The Meaning of Matthew 23:14 Explained

Matthew 23:14

KJV: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows' houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.

YLT: 'Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye eat up the houses of the widows, and for a pretence make long prayers, because of this ye shall receive more abundant judgment.

Darby: no translation

ASV: Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows houses, even while for a pretence ye make long prayers: therefore ye shall receive greater condemnation.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Woe  unto you,  scribes  and  Pharisees,  hypocrites!  for  ye devour  widows'  houses,  and  for a pretence  make  long  prayer:  therefore  ye shall receive  the greater  damnation. 

What does Matthew 23:14 Mean?

Study Notes

Woe
The best MSS. omit Matthew 23:14 .

Context Summary

Matthew 23:13-26 - Woes For The False-Hearted
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 Pharisees and scribes must incur. He forewarned them that they could expect nothing in the dread future but the judgment of Gehenna-the metaphor being taken from the valley of Hinnom, south of Jerusalem, where fires were kept burning to consume rubbish and refuse.
Hypocrisy is hiding under a cloak of religion the sins which the ordinary moralist and worldling would condemn. It is very injurious, because it hinders men from entering the Kingdom, Matthew 23:13. It is punctilious in its exactions, because while it strains out gnats, it swallows camels, Matthew 23:23-24. It expends itself on outward ritual-the Pharisees would not enter Pilate's hall on the day before the Passover, but they murdered the holy Savior. Above all things, let us be true, professing to be no more than we are! [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 23

1  Jesus admonishes the people to follow good doctrine, not bad examples
5  His disciples must beware of their ambition
13  He denounces eight woes against their hypocrisy and blindness,
34  and prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem

What do the individual words in Matthew 23:14 mean?

Woe to you scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for you devour the houses - of widows as a pretext at great length are praying Because of this you shall receive greater condemnation
{Οὐαὶ ὑμῖν γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι ὑποκριταί ὅτι κατεσθίετε τὰς οἰκίας τῶν χηρῶν προφάσει μακρὰ προσευχόμενοι διὰ τοῦτο λήψεσθε περισσότερον κρίμα}

{Οὐαὶ  Woe 
Parse: Interjection
Root: οὐαί  
Sense: alas, woe.
ὑμῖν  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Plural
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
γραμματεῖς  scribes 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Plural
Root: γραμματεύς  
Sense: a clerk, scribe, esp.
Φαρισαῖοι  Pharisees 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: Φαρισαῖος  
Sense: A sect that seems to have started after the Jewish exile.
ὑποκριταί  hypocrites 
Parse: Noun, Vocative Masculine Plural
Root: ὑποκριτής  
Sense: one who answers, an interpreter.
κατεσθίετε  you  devour 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 2nd Person Plural
Root: κατεσθίω 
Sense: to consume by eating, to eat up, devour.
οἰκίας  houses 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Feminine Plural
Root: οἰκία  
Sense: a house.
τῶν  - 
Parse: Article, Genitive Masculine Plural
Root:  
Sense: this, that, these, etc.
χηρῶν  of  widows 
Parse: Adjective, Genitive Feminine Plural
Root: χήρα  
Sense: a widow.
προφάσει  as  a  pretext 
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Singular
Root: πρόφασις  
Sense: a pretext (alleged reason, pretended cause).
μακρὰ  at  great  length 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Plural
Root: μακρός  
Sense: long.
προσευχόμενοι  are  praying 
Parse: Verb, Present Participle Middle, Nominative Masculine Plural
Root: προσεύχομαι  
Sense: to offer prayers, to pray.
διὰ  Because  of 
Parse: Preposition
Root: διά  
Sense: through.
τοῦτο  this 
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular
Root: οὗτος  
Sense: this.
λήψεσθε  you  shall  receive 
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 2nd Person Plural
Root: λαμβάνω  
Sense: to take.
περισσότερον  greater 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Neuter Singular, Comparative
Root: περισσός  
Sense: exceeding some number or measure or rank or need.
κρίμα}  condemnation 
Parse: Noun, Nominative Neuter Singular
Root: κρίμα  
Sense: a decree, judgments.

What are the major concepts related to Matthew 23:14?

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