ESV Global Study Bible :: Footnotes for Matthew 23

Matt. 23:2 The scribes and the Pharisees. See notes on 2:4; 3:7. Moses’ seat refers to a place of authority from which experts on the law taught.

Matt. 23:3 so do and observe whatever they tell you. “So” connects this verse with v. 2. The mention of Moses evidently indicates “whatever they tell you about the Law of Moses” and does not include the Pharisees’ later extensive additions to Mosaic laws.

Matt. 23:4 heavy burdens. See note on 11:28.

Matt. 23:5 phylacteries. Small cube-shaped cases made of leather, containing Scripture passages written on parchment. They were worn on the left arm and forehead as a literal way to obey Deut. 11:18. fringes. These tassels with a blue cord attached to the four corners of a man’s garment (Num. 15:37–41) reminded people to obey God’s commandments and to be holy (Num. 15:40).

Matt. 23:7 Rabbi literally meant “my lord” but it was used generally for outstanding teachers of the law.

Matt. 23:8–10 not to be called rabbi, . . . call no man your father. . . . Neither be called instructors. Jesus does not forbid use of titles such as “teacher,” “doctor,” or “father” for all time in all circumstances. Rather, he prohibits his disciples from using these terms in the way the Pharisees used them, wrongly praising leaders and thus encouraging human pride.

Matt. 23:13–36 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. These seven woes stand in contrast to the first seven “blessings” that introduce the Sermon on the Mount and describe Jesus’ true disciples (5:3–9). (For a similar list of woes, see Luke 11:37–54.) The woes are a mixture of condemnation, regret, and sorrow.

Matt. 23:13 First woe: the shut door. The teachers of the law and the Pharisees are false leaders who have drawn the people away from the kingdom of heaven instead of toward it.

Matt. 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 teaching.

Matt. 23:16–19 Third woe: binding oaths. The Pharisees focus on superficial distinctions and overlook the higher principles of the law.

Matt. 23:20–22 whoever swears. See 5:33–37.

Matt. 23:23 Fourth woe: neglecting the weighty matters of the law. tithe. The Mosaic law required giving a tenth of all that one produced to the work of the Lord (Lev. 27:30–33). mint, dill, cumin. The Pharisees paid a tithe even from their smallest garden crops. Jesus says that they should do this without neglecting far more important matters.

Matt. 23:24 straining out a gnat. The rabbis strained wine to remove any small, unclean insects (Lev. 11:23, 41) that could contaminate it. swallowing a camel. The camel was the largest land animal in Palestine (see Matt. 19:24). It was unclean (Lev. 11:4). Jesus is overstating to make a point. The Pharisees had become lost in the details, while neglecting the law’s major purposes.

Matt. 23:26 Fifth woe: clean outside, filthy inside. clean the inside. While seeking external purity, the Pharisees were blind to the corrupt internal condition of their hearts.

Matt. 23:27–28 Sixth woe: whitewashed tombs. The Pharisees were like tombs, which in Jesus’ day could be outwardly very beautiful but within held nothing but death and decay. These tombs were whitewashed to identify them clearly, since people would be unclean for seven days through any contact with them (Num. 19:16; compare Luke 11:44).

Matt. 23:29–32 Seventh woe: descendants of murderers of the prophets. In plotting against Jesus, the religious leaders follow their ancestors, who persecuted and murdered God’s prophets.

Matt. 23:29 tombs . . . monuments. Art was often used to decorate tombs and coffins.

Matt. 23:35 The murders of Abel (Gen. 4:8–11) and Zechariah (2 Chron. 24:20–22) encompass all of OT biblical history (2 Chronicles is last in the Hebrew order of OT books).

Matt. 23:37–39 Jerusalem apparently refers to the whole nation of Israel.

Matt. 23:38 house. Here the reference is probably to the religious leaders in Jerusalem. All Jewish religious authority will collapse with the destruction of the temple in a.d. 70.

Matt. 23:39 As Jesus cites Ps. 118:26 (compare Matt. 21:9), he identifies himself as God’s Messiah and Savior who will once again come to his people, but only after a time of great judgment, when they are finally ready to receive him.