Matthew 23:16 Meaning and Explanation
“Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →Jesus calls the leaders blind guides for inventing oath distinctions that prize the temple's gold above the temple itself.
What Does Matthew 23:16 Mean?
Jesus exposes a system of oath-taking that ranked some vows as binding and others as not. To swear by the temple counted for nothing, they taught, but to swear by its gold made one a debtor, obligated to keep the vow. The reasoning placed the lesser thing above the greater.
Calling them 'blind guides' is a piercing irony, for a guide who cannot see leads others into the ditch. Such hair-splitting let people seem to make sacred promises while keeping loopholes to break them. Jesus cuts through the cleverness to the heart of the matter: honesty before God cannot be gamed. The follower of Christ is called to plain truthfulness, where a word given is simply kept, and no fine distinction excuses deceit.
Matthew 23:16 in the Original Language
typhlos (τυφλός), 'blind' -- without sight; here a vivid image of leaders unable to perceive the very truth they claim to teach.
Frequently Asked Questions About Matthew 23:16
What does Matthew 23:16 mean?
Jesus calls the leaders blind guides for inventing oath distinctions that prize the temple's gold above the temple itself.