The Meaning of Matthew 23:18 Explained

Matthew 23:18

KJV: And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

YLT: And, whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever may swear by the gift that is upon it -- is debtor!

Darby: And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it is a debtor.

ASV: And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor.

Discover Matthew 23:18

CONTEXT: What is the Context of Matthew 23:18?

MEANING: What does Matthew 23:18 Mean?

WORDS: What do the individual words in Matthew 23:18 mean?

RELATIONS: What do the major concepts mean in Matthew 23:18?

What is the context of Matthew 23:18?

KJV Reverse Interlinear

And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

What does Matthew 23:18 Mean?

Context Summary

Matthew 23:13-26 - Woes For The False-Hearted

These repeated woes may be translated, Alas for you! Our Lord with unfailing accuracy indicates the inevitable doom which such conduct as that of the Pharisees and scribes must incur. He forewarned them that they could expect nothing in the dread future but the judgment of Gehenna-the metaphor being taken from the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where fires were kept burning to consume rubbish and refuse.

Hypocrisy is hiding under a cloak of religion the sins which the ordinary moralist and worldling would condemn. It is very injurious, because it hinders men from entering the Kingdom, Matthew 23:13. It is punctilious in its exactions, because while it strains out gnats, it swallows camels, Matthew 23:23-24. It expends itself on outward ritual-the Pharisees would not enter Pilate's hall on the day before the Passover, but they murdered the holy Savior. Above all things, let us be true, professing to be no more than we are! [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 23

¹ Jesus admonishes the people to follow good doctrine, not bad examples
⁵ His disciples must beware of their ambition
¹³ He denounces eight woes against their hypocrisy and blindness,
³⁴ and prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem

Greek Commentary for Matthew 23:18

He is guilty [ὀφείλει]
In the rendering of this word the A. V. seems to have been shaped by the earlier and now obsolete sense of guilt, which was probably a fine or payment. Compare Anglo-Saxon gyld, a recompense, and German geld, money. There is a hint of this sense in Shakspeare, Henry IV. (Second Part), Act iv., Sc. 4:“England shall double gild his treble guilt, ” where the play upon the words hovers between the sense of bedeck and recompense. Wyc. renders oweth, and Tynd., he is debtor. Rev., he is a debtor. [source]

Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Matthew 23:18

Matthew 26:66 Guilty of death [ἔνοχος θανάτου]
Rev., worthy of death. See on Matthew 23:18. ἐν , in, ἔχω , to hold. The idea is, literally, holden of death; in bonds to death. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 23:18 mean?

And [you say] Whoever - shall swear by the altar nothing it is however gift that [is] upon it he is bound by his oath

καί Ὃς ἂν ὀμόσῃ ἐν τῷ θυσιαστηρίῳ οὐδέν ἐστιν δ’ δώρῳ τῷ ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ ὀφείλει

καί	And [you say]
Parse: Conjunction Root: καί Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
Ὃς	Whoever
Parse: Personal / Relative Pronoun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: ὅς Sense: who, which, what, that.
ἂν	-
Parse: Particle Root: ἄν Sense: has no exact English equivalent, see definitions under AV.
ὀμόσῃ	shall swear
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: ὄμνυμι Sense: to swear.
θυσιαστηρίῳ	altar
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Singular Root: θυσιαστήριον Sense: the altar for slaying and burning of victims used of.
οὐδέν	nothing
Parse: Adjective, Nominative Neuter Singular Root: οὐδείς Sense: no one, nothing.
ἐστιν	it is
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: εἰμί Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
δ’	however
Parse: Conjunction Root: δέ Sense: but, moreover, and, etc.
δώρῳ	gift
Parse: Noun, Dative Neuter Singular Root: δῶρον Sense: a gift, present.
τῷ	that [is]
Parse: Article, Dative Neuter Singular Root: ὁ Sense: this, that, these, etc.
ἐπάνω	upon
Parse: Preposition Root: ἐπάνω Sense: above.
ὀφείλει	he is bound by his oath
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: ὀφείλω Sense: to owe.

What are the major concepts related to Matthew 23:18?

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