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You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. <a href="/nlt/matthew/23.htm">New Living Translation</a> “What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets your ancestors killed, and you decorate the monuments of the godly people your ancestors destroyed. <a href="/esv/matthew/23.htm">English Standard Version</a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/bsb/matthew/23.htm">Berean Standard Bible</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. <a href="/blb/matthew/23.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous; <a href="/kjv/matthew/23.htm">King James Bible</a> Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous, <a href="/nkjv/matthew/23.htm">New King James Version</a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/nasb_/matthew/23.htm">New American Standard Bible</a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/nasb/matthew/23.htm">NASB 1995</a> &#8220Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/nasb77/matthew/23.htm">NASB 1977 </a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/lsb/matthew/23.htm">Legacy Standard Bible </a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/amp/matthew/23.htm">Amplified Bible</a> “Woe to you, [self-righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build tombs for the prophets and decorate and adorn the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/csb/matthew/23.htm">Christian Standard Bible</a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, <a href="/hcsb/matthew/23.htm">Holman Christian Standard Bible</a> &#8220Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, <a href="/asv/matthew/23.htm">American Standard Version</a> Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, <a href="/cev/matthew/23.htm">Contemporary English Version</a> You Pharisees and teachers are nothing but show-offs, and you're in for trouble! You build monuments for the prophets and decorate the tombs of good people. <a href="/erv/matthew/23.htm">English Revised Version</a> Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and garnish the tombs of the righteous, <a href="/gwt/matthew/23.htm">GOD'S WORD® Translation</a> "How horrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who had God's approval. <a href="/gnt/matthew/23.htm">Good News Translation</a> "How terrible for you, teachers of the Law and Pharisees! You hypocrites! You make fine tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of those who lived good lives; <a href="/isv/matthew/23.htm">International Standard Version</a> "How terrible it will be for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. <a href="/net/matthew/23.htm">NET Bible</a> "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. <a href="/nheb/matthew/23.htm">New Heart English Bible</a> "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites. For you build the tombs of the prophets, and decorate the tombs of the righteous, <a href="/wbt/matthew/23.htm">Webster's Bible Translation</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous, <a href="/wey/matthew/23.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you repair the sepulchres of the Prophets and keep in order the tombs of the righteous,<div class="vheading2">Majority Text Translations</div><a href="/msb/matthew/23.htm">Majority Standard Bible</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous. <a href="/web/matthew/23.htm">World English Bible</a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the righteous, <div class="vheading2">Literal Translations</div><a href="/lsv/matthew/23.htm">Literal Standard Version</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the graves of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, <a href="/blb/matthew/23.htm">Berean Literal Bible</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous; <a href="/ylt/matthew/23.htm">Young's Literal Translation</a> 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, <a href="/slt/matthew/23.htm">Smith's Literal Translation</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and deck the monuments of the just,<div class="vheading2">Catholic Translations</div><a href="/drb/matthew/23.htm">Douay-Rheims Bible</a> Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; that build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just, <a href="/cpdv/matthew/23.htm">Catholic Public Domain Version</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites, who build the sepulchers of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the just. <a href="/nabre/matthew/23.htm">New American Bible</a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, <a href="/nrsvce/matthew/23.htm">New Revised Standard Version</a> “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous,<div class="vheading2">Translations from Aramaic</div><a href="/lamsa/matthew/23.htm">Lamsa Bible</a> Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets, and you decorate the graves of the righteous; <a href="/aramaic-plain-english/matthew/23.htm">Aramaic Bible in Plain English</a> Woe to you Scribes and Pharisees, phonies, who build the tombs of The Prophets and adorn the tombs of the righteous!