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Luke 6:42

in Luke 6

How can you say, ‘Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,’ while you yourself fail to see the beam in your own eye? You hypocrite! First take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

BSB

The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾

ASV

Or how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

KJV

Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to pull out the mote that is in thy brother’s eye.

This verse in Luke 6

Commentary

12 notes on this verse

A commentator

Theophylact of Ohrid

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 1107.

But these words are applicable to all, and especially to teachers, who while they punish the least sins of those who are put under them, leave their own unpunished. Wherefore the Lord calls them hypocrites, because to this end judge they the sins of others, that they themselves might seem just. Hence it follows, Thou hypocrite, first cast the beam out of thine own eye, &c.

The record, by era

The Church Fathers2 voices

A commentator

Cyril of Alexandria

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 444.

proposed

As if He said, How can he who is guilty of grievous sins, (which He calls the beam,) condemn him who has sinned only slightly, or even in some cases not at all? For this the mote signifies. That is to say, first show thyself clean from great sins, and then afterwards shalt thou give counsel to thy neighbour, who is guilty only of slight sins.

A commentator

Cyril of Alexandria

COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 33 · Written before 444.

proposed

He had previously shown us that judging others is utterly wicked and dangerous. It causes final condemnation. "Do not judge," he said, "and you shall not be judged." Do not condemn, and you shall not be condemned. By conclusive arguments, he persuades us to avoid the very wish of judging others. Deliver yourself first from your great crimes and your rebellious passions, and then you may set him right who is guilty of only minor offenses.

The Medieval Church3 voices

A commentator

Bede

On the Gospel of Luke · Written before 735.

proposed

And how can you say to your brother: Brother, let me cast out the speck from your eye, when you yourself do not see the beam in your own eye? You do this with your brother if (for example), what he sins by anger, you …

A commentator

Bede

On the Gospel of Luke · Written before 735.

proposed

Hypocrite, first take the beam out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. That is, first expel hatred from yourself, and then you will be able to correct the one whom you love. …

A commentator

Bede

Catena Aurea by Aquinas · Written before 735.

proposed

Now this has reference to the previous parable, in which He forewarned them that the blind cannot be led by the blind, that is, the sinner corrected by the sinner. Hence it is said, Or, how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother let me cast out the mote that is in thine eye, if thou seest not the beam that is in thine own eye?
6 more voices on this verse

The Medieval Church1 voice

A commentator

Bonaventure

Commentary on Luke, Chapter 6 · Written in the 13th century.

proposed

Second, he shows that such a one is indiscreet in speech, because he does not speak reasonably; on account of which he adds: Or how can you say to your brother, namely, by addressing him outwardly: Brother, let me cast out the speck from your …

The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Christ justifies his disciples in a work of necessity for themselves on that day, and that was plucking the ears of corn, when they were hungry on that day. This story here has a date, which we had not in the other evangelists; it was on the second sabbath after the first (

quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — unbalanced-parens

Either how canst thou say to thy brother,....

A commentator

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

proposed

Those with a very ill grace censure the faults of others who are not aware of their own faults. It is very absurd for any to pretend to be so quick-sighted as to spy small faults in others, like a mote in the eye, when they are themselves so perfectly past feeling as not to perceive a beam in their own eye.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

We learn, in the first place, from these verses — the great danger of listening to false religious teachers. Our Lord compares such teachers and their hearers to the blind leading the blind, and asks the reasonable question, "Shall they not both fall into the ditch?" He goes on to confirm the importance of His warning by declaring, that "the disciple is not above his master," and the student cannot be expected to know more than his teacher. If a man will hear unsound instruction — then we cannot expect him to become otherwise than unsound in the faith himself.
We learn, in the first place, from these verses — the great danger of listening to false religious teachers. Our Lord compares such teachers and their hearers to the blind leading the blind, and asks the reasonable question, "Shall they not both fall into the ditch?" He goes on to confirm the importance of His warning by declaring, that "the disciple is not above his master," and the student cannot be expected to know more than his teacher. If a man will hear unsound instruction — then we cannot expect him to become otherwise than unsound in the faith himself. The subject which our Lord brings before us here, deserves far more attention than it generally receives. The amount of evil which unsound religious teaching has brought on the Church in every age, is incalculable. The loss of souls which it has occasioned, is fearful to contemplate. A teacher who does not know the way to Heaven himself — is not likely to lead his hearers to Heaven. The man who hears such a teacher, runs a fearful risk himself of being lost eternally. "If the blind lead the blind — then both must fall into the ditch!" If we would escape the danger against which our Lord warns us — then we must not neglect to test the teaching that we hear by the holy Scriptures. We must not believe things — merely because ministers say them. We must not suppose, as a matter of course — that ministers can make no mistakes. We must call to mind our Lord's words on another occasion, "Beware of false prophets!" (Matthew 7:15.) We must remember the advice of Paul and John — "Prove all things." "Try the spirits — whether they are of God." (1 Thessalonians 5:21; 1 John 4:1.) With the Bible in our hands, and the promise of guidance from the Holy Spirit to all who seek it — we shall be without excuse if our souls are led astray.

The words behind it

47 Greek words

Every Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.

A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.

The walk

5 stops

Each card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.

  • Through

    Proverbs 18:17

    The first to state his case seems right until another comes and cross-examines him.

    it leads to

    • Proverbs 18:13

      He who answers a matter before he hears it—this is folly and disgrace to him.

    • Acts 24:12–13

      Yet my accusers did not find me debating with anyone in the temple or riling up a crowd in the synagogues or in the city.

    • 2 Samuel 19:24–27

      Then Mephibosheth, Saul’s grandson, went down to meet the king. He had not cared for his feet or trimmed his mustache or washed his clothes from the day the king had left until the…

    • Acts 24:5–6

      We have found this man to be a pestilence, stirring up dissension among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes,

    • 2 Samuel 16:1–3

      When David had gone a little beyond the summit, Ziba the servant of Mephibosheth was there to meet him. He had a pair of saddled donkeys loaded with two hundred loaves of bread, a…

Where this verse is studied

About Luke

The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt, about 1668. Public domain.
The Return of the Prodigal Son, Rembrandt, about 1668. Public domain.
This page draws on 9 works. Open the list of works

This page draws on Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 6; Cyril of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Cyril of Alexandria, COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 33; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible and Theophylact of Ohrid, Catena Aurea by Aquinas.