You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
Parallel Translations
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You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifies the gold?
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Ye foles and blinde? whether is greater the golde or the temple that sanctifieth the golde.
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Ye fooles and blinde, whether is greater, the golde, or the Temple that sanctifieth the golde?
Cross-references (4)
Passages linked to Matthew 23:17 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- Matthew 23:19 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifies the gift?
- Numbers 16:38-39 even the censers of those who sinned against their own lives. Let them be beaten into plates for a covering of the altar, for they offered them before Yahweh. Therefore they are holy. They shall be a sign to the children of Israel.” Eleazar the priest took the bronze censers which those who were burned had offered; and they beat them out for a covering of the altar,
- Exodus 30:26-29 You shall use it to anoint the Tent of Meeting, the ark of the covenant, the table and all its articles, the lamp stand and its accessories, the altar of incense, the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils, and the basin with its base. You shall sanctify them, that they may be most holy. Whatever touches them shall be holy.
- Psalms 94:8 Consider, you senseless among the people; you fools, when will you be wise?
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (6 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain Causeth the gold to be counted holy, which is…
Causeth the gold to be counted holy, which is dedicated to an holy use.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater,…
17 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
Ver. 17. Whether is greater, the gold, &c.] The cause must needs be more noble than the effect. But the dust of covetousness had put out the eyes of these buzzards, and expectorated their understandings. It is a besotting sin, and bereaves a man of right reason. Avidus a non videndo. Papists, our modern Pharisees, are most corrupt in those things where their honour, ease, or profit is engaged. In the doctrine of the Trinity that toucheth not upon these, they are sound enough.
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Or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?] Solomen’s temple was stone without and gold within, to show, saith one, the resplendent glory of Divine Majesty lurking within a human and humbled body. Quid est templi illius aurum sive aurea claritas, nisi ad dextram patris sedentis immortalitas atque impassibilitas? saith Rupertus, what is the gold of the temple but the glory of Christ at God’s right hand?
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.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is…
And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing,.... These are again the words or savings of the scribes and Pharisees, and express their sentiments and practice: it was usual with them to swear by the altar; and this was reckoned either no sin at all, or such an oath was not accounted binding on a man; he might break, or keep it as he thought fit: of this kind of swearing, we have the following instances. One said to another (r),
"swear to me that thou wilt not discover me, and he swore to him; by what did he swear? says R. Jose bar Chanina, , "by the innermost altar".''
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Again, it is said of Zedekiah (s),
"that he (Nebuchadnezzar) made him to swear; by what did he make him to swear? says R. Jose, by the covenant he made him to swear; Rabbi says "by the altar" he made him to swear.''
And elsewhere (t) it is said of him,
""and he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who made him swear by God", Ch2 36:13. By what did he make him swear? says R. Jose bar Chanina, "by the horns of the innermost altar" he made him swear.''
But whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty: of perjury, if he does not make good his oath; he is bound to perform it, it is obligatory; whatever he swore should be a gift for the altar, he was indispensably obliged to bring it; for whatever he swore by "Korban", or the gift, could never be put to any other use.
(r) Echa Rabbati, fol. 54. 1. (s) Midrash Kohelet, fol. 78. 1. (t) Midrash Megillat Esther, fol. 89. 1.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain The temple that sanctifieth the gold - To sanctify…
The temple that sanctifieth the gold - To sanctify is to make holy. The gold had no holiness but what it derived from the temple. If in any other place, it would be no more holy than any other gold. It was foolish, then, to suppose that that was more holy than the temple, from which it received all the sanctity which it possessed.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 17. Temple that sanctifieth the gold — That renders…
17. Temple that sanctifieth the gold — That renders the gold deposit sacred.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain Ye fools. Jesus adds to "blind" the epithet "fools,"…
Ye fools. Jesus adds to "blind" the epithet "fools," which implies not only the irrationality and absurdity of their practice, but also its moral delinquency, the fool in sapiential language being the sinner. The temple that sanctifieth the gold. Our Lord shows the absurdity of this sophistical distinction. It was because the temple was the place of God"s presence that what was therein was consecrated. The gold was nothing without the temple; the temple, the originally holy, is superior to the gold, the derivatively holy, and an oath that calls the temple to witness is surely obligatory.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.