Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, July 8th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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THE MESSAGE

Matthew 23:30

This verse is not available in the MSG!

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Church;   Ecclesiasticism;   Hypocrisy;   Pharisees;   Satire;   Self-Righteousness;   Teachers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Self-Justification-Self-Condemnation;   Self-Righteousness;   The Topic Concordance - Hypocrisy;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Pharisees, the;   Self-Righteousness;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Pharisees;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Hypocrisy;   Matthew, gospel of;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Anger;   Hypocrisy;   Kill, Killing;   Persecution;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Supralapsarians;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Father;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Pharisees;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Matthew, the Gospel of;   Salutation;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Hypocrite;   Judas Iscariot;   Scribes;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Blood ;   Children of God;   Claim;   Common Life;   Courage;   Discourse;   Error;   Fathers;   Judgment;   Law of God;   Man (2);   Mental Characteristics;   Old Testament (I. Christ as Fulfilment of);   Old Testament (Ii. Christ as Student and Interpreter of).;   Paradox;   Quotations (2);   Reality;   Sabbath ;   Sacrifice (2);   Sanctify, Sanctification;   Self-Control;   Woe;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Scribes;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Pharisee;   Scribe;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Father;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Day;   Jesus Christ (Part 2 of 2);   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Hypocrisy;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we wouldn’t have taken part with them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
King James Version (1611)
And say, If wee had beene in the dayes of our fathers, wee would not haue bene partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets.
King James Version
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
English Standard Version
saying, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
New American Standard Bible
and you say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
New Century Version
You say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill the prophets.'
Amplified Bible
and you say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have joined them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
New American Standard Bible (1995)
and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
Legacy Standard Bible
and say, ‘If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
Berean Standard Bible
And you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
Contemporary English Version
And you claim that you would not have taken part with your ancestors in killing the prophets.
Complete Jewish Bible
and you say, ‘Had we lived when our fathers did, we would never have taken part in killing the prophets.'
Darby Translation
and ye say, If we had been in the days of our fathers we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Easy-to-Read Version
And you say, ‘If we had lived during the time of our ancestors, we would not have helped them kill these prophets.'
Geneva Bible (1587)
And say, If we had bene in the dayes of our fathers, we would not haue bene partners with them in the blood of the Prophets.
George Lamsa Translation
And you say, If we had been living in the days of our forefathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Good News Translation
and you claim that if you had lived during the time of your ancestors, you would not have done what they did and killed the prophets.
Lexham English Bible
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in the blood of the prophets!'
Literal Translation
And you say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
American Standard Version
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Bible in Basic English
If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.
Hebrew Names Version
and say, 'If we had been in the days of our fathers, we wouldn't have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'
International Standard Version
Then you say, 'If we had been living in the days of our ancestors, we would have had no part with them in sheddingshedding">[fn] the blood of the prophets.'
Etheridge Translation
If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been with them partakers in the blood of the prophets:
Murdock Translation
and ye say: If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been participators with them in the blood of the prophets.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And say, yf we had ben in the dayes of our fathers, we woulde not haue ben parteners with them in the blood of the prophetes.
English Revised Version
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
World English Bible
and say, 'If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Weymouth's New Testament
and your boast is, "`If we had lived in the time of our forefathers, we should not have been implicated with them in the murder of the Prophets.'
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
and seien, If we hadden be in the daies of oure fadris, we schulden not haue be her felowis in the blood of prophetis.
Update Bible Version
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Webster's Bible Translation
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
New English Translation
And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
New King James Version
and say, "If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.'
New Living Translation
Then you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would never have joined them in killing the prophets.'
New Life Bible
You say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our early fathers, we would not have helped kill the early preachers.'
New Revised Standard
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and say - If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their partners in the blood of the prophets:
Douay-Rheims Bible
And say: If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Revised Standard Version
saying, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.'
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
and saye: Yf we had bene in the dayes of oure fathers we wolde not have bene parteners with them in the bloud of the Prophetes.
Young's Literal Translation
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
and saye: Yf we had bene in oure fathers tyme, we wolde not haue bene partakers with them in the bloude of the prophetes.
Mace New Testament (1729)
and say, if we had liv'd in the time of our forefathers, we would not have been accessory with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.
Simplified Cowboy Version
You say, 'If we lived way back then, we wouldn't have been a part of the posse that murdered these great people!'

