Matthew 22:35 Meaning and Explanation
“Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying,”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →One of them, an expert in the law, tests Jesus with a question.
What Does Matthew 22:35 Mean?
The Pharisees put forward a specialist: a lawyer, a scholar trained in the law of Moses. The parallel account shows the man genuinely impressed by the answer Jesus had just given (Mark 12:28), but Matthew notes the setting: the question is asked "tempting him" -- as a test.
The word for tempting means to put on trial, to probe for weakness. It is the same testing Jesus faced in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1) and from the leaders ever since. Yet watch what Jesus does with a hostile exam: He answers it so truly that the answer becomes treasure for every generation after. God can turn even a trap into a table.
Matthew 22:35 in the Original Language
peirazo (πειράζω), 'tempting' -- to test or put on trial, probing for a weakness.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 22:35
What does Matthew 22:35 mean?
One of them, an expert in the law, tests Jesus with a question.