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John Trapp Complete Commentary

Matthew 23:15

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves.

Ver. 15. Ye compass sea and land] They walked the round, as the devil doth, to gain proselytes; they spared for no pains to pervert men (as now the Jesuits those Circulatores et Agyrtae). Should not we be as diligent and indefatigable to convert them to God? Shall we not be as busy in building staircases for heaven as seducers are in digging descents to hell? If Saul seeking asses found a kingdom, shall not we, by seeking others, find heaven?

Ye make him twofold more the child of hell] Either because they relapse to Gentilism, as finding you so vile and vicious in your lives; or because ye teach them only ceremonies and superstitions; or, because you keep them ignorant of Christ, and plant in them a hatred of the truth, as the Jesuits do in their proselytes. So that of them we may say, as Ambrose did of Polemo, who of a drunkard, by hearing Xenocrates, became a philosopher, Si resipuit a vino, fuit semper tamen temulentus sacrilegio. Though he be now no drunkard, yet he remains drunk still with superstition.

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See also Matthew 23:15 in other biblical comments:

  • Adam Clarke Bible Commentary

    Verse Matthew 23:15. _COMPASS SEA AND LAND_] A proverbial expression, similar to ours, _You leave no stone unturned_; intimating that they did all in their power to gain converts, not to God, but to t...

  • Albert Barnes' Bible Commentary

    YE COMPASS SEA AND LAND - You take every means, spare no pains, to gain proselytes. PROSELYTE - One that comes over from a foreign nation, religion, or sect to us - a convert. Among the Jews there we...

  • Annotated Bible by A.C. Gaebelein

    11. THE WOES OF THE KING AND HIS LAMENTATION OVER JERUSALEM. CHAPTER 23 1. The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees.(Matthew 23:1 .) 2. The Woes of the King upon Them.(Matthew 23:13 .) 3. The Lamentation over...

  • Arthur Peake's Commentary on the Bible

    SEVEN WOES. Seven is a sacred number and often used in Mt., as in OT (_cf._ especially Isaiah 5) and _Rev._ The first three treat of Pharisaic teaching, the last three of Pharisaic character, the four...

  • Barclay Daily Study Bible (NT)

    SCRIBES AND PHARISEES (Matthew 23:1-39) If a man is characteristically and temperamentally an irritable, ill-tempered and irascible creature, notoriously given to uncontrolled outbursts of passionate...

  • Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes

    WOE, &C. Compare Matthew 5:5, and see App-126. LAND. dry [land]. PROSELYTE. The Greek is transliterated, and means. comer over to. Used of. Gentile who came over to the Jews' religion. Occurs only he...

  • Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

    _compass_ "go about," "traverse." The word is used of our Lord's "circuits" in Galilee, ch. Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35. _proselyte_ Literally, ONE WHO APPROACHES, hence, "a worshipper," (cp. Hebrews 1...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    ΠΕΡΙΆΓΕΤΕ, ‘go about,’ ‘traverse.’ The word is used of our Lord’s ‘circuits’ in Galilee, ch. Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35. ΠΡΟΣΉΛΥΤΟΝ. Literally, one who approaches, hence, ‘a worshipper,’ (cp. Hebrews...

  • Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges Commentary

    Matthew 23:1-36. A PROPHETIC ODE, DENOUNCING THE PHARISEES AND THE RELIGIOUS HYPOCRISY OF THE AGE Each division is marked by its special beauty of poetical form....

  • Catena Aurea Commentary

    VER 15. "WOE UNTO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! FOR YE COMPASS SEA AND LAND TO MAKE ONE PROSELYTE, AND WHEN HE IS MADE, YOU MAKE HIM TWOFOLD MORE THE CHILD OF HELL THAN YOURSELVES." Chrys.:...

  • Charles Box Commentaries

    _WOE TO YOU SCRIBES, PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES MATTHEW 23:13-24:_ Woes were pronounced because the Pharisees would not enter the kingdom themselves and hindered those that would enter. (Matthew 23:13) The...

  • Charles Rose Commentaries

    ΠΕΡΙΆΓΕΤΕ _praes. ind. act. от_ ΠΕΡΊΆΓΩ (G4013) обходить, путешествовать вокруг. ΞΗΡΌΣ (G3584) сухой (суша), ΠΟΙΉΣΑΙ _aor. act. inf. от_ ΠΟΙΈΩ (G4160) делать. _Inf._ цели, ΠΡΟΣΉΛΥΤΟΣ прозелит (TDNT...

  • Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

    YE COMPASS SEA AND LAND, &C.— 3. The _third_ woe is denounced, because theyexpressed the greatest zeal imaginable in making proselytes, compassing sea and land; that is to say, using the most indefati...

  • College Press Bible Study Textbook Series

    TEXT: 23:13-15 13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye shut the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye enter not in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering in to...

  • Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. WOE UNTO YOU, S...

  • Concordant Commentary on the New Testament by A. E. Knoch

    16 The Pharisees had practically annulled the Scriptures by false interpretations and especially by human additions. Their commentaries were full of distinctions which destroyed the spiritual force of...

