Matthew 23:18
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
Matthew 23:18 in other translations
| BSB | And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it means nothing; but if anyone swears by the gift on it, he is bound by his oath.’ |
|---|---|
| WEB | And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obligated.’ |
| ASV | And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, he is a debtor. |
| YLT | ‘And, whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever may swear by the gift that is upon it--is debtor! |
| DARBY | And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it is a debtor. |
| BBE | And, Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the offering which is on it, he is responsible. |
| Webster | And whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. |
What does Matthew 23:18 mean?
Barnes' Notes
The gift that is upon it. The gift or offering made to God, so called because it was devoted or given to him. The gift upon this altar was always beasts and birds.
(1) "is guilty" or, "debtor", or "bound"
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 23:13-33
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 from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to the greatest enormities. But dissembled piety will be reckoned double iniquity. They were very busy to turn souls to be of their party…
Matthew 23:18 in the original Greek
Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.
Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
15
or bound.
Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain
Context
- Matthew 23:17
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?
- Matthew 23:18
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.
- Matthew 23:19
Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Matthew 23:18 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | Y: Cualquiera que jurare por el altar, es nada; mas cualquiera que jurare por el presente que está sobre él, deudor es. |
|---|---|
| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Et quiconque aura juré par l’autel, ce n’est rien; mais quiconque aura juré par le don qui est dessus, est obligé. |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Und: Wer irgend bei dem Altar schwören wird, das ist nichts; wer aber irgend bei der Gabe schwören wird, die auf ihm ist, ist schuldig. |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Et quicumque juraverit in altari, nihil est: quicumque autem juraverit in dono, quod est super illud, debet. |