Matthew 23 · Verse 3

Matthew 23:3

All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.

Matthew 23:3, King James Version

Matthew 23:3 in other translations

BSB	So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach.
WEB	All things therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their works; for they say, and don’t do.
ASV	all things therefore whatsoever they bid you, these do and observe: but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do not.
YLT	all, then, as much as they may say to you to observe, observe and do, but according to their works do not, for they say, and do not;
DARBY	all things therefore, whatever they may tell you, do and keep. But do not after their works, for they say and do not,
BBE	All things, then, which they give you orders to do, these do and keep: but do not take their works as your example, for they say and do not.
Webster	All therefore, whatever they bid you observe, that observe and do: but do not ye according to their works: for they say, and do not.

What does Matthew 23:3 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown

3. All therefore--that is, all which, as sitting in that seat and teaching out of that law. they bid you observe, that observe and do--The word "therefore" is thus, it will be seen, of great importance, as limiting those injunctions which He would have them obey to what they fetched from the law itself. In requiring implicit obedience to such injunctions, He would have them to recognize the authority with which they taught over and above the obligations of the law itself--an important principle truly; but He who denounced the traditions of such teachers (Mt 15:3) cannot have meant here to throw His shield over these. It is remarked by Webster and Wilkinson that the warning to beware of the scribes is given by Mark and Luke (Mr 12:38; Lu 20:46) without any qualification: the charge to respect and obey them being reported by Matthew alone, indicating for whom this Gospel was especially written, and the writer's desire to conciliate the Jews.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes

Verse 3. All therefore whatsoever, etc, That is, all that they teach consistent with the law of Moses; all the commands of Moses which they read to you and properly explain. The word all could not be taken without such a restriction, for Christ himself accuses them of teaching many things contrary to that law, and of making it void by traditions, Mt 15:1-6.

They say, and do not. The interpretation they give to the law is in the main correct, but their lives do not correspond with their teaching. It is not the duty of men to imitate their teachers unless their lives are pure; but they are rather to obey the law of God than to frame their lives by the example of evil men.

(s) "for they say" Rom 2:21-23

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary

Verse 3 All therefore whatsoever - That is, all those things which they read out of the law and prophets, and all things which they teach consistently with them. This must be our Lord's meaning: he could not have desired them to do every thing, without restriction, which the Jewish doctors taught; because himself warns his disciples against their false teaching, and testifies that they had made the word of God of none effect by their traditions. See Mat 15:6, etc. Besides, as our Lord speaks here in the past tense - whatsoever they Have commanded, ὁσα ειπωσιν, he may refer to the teaching of a former period, when they taught the way of God in truth, or were much less corrupted than they were now.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 23:1-12

The scribes and Pharisees explained the law of Moses, and enforced obedience to it. They are charged with hypocrisy in religion. We can only judge according to outward appearance; but God searches the heart. They made phylacteries. These were scrolls of paper or parchment, wherein were written four paragraphs of the law, to be worn on their foreheads and left arms, Ex 13:2-10; 13:11-16; De 6:4-9; 11:13-21. They made…

Read the full comment on Matthew 23:1-12 →

Matthew 23:3 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.

πάνταpantaAll thingsG3956

οὖνounthereforeG3767

ὅσαhosaas much asG3745

ἐὰνeanifG1437

εἴπωσινeipōsinthey shall tellG2036

ὑμῖνhuminyouG4771

τηρεῖνtēreinto keepG5083

ποιήσατεpoiēsatedo performG4160

καὶkaiandG2532

τηρεῖτε.tēreitedo observe.G5083

κατὰkataAfterG2596

δὲdehoweverG1161

τὰtatheG3588

ἔργαergaworksG2041

αὐτῶνautōnof themG846

μὴmēnotG3361

ποιεῖτε·poieitedo perform;G4160

λέγουσινlegousinThey speakG3004

γὰρgarforG1063

καὶkaiandG2532

οὐounotG3756

ποιοῦσιν.poiousinact.G4160

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 23:3

2 Timothy 3:5
Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Titus 1:16
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.
Romans 2:19-24
And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness, An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law. Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? …
Acts 5:29
Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather than men.
Romans 13:1
Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Chronicles 30:12
Also in Judah the hand of God was to give them one heart to do the commandment of the king and of the princes, by the word of the Lord.
Matthew 21:30
And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not.
Deuteronomy 17:9-12
And thou shalt come unto the priests the Levites, and unto the judge that shall be in those days, and enquire; and they shall shew thee the sentence of judgment: And thou shalt do according to the sentence, which they of that place which the Lord shall choose shall shew thee; and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they inform thee: According to the sentence of the law which they shall teach thee, and according to the judgment which they shall tell thee, thou shalt do: thou shalt not decline from the sentence which they shall shew thee, to the right hand, nor to the left. And the man that will do presumptuously, and will not hearken unto the priest that standeth to minister there before the Lord thy God, or unto the judge, even that man shall die: and thou shalt put away the evil from Israel.
Psalms 50:16-20
But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth? Seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sawest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been partaker with adulterers. Thou givest thy mouth to evil, and thy tongue frameth deceit. …
Matthew 15:2-9
Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their hands when they eat bread. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded, saying, Honour thy father and mother: and, He that curseth father or mother, let him die the death. But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother, It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me; …
Exodus 18:19-20
Hearken now unto my voice, I will give thee counsel, and God shall be with thee: Be thou for the people to God-ward, that thou mayest bring the causes unto God: And thou shalt teach them ordinances and laws, and shalt shew them the way wherein they must walk, and the work that they must do.
Deuteronomy 4:5
Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

whatsoever.
15:2-9; Ex 18:19,20,23; De 4:5; 5:27; 17:9-12; 2Ch 30:12; Ac 5:29,
Ro 13:1
for.
21:30; Ps 50:16-20; Ro 2:19-24; 2Ti 3:5; Tit 1:16

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

Matthew 23:2
Saying, The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat:
Matthew 23:3
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
Matthew 23:4
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Read all of Matthew 23

Matthew 23:3 in other languages

Spanish Reina-Valera 1909	Así que, todo lo que os dijeren que guardéis, guardad lo y haced lo; mas no hagáis conforme á sus obras: porque dicen, y no hacen.
French Bible J.N. Darby 1885	Toutes les choses donc qu’ils vous diront, faites-les et observez-les; mais ne faites pas selon leurs œuvres, car ils disent et ne font pas;
German Elberfelder 1871	Alles nun, was irgend sie euch sagen, tut und haltet; aber tut nicht nach ihren Werken, denn sie sagen es und tuns nicht.
Latin Clementine Vulgate	Omnia ergo quæcumque dixerint vobis, servate, et facite: secundum opera vero eorum nolite facere: dicunt enim, et non faciunt.