  • Darby's translation notes (1890)

    23:15 hell (g-35) Gehenna....

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    DENUNCIATION OF THE PHARISEES 1-36. Final denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees. The other synoptists insert in this place a brief utterance directed against the scribes (Mark 12:38; Luke 20:45),...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    THE SEVEN WOES ON THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES. Jesus, knowing that His death was at hand, and that the conversion of His enemies was hopeless, poured upon them a torrent of righteous indignation, in the...

  • Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible

    TO MAKE ONE PROSELYTE] The Ethiopie version has the interesting reading 'to baptise one proselyte.' As, however, there is no evidence that the Pharisees were particularly anxious to make proselytes to...

  • EasyEnglish Bible Commentaries

    MATTHEW’S GOOD NEWS MATTHEW’S *GOSPEL _HILDA BRIGHT_ CHAPTER 23 JESUS ACCUSES THE *PHARISEES 23:1-12 V1 Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his *disciples. V2 ‘The men who teach the *Law and...

  • Ellicott's Commentary On The Whole Bible

    TO MAKE ONE PROSELYTE. — The zeal of the earlier Pharisees had showed itself in a propagandism which reminds us rather of the spread of the religion of Mahomet than of that of Christ. John Hyrcanus, t...

  • Expositor's Bible Commentary (Nicoll)

    6; Matthew 22:1; Matthew 23:1 CHAPTER 17 Conflict in the Temple - Matthew 21:18 - Matthew 22:1 -...

  • Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

    he second woe is the complement of the first: it represents the false guides, as, while utterly incompetent for the function, extremely eager to exercise it. περιάγετε, ye move about, intransitive, th...

  • Expositor's Greek Testament (Nicoll)

    _The seven woes_. There are eight, if we count that in Matthew 23:13 of T. R., but as this ver. is omitted in the best MSS. and appears to be a gloss from Mk. and Lk. I do not count it. _Vide_ notes o...

  • Frederick Brotherton Meyer's Commentary

    WOES FOR THE FALSE-HEARTED Matthew 23:13-26 These repeated woes may be translated, _Alas for you!_ Our Lord with unfailing accuracy indicates the inevitable doom which such conduct as that of the Pha...

  • G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

    This chapter is one of the most sublime and awful in the whole inspired volume. It records the last words of Jesus to the crowds. He summed up, He reached His verdict, He pronounced sentence. It is a...

  • Geneva Study Bible Commentary

    Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and (p) land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. (p) The dry pa...

  • George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary

    Because whilst a Gentile he sinned without a perfect knowledge of the evil, and was not then a two-fold child of hell; but after his conversion, seeing the vices of his masters, and perceiving that th...

  • Godbey's Commentary on the New Testament

    WOES AGAINST THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES Luke 20:47; Mark 12:40; Matthew 23:13-39. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because you devour the houses of widows, and through pretense make lo...

  • Hawker's Poor man's commentary

    "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. (14) Woe unt...

  • Introductory Lectures - Commentary by William Kelly

    We now enter on the Lord's final presentation of Himself to Jerusalem, traced, however, from Jericho; that is, from the city which had once been the stronghold of the power of the Canaanite. The Lord...

  • John Calvin's Bible Commentary

    15._For you compass sea and land. _The _scribes _had also acquired celebrity by their zeal in laboring to bring over to the Jewish religion the strangers and uncircumcised. And so, if they had gained...

  • John Darby's Synopsis

    Chapter 23 clearly shews how far the disciples are viewed in connection with the nation, inasmuch as they were Jews, although the Lord judges the leaders, who beguiled the people and dishonoured God b...

  • John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible

    WOE UNTO YOU SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES,.... The same character, and woe, are still continued, and a new reason added, confirming the justness of them, in order to awaken and convince them, or,...

  • Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    _But wo to you, scribes_, &c. Our Lord pronounced eight blessings upon the mount, he pronounces eight woes here, not as imprecations, but solemn, compassionate declarations of the misery which these s...

  • Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament (1851)

    COMPASS SEA AND LAND; make all sorts of efforts. PROSELYTE; convert to their religion. MORE THE CHILD OF HELL; more wicked....

  • Kretzmann's Popular Commentary of the Bible

    The third woe: WOE UNTO YOU, SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, HYPOCRITES! FOR YE COMPASS SEA AND LAND TO MAKE ONE PROSELYTE, AND WHEN HE IS MADE, YE MAKE HIM TWOFOLD MORE THE CHILD OF HELL THAN YOURSELVES. In t...

  • Leslie M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible

    The Lord now turns to speak to the entire crowd, His disciples being mentioned as included. He warns them against the hypocrisy of scribes and Pharisees, for they sat in Moses' seat as enforcers of th...

  • Matthew Henry Commentary on the Whole Bible

    13-33 The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others f...

  • Matthew Poole's Concise Commentary On The Bible

    A third woe followeth, expressed in this verse, because they corrupted their proselytes, both as to doctrine and manners, so as they were twice more the children of the devil, and in danger of hell, t...

