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Read the Bible

Myles Coverdale Bible

Matthew 23:19

Ye fooles and blynde, whether is greater? the offeringe, or the altare that sanctifieth the offerynge?

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Altar;   Blindness;   Church;   Ecclesiasticism;   Hypocrisy;   Oath;   Pharisees;   Satire;   Teachers;   Temple;   Thompson Chain Reference - Blindness;   Blindness-Vision;   Spiritual;   The Topic Concordance - Blindness;   Guidance;   Hypocrisy;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Altar of Burnt-Offering, the;   Blindness, Spiritual;   Fools;   Hypocrites;   Oaths;   Pharisees, the;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pharisees;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Hypocrisy;   Matthew, gospel of;   Pharisees;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Altar;   Anger;   Blindness;   Ethics;   Fool, Foolishness, Folly;   Hypocrisy;   Sanctification;   Worship;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Supralapsarians;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Altar;   Pharisees;   Scribes;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Altar;   Blindness;   Consecration;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Oaths;   Salutation;   Sanctification;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hypocrite;   Judas Iscariot;   Sacrifice and Offering;   Sanctification, Sanctify;   Scribes;   Sin;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Altar ;   Anger (2);   Children of God;   Claim;   Common Life;   Courage;   Discourse;   Error;   Fool (2);   Judgment;   Law of God;   Manuscripts;   Mental Characteristics;   Oath;   Organization (2);   Paradox;   Profaning, Profanity;   Reality;   Sabbath ;   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Self-Control;   Teaching of Jesus;   Temple (2);   Woe;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Blindness;   Oath;   Scribes;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Corban;   Pharisee;   Scribe;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Pharisees;   Scribe;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Oath,;   Scribes;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Vow;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Fool;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Sanctification;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hypocrisy;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Blind people!
King James Version (1611)
Ye fooles and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the Altar that sanctifieth the gift?
King James Version
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
English Standard Version
You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
New American Standard Bible
"You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
New Century Version
You are blind! Which is greater: the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
Amplified Bible
"You [spiritually] blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
Legacy Standard Bible
You blind men, which is more important, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
Berean Standard Bible
You blind men! Which is greater: the gift, or the altar that makes it sacred?
Contemporary English Version
Are you blind? Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Complete Jewish Bible
Blind men! Which is more important? the sacrifice? or the altar which makes the sacrifice holy?
Darby Translation
[Fools and] blind ones, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift?
Easy-to-Read Version
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!
Geneva Bible (1587)
Ye fooles and blinde, whether is greater, the offering, or the altar which sanctifieth the offering?
George Lamsa Translation
O you fools and blind! for which is greater, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering?
Good News Translation
How blind you are! Which is the more important, the gift or the altar which makes the gift holy?
Lexham English Bible
Blind people! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?
Literal Translation
Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
American Standard Version
Ye blind: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Bible in Basic English
You blind ones: which is greater, the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy?
Hebrew Names Version
You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
International Standard Version
You blind men!blind and foolish men
">[fn] Which is more important, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?Exodus 29:37;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
You foolish and sightless ! for which is greater, the oblation, or the altar that sanctifieth the oblation ?
Murdock Translation
Ye fools, and blind: for which is greater, the oblation, or the altar that sanctifieth the oblation?
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Ye fooles and blynde, for whether is greater, the gyft: or the aulter that sanctifieth the gyft?
English Revised Version
Ye blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
World English Bible
You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Ye fools and blind; for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Weymouth's New Testament
"You are blind! Why, which is greater? --the offering, or the altar which makes the offering holy?
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Blynde men, for what is more, the yifte, or the auter that halewith the yifte?
Update Bible Version
You blind men: for which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
Webster's Bible Translation
[Ye] fools, and blind: for which [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
New English Translation
You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
New King James Version
Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
New Living Translation
How blind! For which is more important—the gift on the altar or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
New Life Bible
You fools and blind men! Which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift holy?
New Revised Standard
How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Blind! for which is greater, The gift, or the altar that halloweth the gift?
Douay-Rheims Bible
Ye foolish and blind: for whether is greater, the gift or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Revised Standard Version
You blind men! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Ye foles and blinde: whether is greater ye offeringe or ye aultre which sanctifieth ye offeringe?
Young's Literal Translation
Fools and blind! for which [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that is sanctifying the gift?
Mace New Testament (1729)
ye blind fools, which is most sacred, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
Simplified Cowboy Version