<div class="vheading2">NT Translations</div><a href="/anderson/matthew/23.htm">Anderson New Testament</a> Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchers of the righteous, <a href="/godbey/matthew/23.htm">Godbey New Testament</a> <FR>Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets, and ornament the sepulchers of the righteous,<Fr> <a href="/haweis/matthew/23.htm">Haweis New Testament</a> Wo unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the sepulchres of the just, <a href="/mace/matthew/23.htm">Mace New Testament</a> wo unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites; because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the just, <a href="/wey/matthew/23.htm">Weymouth New Testament</a> "Alas for you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you repair the sepulchres of the Prophets and keep in order the tombs of the righteous, <a href="/worrell/matthew/23.htm">Worrell New Testament</a> <FR>"Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and adorn the tombs of the righteous, and say,<Fr> <a href="/worsley/matthew/23.htm">Worsley New Testament</a> <FR>Wo unto you scribes and pharisees, hypocrites; who build the tombs of the prophets, and adorn the monuments of the just,<Fr> <a href="/parallel/matthew/23-29.htm">Additional Translations ...</a></div></div></div><div id="centbox"><div class="padcent"><a name="audio" id="audio"></a><div class="vheadingv">Audio Bible</div><iframe width="100%" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hriiyJYqzvc?start=6941" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe> <div class="vheadingv">Context</div><a href="/bsb/matthew/23.htm">Woes to Scribes and Pharisees</a> …28In the same way, on the outside you appear to be righteous, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness. 29<a href="/greek/3759.htm" title="3759: Ouai (I) -- Woe!, alas!, uttered in grief or denunciation. A primary exclamation of grief; woe.">Woe</a> <a href="/greek/4771.htm" title="4771: hymin (PPro-D2P) -- You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.">to you,</a> <a href="/greek/1122.htm" title="1122: grammateis (N-VMP) -- From gramma. A writer, i.e. scribe or secretary.">scribes</a> <a href="/greek/2532.htm" title="2532: kai (Conj) -- And, even, also, namely. ">and</a> <a href="/greek/5330.htm" title="5330: Pharisaioi (N-VMP) -- Of Hebrew origin; a separatist, i.e. Exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary.">Pharisees,</a> <a href="/greek/5273.htm" title="5273: hypokritai (N-VMP) -- From hupokrinomai; an actor under an assumed character, i.e. a dissembler">you hypocrites!</a> <a href="/greek/3754.htm" title="3754: hoti (Conj) -- Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because."></a> <a href="/greek/3618.htm" title="3618: oikodomeite (V-PIA-2P) -- From the same as oikodome; to be a house-builder, i.e. Construct or confirm.">You build</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tous (Art-AMP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the."></a> <a href="/greek/5028.htm" title="5028: taphous (N-AMP) -- A burial-place, sepulcher, tomb, grave. Masculine from thapto; a grave.">tombs</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tōn (Art-GMP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">for the</a> <a href="/greek/4396.htm" title="4396: prophētōn (N-GMP) -- From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet.">prophets</a> <a href="/greek/2532.htm" title="2532: kai (Conj) -- And, even, also, namely. ">and</a> <a href="/greek/2885.htm" title="2885: kosmeite (V-PIA-2P) -- To put into order; I decorate, deck, adorn. From kosmos; to put in proper order, i.e. Decorate; specially, to snuff.">decorate</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: ta (Art-ANP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">the</a> <a href="/greek/3419.htm" title="3419: mnēmeia (N-ANP) -- A tomb, sepulcher, monument. From mneme; a remembrance, i.e. Cenotaph.">monuments</a> <a href="/greek/3588.htm" title="3588: tōn (Art-GMP) -- The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.">of the</a> <a href="/greek/1342.htm" title="1342: dikaiōn (Adj-GMP) -- From dike; equitable; by implication, innocent, holy.">righteous.