Matthew 23:20

New Revised Standard

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

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.

Easy-to-Read Version
Whoever uses the altar to make a promise is really using the altar and everything on the altar.

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.

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 "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 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.' Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors. You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation. "Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.'" ¹⁴Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat; therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted. "But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. ¹⁵ Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves. ¹⁶ "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.' ¹⁷ You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.' ¹⁹ How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; ²¹ and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; ²² and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Reciprocal: Hebrews 6:16 - swear

Cross-References

Genesis 23:7
Abraham rose and bowed to the Hittites, the people of the land.

Genesis 23:10
Now Ephron was sitting among the Hittites; and Ephron the Hittite answered Abraham in the hearing of the Hittites, of all who went in at the gate of his city,

Genesis 23:14
Ephron answered Abraham,

Genesis 25:9
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah, in the field of Ephron son of Zohar the Hittite, east of Mamre,

Genesis 50:5
My father made me swear an oath; he said, ‘I am about to die. In the tomb that I hewed out for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.' Now therefore let me go up, so that I may bury my father; then I will return."

Genesis 50:13
They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field at Machpelah, the field near Mamre, which Abraham bought as a burial site from Ephron the Hittite.

2 Samuel 24:24
But the king said to Araunah, "No, but I will buy them from you for a price; 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 fifty shekels of silver.

2 Kings 21:18
Manasseh slept with his ancestors, and was buried in the garden of his house, in the garden of Uzza. His son Amon succeeded 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.