The Meaning of Matthew 23:34 Explained

Matthew 23:34

KJV: Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

YLT: 'Because of this, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and of them ye will kill and crucify, and of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will pursue from city to city;

Darby: Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them ye will kill and crucify, and some of them ye will scourge in your synagogues, and will persecute from city to city;

ASV: Therefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them shall ye kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute from city to city:

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Wherefore,  behold,  I  send  unto  you  prophets,  and  wise men,  and  scribes:  and  [some] of  them  ye shall kill  and  crucify;  and  [some] of  them  shall ye scourge  in  your  synagogues,  and  persecute  [them] from  city  to  city: 

What does Matthew 23:34 Mean?

Study Notes

send unto you
The Jews' treatment of the apostles is proved, Matthew 23:31-33 .

Verse Meaning

The antecedent of "therefore" (Gr. dia touto) is the Jews" execution of the prophets that God had sent them in the past ( Matthew 23:29-30; cf. Matthew 22:3-10). Because the Jews had rejected the former prophets Jesus would send them additional prophets, wise men, and teachers. These the Jews would also reject, filling up the measure of their guilt to the full. This is probably a reference to the witnesses that followed Jesus and appealed to the Jews to believe in Him ( Acts 3:19-21; Acts 7:2-53; cf. Matthew 5:10-12; Matthew 9:37-38; Matthew 28:18-20).
Jesus would not establish His kingdom then because Israel rejected Him as her Messiah. However, now Jesus revealed that God would punish the generation of Israelites that rejected Him and the apostles who would follow Him in an additional way. This included the destruction of Jerusalem and the dispersion of the Jews from the Promised Land. Jesus clarified these events in the Olivet Discourse that follows (chs24-25).
Since the Jews did not have the authority to crucify people, we should probably understand Jesus" reference to them crucifying some of these witnesses in a causative sense. They would cause others, notably the Romans , to crucify them (cf. Matthew 10:24-25).

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 23:34 mean?

Because of this behold I send to you prophets and wise [men] scribes Some of them you will kill will crucify and [some] of you will flog in the synagogues of you will persecute from town to town
Διὰ τοῦτο ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἀποστέλλω πρὸς ὑμᾶς προφήτας καὶ σοφοὺς γραμματεῖς ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποκτενεῖτε σταυρώσετε καὶ ἐξ μαστιγώσετε ἐν ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ὑμῶν διώξετε ἀπὸ πόλεως εἰς πόλιν

Διὰ  Because  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
τοῦτο  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
ἰδοὺ  behold 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Imperative Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἰδού  
Sense: behold, see, lo.
ἀποστέλλω  send 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: ἀποστέλλω 
Sense: to order (one) to go to a place appointed.
προφήτας  prophets 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: προφήτης  
Sense: in Greek writings, an interpreter of oracles or of other hidden things.
σοφοὺς  wise  [men] 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: σοφός  
Sense: wise.
γραμματεῖς  scribes 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: γραμματεύς  
Sense: a clerk, scribe, esp.
ἐξ  Some  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: ἐκ 
Sense: out of, from, by, away from.
ἀποκτενεῖτε  you  will  kill 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: ἀποκτείνω 
Sense: to kill in any way whatever.
σταυρώσετε  will  crucify 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: σταυρόω  
Sense: to stake, drive down stakes.
καὶ  and  [some] 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: καί  
Sense: and, also, even, indeed, but.
μαστιγώσετε  you  will  flog 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: μαστιγόω  
Sense: to scourge.
συναγωγαῖς  synagogues 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Plural
Root: συναγωγή  
Sense: a bringing together, gathering (as of fruits), a contracting.
ὑμῶν  of  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
διώξετε  will  persecute 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: διώκω  
Sense: to make to run or flee, put to flight, drive away.
πόλεως  town 
Parse: Noun, Genitive Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.
πόλιν  town 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Singular
Root: πόλις  
Sense: a city.