resurrection, and angels. They often maintained status through pragmatic accommodation to Roman rule. Their presence with the Pharisees, despite their doctrinal differences, indicates the widespread challenge John posed to the religious establishment.

• coming to his baptism: Epi to baptisma autou (ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα αὐτοῦ - to his baptism). Their intent was to participate in or observe the ritual, but John perceives it lacks true internal repentance. It suggests curiosity, investigation, or a desire to maintain public image rather than a genuine seeking of God's cleansing.

• he said to them: A direct, confrontational address, cutting through superficiality.

• Brood of vipers!: Gennēmata echidnōn! (γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν - offspring of vipers). A profoundly scathing, polemical insult.

  • Gennēmata implies natural progeny, those who are born of or exhibit the very nature of something.
  • Echidnōn (viper, adder) refers to a venomous snake, notorious for its hidden danger and deadly poison. The imagery echoes Gen 3:15, where the serpent represents evil and deception, and connects to Isa 59:5. John is not just insulting them but unmasking their spiritual lineage; they are spiritually venomous, embodying treachery and deceit, spiritually akin to the evil one, rather than genuinely representing God's kingdom. Jesus also used this powerful phrase (Mt 12:34, 23:33).

• Who warned you: Tis hupedeixen (Τίς ὑπέδειξεν - Who showed/instructed you). A rhetorical question implying that their superficial decision to come was not a result of genuine conviction, divine revelation, or true humility but perhaps fear or some external, superficial motive. It challenges their self-sufficiency and the absence of a true internal transformation.

• to flee: Phugein (φυγεῖν - to flee, to escape). Emphasizes urgent action, implying a dire and immediate threat, highlighting the desperateness required for salvation.

• from the wrath to come: Apo tēs mellousēs orgēs (ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς - from the about-to-be wrath).

  • Orges (wrath) refers to divine indignation, God's just and righteous anger against sin and rebellion (Rom 1:18, Eph 5:6, Col 3:6). It's not human temper but the holy reaction of a perfectly just God to injustice and ungodliness.
  • Mellousēs (to be about to, imminent) denotes something future but certain and impending. This is a prophetic term referring to the "Day of the Lord" (Mal 4:1; Joel 2:1-2), a time of definitive divine judgment on sin, specifically preceding or accompanying the establishment of the Messiah's kingdom. John implies this judgment is close at hand due to the arrival of the Messiah. Their current actions (or lack thereof) are utterly inadequate to escape this terrifying future.

• Words-group by words-group analysis:

  • Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism: This union of typically antagonistic groups underscores the universal scope of John's message and the perceived threat he posed to their respective spheres of religious and political influence. Their coming implies an examination of John's movement, not an embrace of its message, highlighting their spiritual blindness.
  • Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?: This scathing rhetorical question lays bare their hypocrisy. By likening them to venomous snakes, John attacks their moral and spiritual core, implying they are a danger, full of spiritual poison. The question about who "warned" them strips away any pretense of genuine spiritual insight, revealing their superficiality and perhaps their attempt to evade judgment without true repentance, suggesting they feared consequences but not truly God. The "wrath to come" is not a mere possibility but an imminent, certain reality for the unrepentant, signaling the gravity of their spiritual state and the urgency of John's prophetic call.

Matthew 3 7 Bonus section

• The radical contrast between John’s wilderness prophetic ministry and the established, institutionalized religion represented by the Pharisees and Sadducees. John’s directness highlights the perceived need for a severe jolt to the status quo.
• The immediate implication of John's message to the Pharisees and Sadducees: "Do not think to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’" (v. 9). Their lineage would not save them from judgment, dismantling their core belief in automatic favor with God based on ancestry.
• This verse anticipates Jesus' own ministry and the inevitable conflict He would have with these same religious leaders who consistently prioritized tradition and self-righteousness over genuine faith and repentance. Both John and Jesus faced similar opposition from those who resisted their call to a transformed life.
• The phrase "wrath to come" connects to the broader biblical concept of "the Day of the Lord" from the Old Testament, which signifies a decisive time of divine intervention, judgment on sin, and the vindication of God's righteousness. John sees this "day" as imminent with the arrival of the Messiah.

Matthew 3 7 Commentary

Matthew 3:7 serves as a stark expose of religious hypocrisy and a fervent call for authentic repentance. John the Baptist, rather than being intimidated by the powerful religious elite, boldly challenges the Pharisees and Sadducees who came to his baptism. He pierces their outward piety and self-righteousness, directly addressing their internal corruption by calling them a "brood of vipers." This label signifies not only their venomous and deceptive nature but also their spiritual lineage as offspring of the evil one, in stark contrast to being true children of Abraham.

His question, "Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?", underscores their lack of true repentance. They approached a ritual designed for those genuinely turning from sin, yet John perceives their motives were not of contrite hearts but perhaps of fear of consequence, social pressure, or mere curiosity to observe a popular prophet. They believed their Abrahamic heritage or ritualistic adherence would save them, but John swiftly dismantles this illusion, revealing that God’s imminent "wrath to come" (divine judgment for unrighteousness) spares no one lacking genuine repentance and transformed living. This verse therefore strongly affirms that true salvation is not based on heritage or outward religious observance, but on sincere, inward transformation demonstrated by actions that bear the "fruit of repentance" (v. 8). It sets the stage for Jesus’ similar encounters with these leaders, demonstrating that genuine faith demands radical change, not mere compliance.

For example, attending church regularly, engaging in spiritual conversations, or even serving in ministry are valuable, but if devoid of true heart-repentance and reliance on Christ, they will not avert the wrath to come. John's message emphasizes that outward appearances or religious affiliation offer no immunity from God's righteous judgment when there is no genuine surrender to His will and a turning from sin.