  • NT Verse References in the Ante-Nicene Fathers

    Dialogue of Justin For Christ would have borne witness even to them; but now you are become twofold more the children of hell, as He said Himself.[471]...

  • Patchworkid's Personal Study Bible Notes

    Matthew 23:15 Woe G3759 you G5213 scribes G1122 and G2532 Pharisees G5330 hypocrites G5273 For G3754 travel G4013

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    “Woe/alas to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is become so, you make him twofold more a son of Gehenna than yourselves.” The idea...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    JESUS PASSES JUDGMENT ON THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES AND DESCRIBES THE DEVASTATIONS COMING ON THE WORLD PRIOR TO HIS COMING AGAIN AND THE JUDGMENT THAT WILL FOLLOW (23:1-25). Having made clear that He h...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    WORDS IN THE TEMPLE (23:1-39). a Exhortation to His disciples and the crowds not to be like the Scribes and Pharisees, but to be doers and not hearers only. In contrast to the Scribes and Pharisees t...

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    THEIR FAILURE TO BRING MEN UNDER THE KINGLY RULE OF HEAVEN (23:13-15). The first two woes attack the Scribes and Pharisees for actually preventing people from coming under the Kingly Rule of Heaven....

  • Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

    JESUS FACES THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES UP TO THEIR HYPOCRISY (23:13-33). It will be quite clear that the words which Jesus has spoken to His disciples and the crowds could hardly have failed to rile th...

  • Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols)

    This discourse (peculiar to Matthew) was delivered on Tuesday preceding the crucifixion, although similar sayings (found in Luke 11:13) were uttered on a previous occasion. The intercourse with the Ph...

  • Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary on the NT (4 vols)

    Matthew 23:15. YE COMPASS SEA AND LAND, _i.e.,_ spare no effort, TO MAKE ONE PROSELYTE. Among the Jews there were two kinds of proselytes. 1. Those who embraced the Jewish religion, conforming to all...

  • Robertson's Word Pictures of the New Testament

    TWOFOLD MORE A SON OF HELL THAN YOURSELVES (υιον γεεννης διπλοτερον υμων). It is a convert to Pharisaism rather than Judaism that is meant by "one proselyte" (ενα προσηλυτον), from προσερχομα, newco...

  • Scofield's Bible Commentary

    HELL Gehenna. (_ See Scofield) - (Matthew 5:22). _...

  • Summarized Bible Commentary

    CONTENTS: Jesus denounces woes upon the Pharisees for their hypocrisy. His lament over Jerusalem. CHARACTERS: Jesus. CONCLUSION: Nothing is more displeasing to our Lord Jesus Christ than hyprocrisy,...

  • Sutcliffe's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

    Matthew 23:2. _Sit in Moses' seat._ The sanhedrim had seventy one chairs of gold, or rather gilt with gold. The council which sat at Alexandria had also chairs of gold. The highpriest was the presiden...

  • The Bible Study New Testament

    TO WIN ONE CONVERT. These Jewish leaders wanted to convert everyone to Judaism and make them Jews [proselytes], because they expected that God would then send the Messiah to set up a political kingdom...

  • The Biblical Illustrator

    _But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites._ THE SINS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES I. That they shut up the kingdom of heaven against men. “Neither suffer ye them that are entering in.” 1....

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    MATTHEW—NOTE ON MATTHEW 23:13 Jesus now speaks directly to the scribes and Pharisees. He declares seven “woes” (or laments) upon them that echo the criticisms he has repeated throughout his ministry....

  • The ESV Global Study Bible's Study Notes

    MATTHEW—NOTE ON MATTHEW 23:15 _Second woe: entrapped converts._ The Pharisees enthusiastically sought converts, only to place them under the weight of the many requirements they added to the Bible’s t...

  • The Great Commentary of Cornelius à Lapide

    CHAPTER 23 _Then Jesus spake_, &c. _Then_, that is to say, when, by His most wise answers and reasonings, He had confounded the errors of the Scribes and Pharisees, and had proved that He was the Mes...

  • The Preacher's Complete Homiletical Commentary

    _CRITICAL NOTES_ Matthew 23:13. WOE.—There is indignation in the word, and just denunciation; but, as Vatable long ago remarked, there is “deploration” too. There is wailing in it. It is rendered “ala...

  • The Pulpit Commentaries

    EXPOSITION MATTHEW 23:1 _Denunciation of the scribes and Pharisees, and lamentation over Jerusalem which followed their guidance to her own destruction. _(Peculiar to St. Matthew.) MATTHEW 23:1 TH...

  • Through The Bible C2000 Serie by Chuck Smith

    Matthew's gospel twenty-three. Jesus has been at the temple and He was challenged as to His authority by these priests, and then He was asked questions by the scribes, the Pharisees, the Sadducees. An...

  • Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

    Acts 13:10; Acts 13:43; Acts 14:19; Acts 14:2; Acts 17:13;...

  • William Burkitt's Expository Notes

    The next woe denounced is for their false-ended zeal and earnestness in proselyting heathens to the Jewish religion; not with. pious intention to save them, but to serve themselves upon them, to have...

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