</a> 30And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’…<div class="cred"><a href="//berean.bible">Berean Standard Bible</a> · <a href="//berean.bible/downloads.htm">Download</a></div> <a name="crossref" id="crossref"></a><div class="vheading">Cross References</div><div id="crf"><a href="/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47-48</a> Woe to you! For you build tombs for the prophets, but it was your fathers who killed them. / So you are witnesses consenting to the deeds of your fathers: They killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. <a href="/acts/7-52.htm">Acts 7:52</a> Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers— <a href="/romans/11-3.htm">Romans 11:3</a> “Lord, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars. I am the only one left, and they are seeking my life as well”? <a href="/hebrews/11-32.htm">Hebrews 11:32-38</a> And what more shall I say? Time will not allow me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and the prophets, / who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, / quenched the raging fire, and escaped the edge of the sword; who gained strength from weakness, became mighty in battle, and put foreign armies to flight. ... <a href="/1_thessalonians/2-15.htm">1 Thessalonians 2:15</a> who killed both the Lord Jesus and their own prophets and drove us out as well. They are displeasing to God and hostile to all men, <a href="/revelation/16-6.htm">Revelation 16:6</a> For they have spilled the blood of saints and prophets, and You have given them blood to drink, as they deserve.” <a href="/revelation/18-24.htm">Revelation 18:24</a> And there was found in her the blood of prophets and saints, and of all who had been slain on the earth. <a href="/revelation/19-2.htm">Revelation 19:2</a> For His judgments are true and just. He has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality. He has avenged the blood of His servants that was poured out by her hand.” <a href="/matthew/5-12.htm">Matthew 5:12</a> Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets before you. <a href="/matthew/21-35.htm">Matthew 21:35-36</a> But the tenants seized his servants. They beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. / Again, he sent other servants, more than the first group. But the tenants did the same to them. <a href="/matthew/23-34.htm">Matthew 23:34-35</a> Because of this, I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill and crucify, and others you will flog in your synagogues and persecute from town to town. / And so upon you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. <a href="/luke/13-34.htm">Luke 13:34</a> O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those sent to her, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were unwilling! <a href="/john/8-44.htm">John 8:44</a> You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out his desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, refusing to uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, because he is a liar and the father of lies. <a href="/1_john/3-12.htm">1 John 3:12</a> Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did Cain slay him? Because his own deeds were evil, while those of his brother were righteous. <a href="/2_chronicles/24-20.htm">2 Chronicles 24:20-22</a> Then the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah son of Jehoiada the priest, who stood up before the people and said to them, “This is what God says: ‘Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, He has forsaken you.’” / But they conspired against Zechariah, and by order of the king, they stoned him in the courtyard of the house of the LORD. / Thus King Joash failed to remember the kindness that Zechariah’s father Jehoiada had extended to him. Instead, Joash killed Jehoiada’s son. As he lay dying, Zechariah said, “May the LORD see this and call you to account.”</div> <a name="tsk" id="tsk"><div class="vheading">Treasury of Scripture</div>Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchers of the righteous,ye build.<a href="/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47,48</a> Woe unto you! