Matthew 16:6

Easy-to-Read Version

Jesus said to the followers, "Be careful! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then Jesus told them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven

King James Version (1611)
Then Iesus said vnto them, Take heed and beware of the leauen of the Pharises, and of the Sadduces.

King James Version
Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

English Standard Version
Jesus said to them, "Watch and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

New American Standard Bible
And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

New Century Version
Jesus said to them, "Be careful! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."

Amplified Bible
Jesus said to them, "Watch out and be on your guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then Iesus said vnto them, Take heede and beware of the leauen of the Pharises & Sadduces.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Legacy Standard Bible
And Jesus said to them, "Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Berean Standard Bible
"Watch out!" Jesus told them. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Contemporary English Version
Jesus then warned them, "Watch out! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Complete Jewish Bible
So when Yeshua said to them, "Watch out! Guard yourselves against the hametz of the P'rushim and Tz'dukim,"

Darby Translation
And Jesus said to them, See and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

George Lamsa Translation
He said to them, Look out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

Good News Translation
Jesus said to them, "Take care; be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Lexham English Bible
And Jesus said to them, "Watch out for and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"

Literal Translation
And Jesus said to them, Watch and take heed from the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

American Standard Version
And Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Bible in Basic English
And Jesus said to them, Take care to have nothing to do with the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Hebrew Names Version
Yeshua said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Perushim and Tzedukim."

International Standard Version
Jesus said to them, "Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!"Luke 12:1;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
But he said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharishee and Zadukoyee.

Murdock Translation
And he said to them: Take heed, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then Iesus sayde vnto them: Take heede and beware of the leuen of the Pharisees, and of the Saducees.

English Revised Version
And Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

World English Bible
Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Saducees.

Weymouth's New Testament
and when Jesus said to them, "See to it: beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees,"

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And he seide to hem, Biholde ye, and be war of the soure dowy of Farisees and Saducees.

Update Bible Version
And Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Webster's Bible Translation
Then Jesus said to them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.

New English Translation
"Watch out," Jesus said to them, "beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

New King James Version
Then Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees."

New Living Translation
"Watch out!" Jesus warned them. "Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

New Life Bible
Jesus said to them, "See! Have nothing to do with the yeast of the proud religious law-keepers and the religious group of people who believe no one will be raised from the dead."

New Revised Standard
Jesus said to them, "Watch out, and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees."

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, Jesus, said unto them - Mind! and beware, of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Who said to them: Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Revised Standard Version
Jesus said to them, "Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sad'ducees."

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then Iesus sayd vnto them: Take hede and beware of the leve of ye Pharises and of ye Saduces.

Young's Literal Translation
and Jesus said to them, `Beware, and take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees;'

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Iesus sayde vnto the: Take hede & bewarre of the leue of ye Pharises & of the Saduces.

Mace New Testament (1729)
and Jesus said to them, have a care of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees.

Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus warned 'em against the yeast of the hypocritical preachers and the cattle barons.

Contextual Overview

⁵ Jesus and his followers went across the lake. But the followers forgot to bring bread. ⁶ Jesus said to the followers, "Be careful! Guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." ⁷ The followers discussed the meaning of this. They said, "Did Jesus say this because we forgot to bring bread?" ⁸ Jesus knew that they were talking about this. So he asked them, "Why are you talking about not having bread? Your faith is small. ⁹ Do you still not understand? Remember the five loaves of bread that fed the 5000 people and the many baskets you filled with the bread that was left? ¹⁰ And remember the seven loaves of bread that fed the 4000 people and the many baskets you filled that time? ¹¹ So how could you think that I am concerned about bread? I am telling you to be careful and guard against the yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees." ¹² Then the followers understood what Jesus meant. He was not telling them to guard against the yeast used in bread. He was telling them to guard against the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Take: Luke 12:15

the leaven: Matthew 16:12, Exodus 12:15-19, Leviticus 2:11, Mark 8:15, Luke 12:1, 1 Corinthians 5:6-8, Galatians 5:9, 2 Timothy 2:16, 2 Timothy 2:17

the Pharisees: Matthew 16:1

Reciprocal: Exodus 13:7 - General Proverbs 19:27 - General Matthew 3:7 - the Pharisees Matthew 6:1 - heed Matthew 7:15 - Beware Matthew 22:23 - the Sadducees Mark 12:13 - Herodians Luke 20:27 - the Sadducees Luke 20:46 - Beware John 4:33 - General 1 Corinthians 5:8 - neither Colossians 2:8 - Beware 2 Peter 3:17 - beware

Cross-References

Genesis 16:8
The angel said, "Hagar, Sarai's slave girl, why are you here? Where are you going?" Hagar said, "I am running away from Sarai."

