Matthew 23:2

Myles Coverdale Bible

and sayde: The scrybes & Pharises are set downe vpon Moses seate.

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.

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

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;

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

¹ Then spake Iesus vnto ye people and to his disciples, ² and sayde: The scrybes & Pharises are set downe vpon Moses seate. ³ Therfore whatsoeuer they bid you obserue, that obserue and do, but after their workes shal ye not do, ⁴ for they saye & do not. For they bynde heuy and intollerable burthens, and laye them vpon mens shulders: But they them selues wil not heaue at them with one of their fyngers. ⁵ All their workes do they to be sene of men. They set abrode their Philateries, and make large borders vpon their garmentes, ⁶ and loue to syt vppermost at the table, and to haue the chefe seates in the synagoges, ⁷ and loue to be saluted in the market, and to be called of me Rabbi. ⁸ But ye shal not suffre youre selues to be called Rabbi, for one is youre master, euen Christ, and all ye are brethren. ⁹ And call no man father vpon earth, for one is youre father, which is in heaue. ¹⁰ And ye shal not suffre youre selues to be called masters, for one is youre master, namely, 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
So Abram remoued his tent, and wente and dwelt in ye Okegroue of Mamre, which is in Ebron, and buylded there an altare vnto the LORDE.

Genesis 23:14
Ephron answered Abraham, and sayde vnto him:

Genesis 23:15
Heare me my lorde: The felde is worth foure hundreth Sycles of syluer: but what is that betwixte me and the? Burye thy deed.

Genesis 23:16
Abraham herkened vnto Ephron, and weyed him the money which he had sayde, that the Hethites might heare: namely foure hundreth syluer sycles of currant money amonge marchauntes.

Genesis 23:18
for Abrahams owne good, with all the trees of the felde also rounde aboute, in the sight of the Hethites, and of all that go out and in at the gates of his cite.

Genesis 23:19
Then Abraham buried Sara his wife in the dubble caue of the felde, that lyeth ouer before Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the londe of Canaan.

Genesis 27:41
And Esau bare euell wyll vnto Iacob, because of the blessynge that his father had blessed him withall, and sayde in his herte: The tyme wyll come shortly, that my father shal mourne, for I wil slaye my brother Iacob.

Genesis 50:10
Now whan these came to the playne of Atad yt lyeth beyonde Iordane, they made there a very greate and bytter lamentacion, & he mourned for his father seue dayes.

Numbers 13:22
They wente vp also towarde the south, and came vnto Hebron, where Ahiman was, and Sesai and Thalmai, the children of Enack (Hebron was buylded seuen yeare before Zoan in Egipte.)

Numbers 20:29
And Moses & Eleasar came downe from the mount. And whan the whole congregacion sawe that Aaron was awaye, they mourned for him thirtie daies thorow out the whole house of Israel.

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.