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them… <a href="/acts/2-29.htm">Acts 2:29</a> Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day.<div class="vheading">Jump to Previous</div><a href="/hosea/2-13.htm">Adorn</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Alas</a> <a href="/matthew/15-31.htm">Bodies</a> <a href="/matthew/16-18.htm">Build</a> <a href="/ezekiel/40-2.htm">Buildings</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Curse</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/jeremiah/10-4.htm">Decorate</a> <a href="/matthew/16-2.htm">Fair</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">False.</a> <a href="/matthew/23-28.htm">Good</a> <a href="/ezekiel/39-11.htm">Graves</a> <a href="/ezekiel/25-5.htm">Housing</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Hypocrites</a> <a href="/matthew/23-28.htm">Law</a> <a href="/isaiah/65-4.htm">Monuments</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Ones</a> <a href="/matthew/23-15.htm">Order</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Pharisees</a> <a href="/matthew/22-40.htm">Prophets</a> <a href="/nahum/3-14.htm">Repair</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Resting-Places</a> <a href="/matthew/23-28.htm">Righteous</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Scribes</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Sepulchers</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Sepulchres</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Teachers</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Tombs</a> <a href="/matthew/23-25.htm">Wo</a> <a href="/matthew/23-27.htm">Woe</a><div class="vheading2">Jump to Next</div><a href="/1_timothy/2-9.htm">Adorn</a> <a href="/matthew/24-19.htm">Alas</a> <a href="/matthew/24-29.htm">Bodies</a> <a href="/matthew/26-61.htm">Build</a> <a href="/matthew/24-1.htm">Buildings</a> <a href="/matthew/25-41.htm">Curse</a> <a href="/matthew/24-28.htm">Dead</a> <a href="/1_kings/7-18.htm">Decorate</a> <a href="/luke/11-25.htm">Fair</a> <a href="/matthew/24-51.htm">False.</a> <a href="/matthew/24-14.htm">Good</a> <a href="/matthew/27-52.htm">Graves</a> <a href="/ezekiel/25-5.htm">Housing</a> <a href="/matthew/24-51.htm">Hypocrites</a> <a href="/mark/1-22.htm">Law</a> <a href="/isaiah/65-4.htm">Monuments</a> <a href="/matthew/23-37.htm">Ones</a> <a href="/matthew/26-4.htm">Order</a> <a href="/matthew/27-41.htm">Pharisees</a> <a href="/matthew/23-30.htm">Prophets</a> <a href="/luke/11-47.htm">Repair</a> <a href="/matthew/27-52.htm">Resting-Places</a> <a href="/matthew/23-35.htm">Righteous</a> <a href="/matthew/23-34.htm">Scribes</a> <a href="/luke/11-47.htm">Sepulchers</a> <a href="/luke/11-44.htm">Sepulchres</a> <a href="/matthew/23-34.htm">Teachers</a> <a href="/matthew/27-52.htm">Tombs</a> <a href="/matthew/24-19.htm">Wo</a> <a href="/matthew/24-19.htm">Woe</a><div class="vheading2">Matthew 23</div>1. <a href="/matthew/23-1.htm">Jesus admonishes the people to follow good doctrine, not bad examples</a> 5. <a href="/matthew/23-5.htm">His disciples must beware of their ambition.</a> 13. <a href="/matthew/23-13.htm">He denounces eight woes against their hypocrisy and blindness,</a> 34. <a href="/matthew/23-34.htm">and prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem.</a> </div></div><div id="mdd"><div align="center"><div class="bot2"><table align="center" width="100%"><tr><td><div align="center"> <script id="3d27ed63fc4348d5b062c4527ae09445"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=51ce25d5-1a8c-424a-8695-4bd48c750f35&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script> <script id="b817b7107f1d4a7997da1b3c33457e03"> (new Image()).src = 'https://capi.connatix.com/tr/si?token=cb0edd8b-b416-47eb-8c6d-3cc96561f7e8&cid=3a9f82d0-4344-4f8d-ac0c-e1a0eb43a405'; </script>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-2'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-0' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-3'> </div>  <div id='div-gpt-ad-1529103594582-1' style='max-width: 300px;'> </div>  <div align="center" id='div-gpt-ad-1531425649696-0'> </div> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:inline-block;width:200px;height:200px" data-ad-client="ca-pub-3753401421161123" data-ad-slot="3592799687"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); </script> </div> </td></tr></table></div></div></div><div id="combox"><div class="padcom"><a name="study" id="study"></a><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/23.htm">Study