Matthew 23:20

Easy-to-Read Version

Whoever uses the altar to make a promise is really using the altar and everything on the altar.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it.

King James Version (1611)
Who so therefore shall sweare by the Altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

King James Version
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

English Standard Version
So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

New American Standard Bible
"Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

New Century Version
The person who swears by the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the altar.

Amplified Bible
"Therefore, whoever swears [an oath] by the altar, swears both by it and by everything [offered] on it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

Berean Standard Bible
So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

Contemporary English Version
Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it.

Complete Jewish Bible
So someone who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it.

Darby Translation
He therefore that swears by the altar swears by it and by all things that are upon it.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Whosoeuer therefore sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore he who swears by the altar, he swears by it and by everything that is on it.

Good News Translation
So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it;

Lexham English Bible
Therefore the one who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything that is on it.

Literal Translation
Then the one swearing by the altar swears by it, and by all things on it.

American Standard Version
He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

Bible in Basic English
He, then, who takes an oath by the altar, takes it by the altar and by all things on it.

Hebrew Names Version
He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.

International Standard Version
Therefore, the one who swears an oath by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

Etheridge Translation
He therefore who sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things that are upon it.

Murdock Translation
He therefore who sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all that is upon it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who so therfore sweareth by the aulter, sweareth by it, and by all thynges theron.

English Revised Version
He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

World English Bible
He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things thereon.

Weymouth's New Testament
He who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor he that swerith in the auter, swerith in it, and in alle thingis that ben ther on.

Update Bible Version
He therefore that swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things thereon.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things upon it.

New English Translation
So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

New King James Version
Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

New Living Translation
When you swear ‘by the altar,' you are swearing by it and by everything on it.

New Life Bible
Whoever makes a promise by the altar, promises by it and by everything on it.

New Revised Standard
So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He therefore that hath sworn by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all that is upon it;

Douay-Rheims Bible
He therefore that sweareth by the altar sweareth by it and by all things that are upon it.

Revised Standard Version
So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Whosoever therfore sweareth by ye aultre sweareth by it and by all yt there on is.

Young's Literal Translation
`He therefore who did swear by the altar, doth swear by it, and by all things on it;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore who so sweareth by the altare, sweareth by the same, and by all that is theron:

Mace New Testament (1729)
whoever swears by the altar, swears not only by the altar, but by every thing upon it.

Simplified Cowboy Version

Contextual Overview

¹³ "It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites! You close the way for people to enter God's kingdom. You yourselves don't enter, and you stop those who are trying to enter. ^{14 15} "It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You are hypocrites. You travel across the seas and across different countries to find one person who will follow your ways. When you find that person, you make him worse than you are. And you are so bad that you belong in hell! ¹⁶ "It will be bad for you teachers of the law and you Pharisees! You guide the people, but you are blind. You say, ‘If anyone uses the name of the Temple to make a promise, that means nothing. But anyone who uses the gold that is in the Temple to make a promise must keep that promise.' ¹⁷ You are blind fools! Can't you see that the Temple is greater than the gold on it? It's the Temple that makes the gold holy! ¹⁸ "And you say, ‘If anyone uses the altar to make a promise, that means nothing. But anyone who uses the gift on the altar to make a promise must keep that promise.' ¹⁹ You are blind! Can't you see that the altar is greater than any gift on it? It's the altar that makes the gift holy! ²⁰ Whoever uses the altar to make a promise is really using the altar and everything on the altar. ²¹ And anyone who uses the Temple to make a promise is really using the Temple and God, who lives in it. ²² Whoever uses heaven to make a promise is using God's throne and the one who is seated on it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Hebrews 6:16 - swear

Cross-References

Genesis 23:7
Abraham got up and bowed to the people.

Genesis 23:10
Ephron was sitting there among the people. He answered Abraham,

Genesis 23:14
Ephron answered Abraham,

Genesis 25:9
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah. This cave is in the field of Ephron, the son of Zohar. It was east of Mamre.

Genesis 50:5
‘When my father was near death, I made a promise to him. I promised that I would bury him in a cave in the land of Canaan. This is the cave that he prepared for himself. So please let me go and bury my father. Then I will come back here to you.'"

Genesis 50:13
They carried his body to Canaan and buried it in the cave at Machpelah. This was the cave near Mamre in the field that Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite. Abraham bought that cave to use as a burial place.

2 Samuel 24:24
But the king said to Araunah, "No! I must pay you for everything. I will not offer burnt offerings to the Lord my God that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for 50 shekels of silver.

2 Kings 21:18
Manasseh died and was buried with his ancestors. He was buried in the garden at his house. It was called the "Garden of Uzza." His son Amon became the new king after him.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar,.... Not that Christ allowed of swearing by the altar, or by the temple, or by heaven, or by any creature, animate or inanimate; for such swearing is elsewhere disapproved of by him, and forbid, but if a man did swear by the altar, he ought to know, and consider that he not only

sweareth by it, but by all the gifts, and offerings that are brought, and laid upon it,

and by all things thereon; whatever gifts and sacrifices are offered upon it; which, by being put there, become holy, as the altar itself: so that he that swears by the altar, swears also by the gifts of the altar; and consequently, according to their own traditions, such oaths must be binding.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 23:20. Whoso - shall swear by the altar — As an oath always supposes a person who witnesses it, and will punish perjury; therefore, whether they swore by the temple or the gold, (Matthew 23:16), or by the altar or the gift laid on it, (Matthew 23:18), the oath necessarily supposes the God of the temple, of the altar, and of the gifts, who witnessed the whole, and would, even in their exempt cases, punish the perjury.