Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces.
Parallel Translations
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Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the best seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the marketplaces.
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Wo be to you Pharises: for ye love the vppermost seates in the synagoges and gretinges in the markets.
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Wo be to you, Pharises: for ye loue the vppermost seats in the Synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Cross-references (9)
Passages linked to Luke 11:43 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Luke 20:46 “Beware of those scribes who like to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the marketplaces, the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts;
- Mark 12:38-39 In his teaching he said to them, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk in long robes, and to get greetings in the marketplaces, and the best seats in the synagogues, and the best places at feasts:
- Matthew 23:6-7 and love the place of honor at feasts, the best seats in the synagogues, the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi, Rabbi’ by men.
- Luke 14:7-11 He spoke a parable to those who were invited, when he noticed how they chose the best seats, and said to them, “When you are invited by anyone to a wedding feast, don’t sit in the best seat, since perhaps someone more honorable than you might be invited by him, and he who invited both of you would come and tell you, ‘Make room for this person.’ Then you would begin, with shame, to take the lowest place. But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that when he who invited you comes, he may tell you, ‘Friend, move up higher.’ Then you will be honored in the presence of all who sit at the table with you. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”
- Proverbs 16:18 Pride goes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall.
- Romans 12:10 In love of the brothers be tenderly affectionate to one another; in honor preferring one another;
- Philippians 2:3 doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself;
- James 2:2-4 For if a man with a gold ring, in fine clothing, comes into your synagogue, and a poor man in filthy clothing also comes in, and you pay special attention to him who wears the fine clothing and say, “Sit here in a good place;” and you tell the poor man, “Stand there,” or “Sit by my footstool” haven’t you shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
- 3 John 1:9 I wrote to the assembly, but Diotrephes, who loves to be first among them, doesn’t accept what we say.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (15 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Hypocrisy and ambition are commonly joined together.
Hypocrisy and ambition are commonly joined together.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the…
43 Woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets.
Ver. 43. See Mat 23:6.
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain See Poole on "Mat 23:6", See Poole on "Mat…
See Poole on "Mat 23:6", See Poole on "Mat 23:7". Their fault was not in their taking them, but in their affecting them, and in being ambitious of them. God is the God of order, and we are bound to give honour to whom honour belongs; but pride and ambition are detestable sins, especially in such as should be teachers of humility, and the vanity of all things below.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
William Burkitt 1703 · Public Domain The next woe denounced against the Pharisees is for…
The next woe denounced against the Pharisees is for their ambition, pride, and popularity, affecting the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the markets; where their fault was, not in taking, but in affecting these uppermost places. God is the God of order; there may and ought to be a precedency amongst persons. Honor is to be given to whom honor is due, and that by God’s command. But pride and ambition are detestable vices, especially in such as are preachers, and ought to be patterns of humility.
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain Then answered one of the lawyers,.... Or Scribes, as…
Then answered one of the lawyers,.... Or Scribes, as the Syriac and Persic versions read: and so the Ethiopic version calls him, "a Scribe of the city": the Scribes and lawyers were the same sort of persons who were interpreters of the law, and equally tenacious of the traditions of the elders Christ had referred to, as the Pharisees, and in general were Pharisees; though some of them might be of the sect of the Sadducees. This man observing that Christ, in his last words, joined the Scribes and Pharisees together, and charged them both with hypocrisy, and pronounced a woe upon them, was very uneasy at it:
and saith unto him, master, thus saying, thou reproachest us also; us lawyers, or Scribes also; both by mentioning their names, and accusing the Pharisees of the same things, which they must be conscious to themselves they were equally guilty of; so that if the one were criminal, the others were also. The Ethiopic version reads by way of interrogation, "what thou sayest, does it not injure us?"
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 43. Ye love the uppermost seats] Every one…
Verse 43. Ye love the uppermost seats] Every one of them affected to be a ruler in the synagogues. See Clarke on Mt 23:5.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Luk 11:43-44. Wo unto you, for ye love the…
Luk 11:43-44. Wo unto you, for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, &c. — Here he denounces the judgment of God against them for their pride, which was so excessive, that it appeared in their carriage in the streets, and at all public meetings. See on Mat 23:6-7. Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees — In this wo he joins the scribes with the Pharisees, and condemns the hypocrisy of both. For ye are as graves, &c. — Under a show of humility and contempt of the world, you are proud, voluptuous, and rapacious, and so resemble concealed graves, which are apt to pollute those who walk over them. Or, as graves appear not when overgrown with grass, so that men are not aware till they stumble upon them, and either hurt themselves, or, at least, are defiled by touching them, so your deceit, hypocrisy, and wickedness are not discovered, being hid under the appearance of strict sanctity which you put on; but, nevertheless, these your vices defile and injure many. On another occasion Christ compared them to whited sepulchres, fair without, but foul within. See on Mat 23:27-28.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain See Mat 23:6, Mat 23:27.
See Mat 23:6, Mat 23:27.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain Salutations in the market-place, &c. Such as wish to…
Salutations in the market-place, &c. Such as wish to be saluted, and have the first places, that they may appear great, are likened to sepulchres, which are covered externally with ornaments, but are filled inwardly with rottenness. (St. Cyril in St. Thomas Aquinas)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown 1871 · Public Domain uppermost seats--(See on Luk 14:7-11).
uppermost seats--(See on Luk 14:7-11).
greetings--(See on Mat 23:7-10).
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 43. uppermost seats] These were places in the synagogue…
43. uppermost seats] These were places in the synagogue in a conspicuous semicircle facing the congregation, and round the bema of the reader, Luk_14:7-11; Mat_23:6.
greetings in the markets] in which they addressed one another by extravagant titles, and required from their followers an exaggerated reverence.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (43) Ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues.—See…
(43) Ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues.—See Notes on Mat_23:6-7.
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues. These…
Ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues. These seats were in a semicircle round the pulpit or lectern of the reader; they faced the congregation. And greetings in the markets. The love of these Jews in the time of our Lord for exaggerated titles of respect and honor is well known.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 Connecting Statement:
Connecting Statement:
Jesus finishes speaking to the Pharisee.
Read full note →
the front seats
"the best seats"
respectful greetings
"you like people to greet you with special honor"
you are like unmarked graves that people walk over without knowing it
The Pharisees are like unmarked graves because they look ceremonially clean, but they cause people around them to become unclean. (See: Simile)
unmarked graves
These graves were holes dug in the ground where a dead body was buried. They did not have the white stones that people normally place over graves so that others would see them.
without knowing it
When the Jews walked over a grave, they would become ceremonially unclean. These unmarked graves caused them to accidentally do that. This can be stated clearly. AT: "without realizing it and become ceremonially unclean" (See: Assumed Knowledge and Implicit Information)
translationWords
woe
Pharisee
synagogue
grave
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 11:43 The elders of the synagogues had special seats…
11:43 The elders of the synagogues had special seats of honor. • The respectful greetings were honorable ways of addressing social and religious superiors (like addressing a judge as “your honor”).
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.