Matthew 23:16

¹⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You traverse land and sea to win a single convert, and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as you are.

Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’

¹⁷ You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?

¹⁸ And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: Woe to you, blind guides! You say, ‘If anyone swears by the temple, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound by his oath.’
KJV: Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
WEB: “Woe to you, you blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is obligated.’
ASV: Woe unto you, ye blind guides, that say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
DARBY: Woe to you, blind guides, who say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor.
BLB: Woe to you⁺, blind guides, those saying, ‘Whoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gold of the temple is bound by his oath.’

ÅB: «Ve dere, blinde veiledere som sier: ‘Om noen sverger ved templet er det ingen ting, men om noen sverger ved gullet i templet er han bundet!’
OTB: Ve dere, blinde veiledere! Dere sier: ‘Hvis noen sverger ved tempelet, betyr det ingenting; men hvis noen sverger ved gullet i tempelet, er de bundet av den eden.’
B1930: Ve eder, I blinde veiledere, som sier: Om nogen sverger ved templet, det er intet; men den som sverger ved gullet i templet, han er bundet!

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Matthew 15:14
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”
Read in context
James 5:12
Above all, my brothers, do not swear, not by heaven or earth or by any other oath. Simply let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No,” no, so that you will not fall under judgment.
Read in context
Matthew 23:24
You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.
Read in context
Matthew 23:17
You blind fools! Which is greater: the gold, or the temple that makes it sacred?
Read in context
Matthew 5:33–35
Again, you have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’
Read in context
Matthew 23:26
Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.
Read in context
John 9:39–41
Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”
Read in context
Matthew 15:5–6
But you say that if anyone says to his father or mother, ‘Whatever you would have received from me is a gift devoted to God,’
Read in context