Contextual Overview

13 Wo vnto you Scrybes and Pharises, ye ypocrytes, that shut vp the kyngdome of heauen before men: Ye come not in youre selues, nether suffre ye them to enter, that wolde be in. 14 Wo vnto you Scrybes and Pharises, ye ypocrytes, that deuoure wyddowes houses, and that vnder the culoure of prayenge longe prayers, therfore shal ye receaue ye greater damnacion. 15 Wo vnto you Scrybes and Pharises, ye ypocrytes, which compasse see and lode to make one Proselyte: and whan he is become one, ye make of him a childe of hell, two folde more then ye youre selues are. 16 Wo vnto you blyndegydes, which saye: Who so euer sweareth by the temple, that is nothinge: but who so euer sweareth by the golde of the temple, he is giltie. 17 Ye fooles and blynde, whether is greater? the golde, or the teple that sanctifieth the golde? 18 And who so euer sweareth by the altare, that is nothinge: but who so euer sweareth by the offeringe that is vpo it, he is giltye. 19 Ye fooles and blynde, whether is greater? the offeringe, or the altare that sanctifieth the offerynge? 20 Therfore who so sweareth by the altare, sweareth by the same, and by all that is theron: 21 and who so sweareth by the temple, sweareth by the same, and by him that dwelleth therin. 22 And who so sweareth by heauen, sweareth by the seate of God, and by him that sytteth theron.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

or: Exodus 29:37, Exodus 30:29

Reciprocal: Exodus 37:25 - General Exodus 40:26 - General Exodus 40:29 - the altar Leviticus 21:18 - a blind man Numbers 7:1 - sanctified them Deuteronomy 26:4 - before the Isaiah 60:2 - the darkness Haggai 2:12 - General Matthew 5:23 - thou Matthew 23:16 - ye blind Matthew 23:17 - or

Cross-References

Genesis 3:19
In the sweate of thy face shalt thou eate thy bred, tyll thou be turned agayne vnto earth, whece thou art take: for earth thou art, and vnto earth shalt thou be turned agayne.
Genesis 23:9
that he maye geue me the dubble caue, which he hath in ye ende of his felde. For a reasonable money let him geue it me, for a possession to burye in amoge you.
Genesis 23:10
For Ephron dwelt amonge the Hethites.Then answered Ephron the Hethite vnto Abraham, that the Hethites might heare, before all that wente out and in at the gates of his cite, and sayde:
Genesis 47:30
but I will lye by my fathers, and thou shalt carye me out of Egipte, & burye me in their buryall. He sayde: I wil do as thou hast sayde.
Genesis 50:13
and caried him to ye lande of Canaan, and buried him in ye dubble caue, that Abraham bought with the felde for a possession to bury in, of Ephron ye Hethite ouer ageynst Mamre.
Genesis 50:25
Therfore toke he an ooth of the childre of Israel, and sayde: Whan God shal vyset you, the cary my bones fro hence.
Job 30:23
Sure I am, yt thou wilt delyuer me vnto death: where as a lodgyng is prepared for all me
Ecclesiastes 6:3
Yf a man begett an hundreth children, and lyue many yeares, so that his dayes are many in nombre, and yet can not enioye his good, nether be buried: as for him I saye, that an vntymely byrth is better then he.
Ecclesiastes 12:5
whan men shal feare in hye places, and be afrayed in the stretes: whan the Almonde tre shalbe despysed, the greshopper borne out, and whan greate pouerte shall breake in: when man goeth to his longe home, and the mourners go aboute the stretes.
Ecclesiastes 12:7
Or dust be turned againe vnto earth from whence it came, and or the sprete returne vnto God, which gaue it.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ye fools, and blind,.... This is very justly repeated, since this is no less an instance of their folly, blindness, and stupidity. In three copies of Beza's the word "fools" is not; nor is it in the Vulgate Latin, nor in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; but the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions have it:

for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? The gift, or offering, before it was devoted to sacred use, and brought, and laid upon the altar, was common, had no ceremonial sanctity in it, and might be put to any use; but when it was brought, and laid upon the altar, it became holy; for, according to the law, whatever touched the altar, and indeed all, or any of the vessels of the sanctuary, was holy, Exodus 29:37. Christ speaks the sense of the law, and their own traditions, and in their own language, and argues from the same to the confutation of them: חמזבח מקדש, "the altar", they say u, "sanctifies" that which is fit for it; that is, that which is proper to be offered up upon it:

"as the altar sanctifies that which is fit for it, so the ascent unto it sanctifies; and as the altar, and the ascent, sanctify what is fit for them, so the vessels sanctify; the vessels for liquids sanctify the liquids, and the dry measures sanctify the dry; the vessels for liquids do not sanctify the dry, nor the dry measures sanctify the liquids; the holy vessels, which are bored, (or broken,) when they do the service they used to do, when whole, sanctify, if not, they do not sanctify; nor does anything sanctify but in the sanctuary.''

Now, since this is a clear case, that the altar sanctifies the gift, and not the gift the altar, our Lord's question is, which is the greater? A man that has the least share of common sense will easily see, that the altar must be the greater: wherefore these scribes and Pharisees must be wretchedly stupid to give out, that an oath made by the altar was not binding, when one that was made by the gift, or

Korban, was binding; seeing the gift, or offering, received its sanctity from the altar: hence, of the two, an oath made by the altar should be more sacred and obligatory than one made by the gift.

u Misn. Zebachim, c. 9. sect. 7.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The altar that sanctifieth the gift - The altar, dedicated to God, gave all the value or holiness to the offering, and must therefore be the greatest or of the most importance. If, therefore, either bound to the fulfillment of an oath, it must be the altar.


 
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