Bible</a></td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/study/matthew/" title="Book Summary and Study">Book ◦</a> <a href="/study/chapters/matthew/23.htm" title="Chapter summary and Study">Chapter </a></tr></table></div>Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! This phrase is a direct rebuke from Jesus to the religious leaders of His time. The term "woe" is a strong expression of judgment and lament. The scribes and Pharisees were influential Jewish leaders known for their strict adherence to the Law and traditions. However, Jesus calls them "hypocrites," indicating that their outward religious practices did not match their inner spiritual state. This hypocrisy is a recurring theme in Jesus' teachings, as seen in <a href="/matthew/6-2.htm">Matthew 6:2, 5, and 16</a>, where He criticizes those who perform religious acts for public approval rather than genuine devotion.You build tombs for the prophets The act of building tombs for the prophets suggests an attempt to honor these figures posthumously. However, the irony lies in the fact that their ancestors were responsible for persecuting and killing these prophets. This practice of building and maintaining tombs was common in Jewish culture, as seen in the veneration of the tombs of the patriarchs in Hebron. The prophets often faced rejection and hostility, as seen in the lives of Elijah (<a href="/1_kings/19-10.htm">1 Kings 19:10</a>) and Jeremiah (<a href="/jeremiah/26-20.htm">Jeremiah 26:20-23</a>).and decorate the monuments of the righteous. Decorating monuments implies an effort to beautify and preserve the memory of the righteous, those who lived in accordance with God's will. This act of decoration can be seen as a superficial attempt to align themselves with the righteousness of the past, despite their current unrighteous actions. The "righteous" often refers to those who lived by faith and obedience to God, such as Abel (<a href="/hebrews/11-4.htm">Hebrews 11:4</a>) and Zechariah (<a href="/2_chronicles/24-20.htm">2 Chronicles 24:20-22</a>). This phrase highlights the disconnect between the leaders' external actions and their internal spiritual condition, as they fail to recognize their own complicity in the same sins of their forefathers.<div class="vheading2">Persons / Places / Events</div>1. <a href="/topical/s/scribes_and_pharisees.htm">Scribes and Pharisees</a> Religious leaders in Jewish society known for their strict adherence to the Law and traditions. They are often criticized by Jesus for their hypocrisy and legalism. 2. <a href="/topical/p/prophets.htm">Prophets</a> Messengers sent by God to deliver His word to the people. Many prophets faced persecution and death for their messages. 3. <a href="/topical/t/tombs_and_monuments.htm">Tombs and Monuments</a> Physical structures built to honor and remember the deceased, particularly those considered righteous or significant in religious history. 4. <a href="/topical/j/jesus'_rebuke.htm">Jesus' Rebuke</a> This is part of a series of "woes" pronounced by Jesus against the religious leaders for their hypocrisy and failure to truly honor God. 5. <a href="/topical/j/jerusalem.htm">Jerusalem</a> The central city of Jewish worship and the location where many prophets were sent and persecuted.<div class="vheading2">Teaching Points</div><a href="/topical/h/hypocrisy_in_religious_practice.htm">Hypocrisy in Religious Practice</a> Jesus condemns the outward show of piety that lacks genuine faith and obedience. Believers are called to examine their own lives for areas where they may be honoring God with their lips but not with their hearts. <a href="/topical/h/honoring_the_legacy_of_the_faithful.htm">Honoring the Legacy of the Faithful</a> While it is important to remember and honor those who have gone before us in faith, true honor comes from living out the principles they stood for, not merely building monuments. <a href="/topical/t/the_danger_of_self-deception.htm">The Danger of Self-Deception</a> The scribes and Pharisees believed they were righteous, yet their actions betrayed their true spiritual state. Christians must be vigilant against self-deception and ensure their lives align with God's Word. <a href="/topical/t/the_cost_of_prophetic_truth.htm">The Cost of Prophetic Truth</a> The prophets often faced persecution for speaking God's truth. Believers today should be prepared to stand firm in their faith, even when it is unpopular or leads to personal sacrifice.