Contextual Overview

13 "I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned. "You're hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that's nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that's serious.' What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that's nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that's serious'? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that's wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons? "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds. "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You're cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count. "Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It's on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse. "You can't squirm out of this: Every drop of righteous blood ever spilled on this earth, beginning with the blood of that good man Abel right down to the blood of Zechariah, Barachiah's son, whom you murdered at his prayers, is on your head. All this, I'm telling you, is coming down on you, on your generation. "Jerusalem! Jerusalem! Murderer of prophets! Killer of the ones who brought you God's news! How often I've ached to embrace your children, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you wouldn't let me. And now you're so desolate, nothing but a ghost town. What is there left to say? Only this: I'm out of here soon. The next time you see me you'll say, ‘Oh, God has blessed him! He's come, bringing God's rule!'" 14Religious Fashion Shows Now Jesus turned to address his disciples, along with the crowd that had gathered with them. "The religion scholars and Pharisees are competent teachers in God's Law. You won't go wrong in following their teachings on Moses. But be careful about following them. They talk a good line, but they don't live it. They don't take it into their hearts and live it out in their behavior. It's all spit-and-polish veneer. "Instead of giving you God's Law as food and drink by which you can banquet on God, they package it in bundles of rules, loading you down like pack animals. They seem to take pleasure in watching you stagger under these loads, and wouldn't think of lifting a finger to help. Their lives are perpetual fashion shows, embroidered prayer shawls one day and flowery prayers the next. They love to sit at the head table at church dinners, basking in the most prominent positions, preening in the radiance of public flattery, receiving honorary degrees, and getting called ‘Doctor' and ‘Reverend.' "Don't let people do that to you, put you on a pedestal like that. You all have a single Teacher, and you are all classmates. Don't set people up as experts over your life, letting them tell you what to do. Save that authority for God; let him tell you what to do. No one else should carry the title of ‘Father'; you have only one Father, and he's in heaven. And don't let people maneuver you into taking charge of them. There is only one Life-Leader for you and them—Christ. "Do you want to stand out? Then step down. Be a servant. If you puff yourself up, you'll get the wind knocked out of you. But if you're content to simply be yourself, your life will count for plenty. "I've had it with you! You're hopeless, you religion scholars, you Pharisees! Frauds! Your lives are roadblocks to God's kingdom. You refuse to enter, and won't let anyone else in either. 15 "You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You go halfway around the world to make a convert, but once you get him you make him into a replica of yourselves, double-damned. 16"You're hopeless! What arrogant stupidity! You say, ‘If someone makes a promise with his fingers crossed, that's nothing; but if he swears with his hand on the Bible, that's serious.' What ignorance! Does the leather on the Bible carry more weight than the skin on your hands? And what about this piece of trivia: ‘If you shake hands on a promise, that's nothing; but if you raise your hand that God is your witness, that's serious'? What ridiculous hairsplitting! What difference does it make whether you shake hands or raise hands? A promise is a promise. What difference does it make if you make your promise inside or outside a house of worship? A promise is a promise. God is present, watching and holding you to account regardless. 23"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You keep meticulous account books, tithing on every nickel and dime you get, but on the meat of God's Law, things like fairness and compassion and commitment—the absolute basics!—you carelessly take it or leave it. Careful bookkeeping is commendable, but the basics are required. Do you have any idea how silly you look, writing a life story that's wrong from start to finish, nitpicking over commas and semicolons? 25"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You burnish the surface of your cups and bowls so they sparkle in the sun, while the insides are maggoty with your greed and gluttony. Stupid Pharisee! Scour the insides, and then the gleaming surface will mean something. 27"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You're like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it's all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh. People look at you and think you're saints, but beneath the skin you're total frauds. 29"You're hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You build granite tombs for your prophets and marble monuments for your saints. And you say that if you had lived in the days of your ancestors, no blood would have been on your hands. You protest too much! You're cut from the same cloth as those murderers, and daily add to the death count. 33"Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It's on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the blood: Matthew 23:34, Matthew 23:35, Matthew 21:35, Matthew 21:36, 2 Chronicles 36:15, Jeremiah 2:30

Reciprocal: 2 Kings 21:16 - Manasseh 2 Chronicles 29:6 - For our fathers Ezra 9:7 - Since the days Psalms 37:14 - slay Psalms 50:18 - partaker Psalms 72:14 - precious Ecclesiastes 1:10 - it hath Jeremiah 26:15 - ye shall Zechariah 1:2 - Lord Matthew 23:37 - thou Matthew 27:25 - His Luke 20:11 - entreated Revelation 16:6 - they have Revelation 18:4 - partakers

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And say, if we had been in the days of our fathers,.... Their ancestors and predecessors: signifying, that if they had lived in the times they did, or had been in the same post and office with them, they should have opposed, at least not consented to their measures:

we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets; would not have joined them in persecuting the prophets, and in shedding their blood, and putting them to death; but would have received them as the prophets of the Lord, have hearkened to their advice and message, and have honoured and obeyed them as such; and this they thought they sufficiently declared, by building and adorning their tombs.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And say ... - This they professed to say by rebuilding their tombs. They also, probably, publicly expressed their disapprobation of the conduct of their fathers. All this, in building and ornamenting tombs, was a profession of extraordinary piety. Our Lord showed them it was mere pretence.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 30. We would not have been partakers — They imagined themselves much better than their ancestors; but our Lord, who knew what they would do, uncovers their hearts, and shows them that they are about to be more abundantly vile than all who had ever preceded them.


 
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