Matthew 23:1
in Matthew 23Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples:
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to his disciples,
KJV
Then spake Jesus to the multitude, and to his disciples,
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This verse in Matthew 23
Commentary
12 notes on this verseThe disciples of Christ are better than the common herd; and you may find in the Church such as with more ardent affection come to the word of God; these are Christ's disciples, the rest are only His people. And sometimes He speaks to His disciples alone, sometimes to the multitudes and His disciples together, as here.
This site's exposition
spake Jesus to the multitude
on Matthew 23:1-3
The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat names an actual furnished chair, a stone seat found in several ancient synagogues including Chorazin, from which the reader of the law taught with recognized authority. Jesus tells the multitude to observe and do whatsoever they bid you, upholding the office and its teaching of Moses' law even while condemning the men who hold it, but do not ye after their works, for they say, and do not draws the line between the seat's authority and its occupants' conduct. The bench reads this as Jesus separating the institution from its abuse rather than dismissing either the law or its lawful teachers.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
A commentator
John ChrysostomHomily on the Gospel of Matthew 72 · Written in the 5th century.
proposed
"Then spake Jesus to the multitudes and to His disciples, saying, The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat: all therefore whatsoever they bid you do, that do; but do not after their works." Then. When? When He had said these things, when He had stopped their mouths; when He had brought them that they should no more dare to tempt Him; when He had shown their state incurable. And since He had made mention of "the Lord" and "my Lord," He recurs again to the law. And yet the law said nothing of this kind, but, "The Lord thy God is one Lord." But Scripture calls the whole Old Testament the law. But these things He saith, showing by all thinks His full agreement with Him that begat Him. For if He were opposed, He would have said the opposite about the law; but now He commands so great reverence to be shown towards it, that, even when they that teach it are depraved, He charges them to hold to it. But here He is discoursing about their life and morals, since this was chiefly the cause of their unbelief, their depraved life, and the love of glory. To amend therefore His hearers; that which in the first place most contributes to salvation, not to despise our teachers, neither to rise up against our priests, this doth He command with superabundant earnestness. But He does not only command it, but also Himself doth it. For though they were depraved, He doth not depose them from their dignity; to them rendering their condemnation heavier, and to His disciples leaving no cloke for disobedience. I mean, that lest any one should say, that because my teacher is bad, therefore am I become more remiss, He takes away even this pretext. […]
When the Lord had overthrown the Priests by His answer, and shown their condition to be irremediable, forasmuch as clergy, when they do wickedly, cannot be amended, but laymen who have gone wrong are easily set right, He turns His discourse to His Apostles and the people. For that is an unprofitable word which silences one, without conveying improvement to another.
But further, if Christ reproves the scribes and Pharisees, sitting in the official chair of Moses, but not doing what they taught, what kind of (supposition).
The Medieval Church2 voices
Above it was shown how the Pharisees and scribes were provoked by the glory of Christ, and also by his wisdom, by which he had confounded them; now he shows how they were provoked by the justice with which he rebuked them. And he does …
When He has shut the mouths of the Pharisees and shown them to be incurably diseased, then He speaks about them. He speaks about their life and manner of living, admonishing His listeners not to despise their teachers even if they have a corrupt life. …
5 more voices on this verse
The Reformation1 voice
But as for you, be not called Rabbi; for there is one who is your Master, Christ; and you are all brethren. And do not call any one on earth your Father; for one is your Father, who is in heaven. And be not called Masters; for one is your Master, Christ.
quarantine:scripture (2026-07-29) — scripture-overlap:81%@v8-13
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
) to rectify their mistakes concerning these scribes and Pharisees, by painting them out in their true colours, and so to take off the prejudice which some of the multitude had conceived against Christ and his doctrine, because it was opposed by those men of their church, that called themselves the people's guides.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — leading-punctuation+unbalanced-parens
Then spake Jesus to the multitude,....
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
We are now beginning a chapter which in one respect is the most remarkable in the four Gospels: it contains the last words which the Lord Jesus ever spoke within the walls of the temple. Those last words consist of a withering exposure of the scribes and Pharisees, and a sharp rebuke of their doctrines and practices. Knowing full well that his time on earth was drawing to a close, our Lord no longer keeps back his opinion of the leading teachers of the Jews.