<div class="vheading2">Lists and Questions</div><a href="/top10/lessons_from_matthew_23.htm">Top 10 Lessons from Matthew 23</a> <a href="/q/what_defines_the_old_catholic_church.htm">Are you avoiding the behavior of hypocrites?</a> <a href="/q/what_defines_being_a_child_of_hell.htm">What defines being a child of hell?</a> <a href="/q/why_does_jesus_say_not_to_call_anyone_'father'.htm">Why does Jesus tell people not to call anyone 'father' (Matthew 23:9), yet the Bible refers to Abraham as 'our father' (Romans 4:16)?</a> <a href="/q/how_does_prayer_work.htm">Why do you hypocritically ignore justice, mercy, and faithfulness?</a><a name="commentary" id="commentary"></a><div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/ellicott/matthew/23.htm">Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers</a></div>(29) Ye build the tombs . . .--Four conspicuous monuments of this kind are seen to the present day at the base of the Mount of Olives, in the so-called Valley of Jehoshaphat, the architecture of which, with its mixture of debased Doric and Egyptian, leads archaeologists to assign them to the period of the Herodian dynasty. These may, therefore, well have been the very sepulchres of which our Lord spoke, and to which, it may be, He pointed. They bear at present the names of Zechariah, Absalom, Jehoshaphat, and St. James; but there is no evidence that these were given to them when they were built, and the narratives of earlier travellers vary in reporting them. It may be noticed, however, that of these four names, Zechariah is the only one that belonged to a prophet, and the reference to the death of a martyr-prophet of that name in <a href="/matthew/23-35.htm" title="That on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom you slew between the temple and the altar.">Matthew 23:35</a>, makes it probable that the name may have been, as it were, suggested by the monument on which the Pharisees were lavishing their wealth and their skill at the very time when they were about to imbrue their hands in the blood of One who was, even in the judgment of many of their own class, both a "prophet" and a "righteous" man.Garnish.--Better, adorn--as, e.g., with columns, cornices, paintings, or bas-reliefs. Even these acts, natural and legitimate in themselves, were part of the "hypocrisy" or "unreality" of the Pharisees. They did not understand, and therefore could not rightly honour, the life of a prophet or just man. They might have learnt something from the saying of a teacher of their own in the Jerusalem Talmud, that "there is no need to adorn the sepulchres of the righteous, for their words are their monuments." In somewhat of the same strain wrote the Roman historian: "As the faces of men are frail and perishable, so are the works of art that represent their faces; but the form of their character is eternal, and this we can retain in memory, and set forth to others, not by external matter and skill of art, but by our own character and acts" (Tacitus, Agricola, c. 46).<div class="vheading2"><a href="/commentaries/pulpit/matthew/23.htm">Pulpit Commentary</a></div>Verses 29-32. - Eighth woe - against hypocritical honour paid to departed worthies (<a href="/luke/11-47.htm">Luke 11:47</a>). Verse 29. - Ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous; or, adorn the monuments of the just. In the last woe Christ had spoken of sepulchres; he speaks of them here again, giving an unexpected view of the seeming honours paid to departed saints. The sumptuous mausoleums and tombs found e.g. round Jerusalem, and bearing the names of celebrated men (such as Zechariah, Absalom, Jehoshaphat), sufficiently attest the practice of the Jews in this matter. But the Pharisees' motives in acting thus were not pure; they were not influenced by respect for the prophets or repentance for national sins, but by pride, hypocrisy, and self-sufficiency. The present was a great age for building; witness Herod's magnificent undertakings; and probably many gorgeous tombs in honour of ancient worthies were now erected or renovated. <a href="/commentaries/matthew/23-29.htm">Parallel Commentaries ...</a> <a name="lexicon" id="lexicon"></a><div class="vheading">Greek</div>Woe Οὐαὶ (Ouai) Interjection <a href="/greek/strongs_3759.htm">Strong's 3759: </a> Woe!, alas!, uttered in grief or denunciation. A primary exclamation of grief; 'woe'. to you, ὑμῖν (hymin) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_4771.htm">Strong's 4771: </a> You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou. scribes γραμματεῖς (grammateis) Noun - Vocative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_1122.htm">Strong's 1122: </a> From gramma. A writer, i.e. scribe or secretary. