Matthew 23:2

Amplified Bible

saying: "The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses' chair [of authority as teachers of the Law];

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“The scribes and the Pharisees are seated in the chair of Moses.

King James Version (1611)
Saying, The Scribes and the Pharises sit in Moses seate:

King James Version
Saying The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:

English Standard Version
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat,

New American Standard Bible
saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses.

New Century Version
"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the law of Moses says.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;

Legacy Standard Bible
saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses;

Berean Standard Bible
"The scribes and Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.

Contemporary English Version
The Pharisees and the teachers of the Law are experts in the Law of Moses.

Complete Jewish Bible
"The Torah-teachers and the P'rushim," he said, "sit in the seat of Moshe.

Darby Translation
saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have set themselves down in Moses' seat:

Easy-to-Read Version
"The teachers of the law and the Pharisees have the authority to tell you what the Law of Moses says.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Saying, The Scribes and the Pharises sit in Moses seate.

George Lamsa Translation
And he said to them, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the chair of Moses.

Good News Translation
"The teachers of the Law and the Pharisees are the authorized interpreters of Moses' Law.

Lexham English Bible
saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Moses.

Literal Translation
saying, The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down on Moses' seat.

American Standard Version
saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat:

Bible in Basic English
The scribes and the Pharisees have the authority of Moses;

Hebrew Names Version
saying, "The Sofrim and the Perushim sat on Moshe' seat.

International Standard Version
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.[fn]Nehemiah 8:4,8; Malachi 2:7; Mark 12:38; Luke 20:45;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and said to them, Upon the chair of Musha sit the scribes and the Pharishee.

Murdock Translation
and said to them: The Scribes and Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Saying: The Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moyses seate.

English Revised Version
saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat:

World English Bible
saying, "The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses' seat.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
All things therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, observe and do;

Weymouth's New Testament
"The Scribes," He said, "and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seide, On the chayere of Moises, scribis and Farisees han sete.

Update Bible Version
saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses seat:

Webster's Bible Translation
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's seat.

New English Translation
"The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat.

New King James Version
saying: "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat.

New Living Translation
"The teachers of religious law and the Pharisees are the official interpreters of the law of Moses.

New Life Bible
He said, "The teachers of the Law and the proud religious law-keepers have put themselves in Moses' place as teachers.

New Revised Standard
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
saying - Upon Moses' seat, have sat down, the Scribes and the Pharisees:

Douay-Rheims Bible
Saying: The scribes and the Pharisees have sitten on the chair of Moses.

Revised Standard Version
"The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
sayinge. The Scribes and the Pharises sit in Moses seate.

Young's Literal Translation
saying, `On the seat of Moses sat down the scribes and the Pharisees;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and sayde: The scrybes & Pharises are set downe vpon Moses seate.

Mace New Testament (1729)
said, the Scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses's chair.

Simplified Cowboy Version
"The hypocritical preachers and the lawyers of the Code are experts in the law of Moses.

Contextual Overview

¹Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, ²saying: "The scribes and Pharisees have seated themselves in Moses' chair [of authority as teachers of the Law];³so practice and observe everything they tell you, but do not do as they do; for they preach [things], but do not practice them. ⁴"The scribes and Pharisees tie up heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men's shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter]. ⁵"They do all their deeds to be seen by men; for they make their phylacteries (tefillin) wide [to make them more conspicuous] and make their tassels long. ⁶"They love the place of distinction and honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues [those on the platform near the scrolls of the Law, facing the congregation], ⁷and to be greeted [with respect] in the market places and public forums, and to have people call them Rabbi. ⁸"But do not be called Rabbi (Teacher); for One is your Teacher, and you are all [equally] brothers. ⁹"Do not call anyone on earth [who guides you spiritually] your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. ¹⁰"Do not let yourselves be called leaders or teachers; for One is your Leader (Teacher), the Christ.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Nehemiah 8:4-8, Malachi 2:7, Mark 12:38, Luke 20:46

Reciprocal: Exodus 18:13 - General Deuteronomy 19:17 - General Deuteronomy 33:10 - They shall teach 1 Chronicles 24:6 - the scribe Ezra 7:11 - a scribe Ezra 7:25 - teach ye Nehemiah 8:1 - Ezra Song of Solomon 5:7 - the keepers Zechariah 11:16 - which Matthew 5:20 - exceed Matthew 7:29 - and not Matthew 15:1 - scribes Matthew 16:1 - Pharisees Matthew 21:33 - husbandmen Mark 1:44 - show Luke 11:46 - Woe John 7:19 - yet Titus 3:1 - to be subject

Cross-References

Genesis 13:18
Then Abram broke camp and moved his tent, and came and settled by the [grove of the great] terebinths (oak trees) of Mamre [the Amorite], which are in Hebron, and there he built an altar to [honor] the LORD.

Genesis 23:14
Ephron replied to Abraham,

Genesis 23:15
"My lord, listen to me. The land [you seek] is worth four hundred shekels of silver; what is that between you and me? So bury your dead."

Genesis 23:16
So Abraham listened to Ephron [and agreed to his terms]; and he weighed out for Ephron the [amount of] silver which he had named in the hearing of the Hittites: four hundred shekels of silver, according to the weights current among the merchants.

Genesis 23:18
to Abraham as his possession in the presence of the Hittites, before all who were entering at the gate of his city.

Genesis 23:19
After this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah to the east of Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

Genesis 27:41
So Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father blessed him; and Esau said in his heart, "The days of mourning for my father are very near; then I will kill my brother Jacob."

Genesis 50:10
When they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, they mourned there with a great lamentation (expressions of mourning for the deceased) and [extreme demonstrations of] sorrow [according to Egyptian custom]; and Joseph observed a seven-day mourning for his father.

Numbers 13:22
When they had gone up into the Negev (the South country), they came to Hebron; and Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai the descendants of Anak were there. (Now Hebron was built seven years before Zoan in Egypt.)

Numbers 20:29
When all the congregation saw that Aaron had died, all the house of Israel wept (mourned) for him thirty days.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Saying, the Scribes and Pharisees,.... The Persic version adds, the priests: but Christ does not here speak of the sanhedrim, or grand council of the nation, and of their legislative power; but of those that were the teachers of the people, and the interpreters of the law; and of those, who, though they corrupted the word with their glosses and traditions, yet retained some truth, and at least came nearer truth, than the Sadducees; who therefore are omitted, and only Scribes and Pharisees mentioned, who gave the literal and traditional sense of the Scriptures; of whom he says, they

sit in Moses's seat: not that they were his successors in his office as a legislator and mediator; though the Persic version reads it, "sit in the place and chair of Moses"; but they read his law, and explained it to the people: this post and place, as yet, they kept in the office they were, and were to continue; and the people were to regard them so far as they spoke consistent with the law, until it had its full accomplishment in Christ. The allusion is not to the chairs in which the sanhedrim sat in trying and determining causes, but to those in which the doctors sat when they expounded the law; for though they stood up when they read the law, or the prophets, they sat down when they preached out of them: this custom of the synagogue was observed by our Lord; see Luke 4:16.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Scribes and Pharisees - See the notes at Matthew 3:7.

Moses’ seat - Moses was the great legislator of the Jews. By him the Law was given. The office of explaining that Law among the Jews devolved on the scribes and Pharisees. In the synagogues they sat while expounding the Law, and rose when they read it. By “sitting in the seat of Moses” we are to understand authority to teach the Law; or, as he taught the nation by giving the Law, so they taught it by explaining it.