Mattheüs 23:27

Staten Vertaling

Wee u, gij Schriftgeleerden en Farizeen, gij geveinsden, want gij zijt den witgepleisterden graven gelijk, die van buiten wel schoon schijnen, maar van binnen zijn zij vol doodsbeenderen en alle onreinigheid.

Parallel Translations

Gereviseerde Leidse Vertaling
Wee u, schriftgeleerden en Farizeen, gij huichelaars; want gij gelijkt op gepleisterde graven: van buiten zien ze er fraai uit, maar van binnen zijn ze vol doodsbeenderen en allerlei vuilnis.

Gereviseerde Lutherse Vertaling
Wee u, Schriftgeleerden en Farizen, gij huichelaars, gij, die gelijk zijt aan de gewitte graven, welke van buiten schoon schijnen, maar van binnen vol zijn van doodsbeenderen en allerlei onreinheid.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

like: Isaiah 58:1, Isaiah 58:2, Luke 11:44, Acts 23:3

sepulchres: Numbers 19:16

Reciprocal: 2 Samuel 14:25 - But in all Israel 2 Kings 23:14 - the bones of men 2 Chronicles 29:16 - all the uncleanness Isaiah 10:1 - Woe Jeremiah 4:14 - wash Malachi 3:7 - Wherein Matthew 23:13 - woe Luke 11:42 - woe Romans 3:13 - throat Colossians 2:23 - a show 2 Timothy 3:5 - a form Revelation 18:24 - in her

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites,.... It is much these men could bear to hear themselves so often called by this name; and it shows great courage in our Lord, so freely to reprove them, and expose their wickedness, who were men of so much credit and influence with the people:

for ye are like unto whited sepulchres; or "covered with lime", as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions, render it. For the Jews used to mark their graves with white lime, that they might be known: that so priests, Nazarites, and travellers, might avoid them, and not be polluted with them. This appears from various passages in their writings:

"The vineyard of the fourth year, they marked with clods of earth, and an uncircumcised one with dust, ושל קברות בסיד, "and graves with chalk", mixed (with water) and poured (on them x.)''

Of this marking of the graves, the reason of it, the time and manner of doing it, Maimonides y gives us this account:

"Whoever finds a grave, or a dead carcass, or anything for the dead that defiles, by the tent he is obliged to put a mark upon it, that it may not be a stumbling to others; and on the intermediate days of a feast, they go out from the sanhedrim, to mark the graves.--With what do they mark? בסיד ממחה, "with chalk infused" in water, and poured upon the unclean place: they do not put the mark upon the top of the unclean place, (or exactly in it,) but so that it may stand out here and there, at the sides of it, that what is pure may not be corrupted; and they do not put the mark far from the place of the uncleanness, that they may not waste the land of Israel; and they do not set marks on those that are manifest, for they are known to all; but upon those that are doubtful, as a field in which a grave is lost, and places that are open, and want a covering.''

Now because when the rains fell, these marks were washed away, hence on the first of Adar (February) when they used to repair the highways, they also marked the graves with white lime, that they might be seen and known, and avoided; and so on their intermediate feast days z: the reason why they made use of chalk, or lime, and with these marked their graves, was because it looked white like bones a; so that upon first sight, it might be thought and known what it was for, and that a grave was there: hence this phrase, "whited sepulchres":

which indeed appear beautiful outward; especially at a distance, and when new marked:

but within are full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness; worms and rottenness, which arise from the putrefied carcasses, and are very nauseous and defiling.

x Misn. Maaser Sheni, c. 5. sect. 1. y Hilch. Tumath Meth, c. 8. sect. 9. z Misn. Shekalim, c. 1. sect. 1. & Moed Katon, c. 1. sect. 2. Maimon. & Bartenora in lb. a Jarchi in Misu. Moed Katan, c. 1. sect. 2. & Bartenora in Misn. Maaser Sheni, c. 5. sect. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Like unto whited sepulchres - For the construction of sepulchres, see the notes at Matthew 8:28. Those tombs were annually whitewashed to prevent the people from accidentally coming in contact with them as they went up to Jerusalem. This custom is still continued. Dr. Thomson (The Land and the Book, vol. i. p. 148) says, “I have been in places where this is repeated very often. The graves are kept clean and white as snow, a very striking emblem of those painted hypocrites, the Pharisees, beautiful without, but full of dead men’s bones and of all uncleanness within.” The law considered those persons unclean who had touched anything belonging to the dead, Numbers 19:16. Sepulchres were therefore often whitewashed, that they might be distinctly seen. Thus “whited,” they appeared beautiful; but within they contained the bones and corrupting bodies of the dead. So the Pharisees. Their outward conduct appeared well, but their hearts were full of hypocrisy, envy, pride, lust, and malice - suitably represented by the corruption within a whited tomb.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 23:27. For ye are like — παρομοιαζετε, ye exactly resemble - the parallel is complete.

Whited sepulchres — White-washed tombs. As the law considered those unclean who had touched any thing belonging to the dead, the Jews took care to have their tombs white-washed each year, that, being easily discovered, they might be consequently avoided.