Genesis 16:9
The angel of the Lord said to her, "Sarai is your owner. Go home to her and obey her."

Genesis 24:10
The servant took ten of Abraham's camels and left that place. The servant carried with him many different kinds of beautiful gifts. He went to Mesopotamia, to Nahor's city.

Exodus 2:15
Pharaoh heard about what Moses did, so he decided to kill him. But Moses ran away from Pharaoh and went to the land of Midian. Moses stopped near a well in Midian.

Job 2:6
So the Lord said to Satan, "All right, Job is in your hands, but you are not allowed to kill him."

Proverbs 14:29
A patient person is very smart. A quick-tempered person makes stupid mistakes.

Proverbs 15:1
A gentle answer makes anger disappear, but a rough answer makes it grow.

Proverbs 27:8
A man away from home is like a bird away from its nest.

Proverbs 29:19
Servants will not learn a lesson if you only talk to them. They might understand you, but they will not obey.

Ecclesiastes 10:4
Don't quit your job simply because the boss is angry with you. If you remain calm and helpful, you can correct even great mistakes.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then Jesus said unto them,.... Either taking occasion from the disciples observing that they had forgot to take bread with them, or on account of what passed between him and the Pharisees and Sadducees, he gave the following advice to his disciples;

take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees. Mark, instead "of the leaven of the Sadducees", says, "the leaven of Herod"; either because Christ might caution against all three; or because the Sadducees were generally Herodians, taking Herod to be the Messiah; or were on his party, or for his government, which the Pharisees disliked; and the Herodians were generally Sadducees. By "the leaven" of these is meant their doctrine, as appears from Matthew 16:12. The doctrines the Pharisees taught were the commandments and inventions of men, the traditions of the elders, free will, and justification by the works of the law: the doctrine of the Sadducees was, that there was no resurrection of the dead, nor angels, nor spirits: now because they sought secretly and artfully to infuse their notions into the minds of men; and which, when imbibed, spread their infection, and made men sour, morose, rigid, and ill natured, and swelled and puffed them up with pride and vanity, Christ compares them to leaven; and advises his disciples to look about them, to watch, and be on their guard, lest they should be infected with them.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The account in these verses is also recorded in Mark 8:13-21.

Matthew 16:5

And when his disciples were come to the other side - That is, to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

Mark says that he entered into a ship again, and departed to the other side. The conversation with the Pharisees and Sadducees had been on the western side of the Sea of Galilee. See the notes at Matthew 15:39. They crossed from that side again to the east.

Had forgotten to take bread - That is, had forgotten to lay in a sufficient supply. They had, it seems, not more than one loaf, Mark 8:14.

Matthew 16:6-11

Take heed ... - That is, be cautious, be on your guard.

The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees - Leaven is used in making bread.

It passes secretly, silently, but certainly through the mass of dough. See the notes at Matthew 13:33. “None can see its progress.” So it was with the doctrines of the Pharisees. They were insinuating, artful, plausible. They concealed the real tendency of their doctrines; they instilled them secretly into the mind, until they pervaded all the faculties like leaven.

They reasoned ... - The disciples did not understand him as referring to the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees, because the word “leaven” was not often used among the Jews to denote doctrines, no other instance of this use of the word occurring in the Scriptures. Besides, the Jews had many particular rules about the leaven (yeast) which might be used in making bread. Many held that it was not lawful to eat bread made by the Gentiles; and the disciples, perhaps, supposed that he was cautioning them not to procure a supply from the Pharisees and Sadducees.

O ye of little faith! - Jesus, in reply, said that they should not be so anxious about the supply of their temporal wants. They should not have supposed, after the miracles that he had performed in feeding so many, that he would caution them to be anxious about procuring bread for their necessities. It was improper, then, for them to reason about a thing like that, but they should have supposed that he referred to something more important. The miracles had been full proof that he could supply all their wants without such anxiety.

Matthew 16:12

Then understood they ... - After this explanation they immediately saw that he referred to the doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

Erroneous doctrines are like leaven in the following respects:

1. They are at first slight and unimportant in appearance, just as leaven is small in quantity as compared with the mass that is to be leavened.
2. They are insinuated into the soul unawares and silently, and are difficult of detection.
3. They act gradually.
4. They act most certainly.
5. They will pervade all the soul, and bring all the faculties under their control.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 16:6. Beware of the leaven — What the leaven of Pharisees and Sadducees was has been already explained, see Matthew 16:1. Bad doctrines act in the soul as leaven does in meal; they assimulate the whole Spirit to their own nature. A man's particular creed has a greater influence on his tempers and conduct than most are aware of. Pride, hypocrisy, and worldly-mindedness, which constituted the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees, ruin the major part of the world.