The Meaning of Matthew 23:31 Explained

Matthew 23:31

KJV: Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets.

YLT: So that ye testify to yourselves, that ye are sons of them who did murder the prophets;

Darby: So that ye bear witness of yourselves that ye are sons of those who slew the prophets:

ASV: Wherefore ye witness to yourselves, that ye are sons of them that slew the prophets.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore  ye be witnesses  unto yourselves,  that  ye are  the children  of them which killed  the prophets. 

What does Matthew 23:31 Mean?

Verse Meaning

"Consequently" refers to the Pharisees" acknowledgment of themselves as the sons of those who killed the prophets ( Matthew 23:30), not to their tomb-building ( Matthew 23:29). The Pharisees were the descendants of those who killed the prophets more than they knew, not just physically but also spiritually. They were plotting to kill the greatest Prophet ( Matthew 21:38-39; Matthew 21:46).

Context Summary

Matthew 23:27-39 - Judgment And Lament
True goodness recognizes and rewards good in the living; while the evil-minded cannot, or will not, believe that the people whom they meet daily are purely and sincerely good. They pride themselves on what they would have done if they had lived in the great days of the past, but they miss the opportunities which are always ready to hand. In this they judge and condemn themselves.
How sad is this lament over Jerusalem! The yearning love which longed to intercept her descending judgment, as the hen the stroke of danger which menaces her brood, was about to be withdrawn. After striving His best to save them, the world's Redeemer was abandoning His people to the results of their sin, until the time spoken of in Zechariah 14:1-4. Oh my soul, see that thou art hidden under those wings, until all calamities are overpast and the day has broken! [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

What do the individual words in Matthew 23:31 mean?

Thus you bear witness to yourselves that sons you are of those having murdered the prophets
ὥστε μαρτυρεῖτε ἑαυτοῖς ὅτι υἱοί ἐστε τῶν φονευσάντων τοὺς προφήτας

ὥστε  Thus 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὥστε  
Sense: so that, insomuch that.
μαρτυρεῖτε  you  bear  witness 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: μαρτυρέω  
Sense: to be a witness, to bear witness, i.e. to affirm that one has seen or heard or experienced something, or that he knows it because taught by divine revelation or inspiration.
ἑαυτοῖς  to  yourselves 
Parse: Reflexive Pronoun, Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Root: ἑαυτοῦ  
Sense: himself, herself, itself, themselves.
ὅτι  that 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ὅτι  
Sense: that, because, since.
υἱοί  sons 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: υἱός  
Sense: a son.
ἐστε  you  are 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: εἰμί  
Sense: to be, to exist, to happen, to be present.
τῶν  of  those 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
φονευσάντων  having  murdered 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Participle Active, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root: φονεύω  
Sense: to kill, slay, murder.
προφήτας  prophets 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: προφήτης  
Sense: in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things.