We are now beginning a chapter which in one respect is the most remarkable in the four Gospels: it contains the last words which the Lord Jesus ever spoke within the walls of the temple. Those last words consist of a withering exposure of the scribes and Pharisees, and a sharp rebuke of their doctrines and practices. Knowing full well that his time on earth was drawing to a close, our Lord no longer keeps back his opinion of the leading teachers of the Jews. Knowing that he would soon leave his followers alone, like sheep among wolves, he warns them plainly against the false shepherds by whom they were surrounded. The whole chapter is a signal example of boldness and faithfulness in denouncing error. It is a striking proof that it is possible for the most loving heart to use the language of stern reproof: above all, it is an awful evidence of the guilt of unfaithful teachers. So long as the world stands, this chapter ought to be a warning and a beacon to all ministers of religion: no sins are so sinful as theirs in the sight of Christ. In the twelve verses which begin the chapter we see firstly the duty of distinguishing between the office a false teacher and his example. “The scibes and Pharisees sat in Moses’ seat” rightly or wrongly, they occupied the position of the chief public teachers of religion among the Jews; however unworthily they filled the place of authority, their office entitled them to respect. But while their office was respected, their bad lives were not to be copied. Although their teaching was to be adhered to so long as it was scriptural, it was not to be observed when it contradicted the Word of God. To use the words of a great divine, “They were to be heard when they taught what Moses taught,” but no longer.
How the passage was read
On Matthew 23:1-39On Matthew 23:1-39
The woes, read from inside Israel's own tradition
Read the chapter's own frame before its fire. Jesus opens by AFFIRMING the teaching office: the scribes and Pharisees “sit in Moses' seat,” the expositor's chair of the synagogue (stone seats of honor survive in excavated synagogues), “so practice and observe whatever they tell you” (23:2-3). And in the sharpest woe He still says of the tithe, “these you ought to have done” (23:23). The target throughout is hypocrisy in practice, never Torah observance itself. Each image is concrete: tefillin (the small Scripture boxes bound on arm and forehead in prayer, still worn today) made extra broad to be seen; tzitzit (the commanded tassels, Numbers 15:38, which Jesus Himself wore, Matthew 9:20) made extra long; the oath casuistry of Temple versus gold; herbs tithed while justice goes unweighed.
“Whited sepulchres” is seasonal and local: before Passover, graves were freshly marked with white lime so that pilgrims would not contract corpse impurity unawares; the Mishnah schedules the grave-marking in the month of Adar, a month before the feast (Shekalim 1:1). The pilgrim crowds hearing Jesus had just walked roads lined with newly whitened tombs. And the register of the speech is one Israel's own tradition could use of itself: the Talmud preserves a list of seven types of Pharisee, most of them bad, and warns against the “plague of Pharisees” (Sotah 22b), a self-critique sharper than most sermons. The chapter is a woe-oracle in the prophets' own tradition (Isaiah 1, Malachi 1-2), spoken in the Temple, and it ends not in triumph but in a lament that aches: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered thy children together” (23:37).
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Sources: Mishnah Shekalim 1:1 (graves marked in Adar, before Passover) · Sotah 22b (Babylonian Talmud, the seven types of Pharisee) · Mishnah Menachot 4:1 (tefillin and tzitzit in practice)
The words behind it
10 Greek wordsEvery 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.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Τότε | tote | Then | G5119 → | 160 times |
| ὁ | ho | <the> | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| Ἰησοῦς | iesous | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| ἐλάλησεν | elalesen | spoke | G2980 → | 294 times |
| τοῖς | tois | to the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὄχλοις | ochlois | crowds | G3793 → | 175 times |
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τοῖς | tois | to the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| μαθηταῖς | mathetais | disciples | G3101 → | 260 times |
| αὐτοῦ | autou | of Him | G846 → | 5565 times |
ΤότεThen
toteG5119 →160 times
ὁ<the>
hoG3588 →19766 times
ἸησοῦςJesus
iesousG2424 →908 times
ἐλάλησενspoke
elalesenG2980 →294 times
τοῖςto the
toisG3588 →19766 times
ὄχλοιςcrowds
ochloisG3793 →175 times
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τοῖςto the
toisG3588 →19766 times
μαθηταῖςdisciples
mathetaisG3101 →260 times
αὐτοῦof Him
autouG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach 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
Luke 12:1In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is…
it leads to
- 1 Peter 2:1
Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and slander.
- 1 Corinthians 5:7–8
Get rid of the old leaven, that you may be a new unleavened batch, as you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.
- James 3:17
But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peace-loving, gentle, accommodating, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial, and sincere.
- Mark 8:15–21
“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
- 1 Corinthians 15:3
For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,
- 1 Peter 2:1
Through
Luke 12:57And why don’t you judge for yourselves what is right?
it leads to
- John 7:24
Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
- Deuteronomy 32:29
If only they were wise, they would understand it; they would comprehend their fate.
- Acts 2:40
With many other words he testified, and he urged them, “Be saved from this corrupt generation.”
- John 7:24
Where this verse is studied
About Matthew
This page draws on 12 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Matthew; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 72; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Lightfoot, Horae Hebraicae et Talmudicae on Matthew; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Pseudo-Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Tertullian, On Monogamy; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Matthew and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on Matthew.