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction <a href="/greek/strongs_2532.htm">Strong's 2532: </a> And, even, also, namely. Pharisees, Φαρισαῖοι (Pharisaioi) Noun - Vocative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_5330.htm">Strong's 5330: </a> Of Hebrew origin; a separatist, i.e. Exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary. you hypocrites! ὑποκριταί (hypokritai) Noun - Vocative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_5273.htm">Strong's 5273: </a> From hupokrinomai; an actor under an assumed character, i.e. a dissembler You build οἰκοδομεῖτε (oikodomeite) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3618.htm">Strong's 3618: </a> From the same as oikodome; to be a house-builder, i.e. Construct or confirm. tombs τάφους (taphous) Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_5028.htm">Strong's 5028: </a> A burial-place, sepulcher, tomb, grave. Masculine from thapto; a grave. for the τῶν (tōn) Article - Genitive Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. prophets προφητῶν (prophētōn) Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_4396.htm">Strong's 4396: </a> From a compound of pro and phemi; a foreteller; by analogy, an inspired speaker; by extension, a poet. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction <a href="/greek/strongs_2532.htm">Strong's 2532: </a> And, even, also, namely. decorate κοσμεῖτε (kosmeite) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 2nd Person Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_2885.htm">Strong's 2885: </a> To put into order; I decorate, deck, adorn. From kosmos; to put in proper order, i.e. Decorate; specially, to snuff. the τὰ (ta) Article - Accusative Neuter Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. monuments μνημεῖα (mnēmeia) Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3419.htm">Strong's 3419: </a> A tomb, sepulcher, monument. From mneme; a remembrance, i.e. Cenotaph. of the τῶν (tōn) Article - Genitive Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_3588.htm">Strong's 3588: </a> The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the. righteous. δικαίων (dikaiōn) Adjective - Genitive Masculine Plural <a href="/greek/strongs_1342.htm">Strong's 1342: </a> From dike; equitable; by implication, innocent, holy. <div class="vheading">Links</div><a href="/niv/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 NIV</a> <a href="/nlt/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 NLT</a> <a href="/esv/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 ESV</a> <a href="/nasb/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 NASB</a> <a href="/kjv/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 KJV</a> <a href="//bibleapps.com/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 BibleApps.com</a> <a href="//bibliaparalela.com/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 Biblia Paralela</a> <a href="//holybible.com.cn/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 Chinese Bible</a> <a href="//saintebible.com/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 French Bible</a> <a href="/catholic/matthew/23-29.htm">Matthew 23:29 Catholic Bible</a> <a href="/matthew/23-29.htm">NT Gospels: Matthew 23:29 Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites! (Matt. Mat Mt) </a></div></div></td></tr></table></div><div id="left"><a href="/matthew/23-28.htm" onmouseover='lft.src="/leftgif.png"' onmouseout='lft.src="/left.png"' title="Matthew 23:28"><img src="/left.png" name="lft" border="0" alt="Matthew 23:28" /></a></div><div id="right"><a href="/matthew/23-30.htm" onmouseover='rght.src="/rightgif.png"' onmouseout='rght.src="/right.png"' title="Matthew 23:30"><img src="/right.png" name="rght" border="0" alt="Matthew 23:30" /></a></div><div id="botleft"><a href="#" onmouseover='botleft.src="/botleftgif.png"' onmouseout='botleft.src="/botleft.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botleft.png" name="botleft" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="botright"><a href="#" onmouseover='botright.src="/botrightgif.png"' onmouseout='botright.src="/botright.png"' title="Top of Page"><img src="/botright.png" name="botright" border="0" alt="Top of Page" /></a></div><div id="bot"><iframe width="100%" height="1500" scrolling="no" src="/botmenubhnew2.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></div></td></tr></table></div></body></html>