Matthew 23:33

King James Version

Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Parallel Translations

Easy-to-Read Version
"You are snakes! You are from a family of poisonous snakes! You will not escape God. You will all be judged guilty and go to hell!

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Yee serpentes and generacion of vipers how shuld ye scape ye dapnacio of hell?

International Standard Version
You snakes, you children of serpents! How can you escape being condemned to hell?Gehenna; a Gk. transliteration of the Heb. for Valley of Hinnom">[fn]Matthew 3:7; 12:34;">[xr]

New American Standard Bible
"You snakes, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

New Century Version
"You are snakes! A family of poisonous snakes! How are you going to escape God's judgment?

Update Bible Version
You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how shall you escape the judgment of hell?

Webster's Bible Translation
[Ye] serpents, [ye] generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Amplified Bible
"You serpents, you spawn of vipers, how can you escape the penalty of hell?

English Standard Version
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

World English Bible
You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehenna?

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
how can ye escape the damnation of hell?

Weymouth's New Testament
O serpents, O vipers' brood, how are you to escape condemnation to Gehenna?

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Ye eddris, and eddris briddis, hou schulen ye fle fro the doom of helle?

English Revised Version
Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?

Berean Standard Bible
You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?

Contemporary English Version
You are nothing but snakes and the children of snakes! How can you escape going to hell?

American Standard Version
Ye serpents, ye offspring of vipers, how shall ye escape the judgment of hell?

Bible in Basic English
You snakes, offspring of snakes, how will you be kept from the punishment of hell?

Complete Jewish Bible
"You snakes! Sons of snakes! How can you escape being condemned to Gei-Hinnom?

Darby Translation
Serpents, offspring of vipers, how should ye escape the judgment of hell?

Etheridge Translation
Serpents, birth of vipers ! how will you escape from the judgment of gihana ?

Murdock Translation
Ye serpents, ye race of vipers: how can ye escape the condemnation of hell?

King James Version (1611)
Yee serpents, yee generation of vipers, How can yee escape the damnation of hell?

New Living Translation
Snakes! Sons of vipers! How will you escape the judgment of hell?

New Life Bible
You snakes! You family of snakes! How can you be kept from hell?

New Revised Standard
You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?

Geneva Bible (1587)
O serpents, the generation of vipers, howe should ye escape the damnation of hell!

George Lamsa Translation
O you serpents, and seed of scorpions! how can you flee from the judgment of hell?

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Serpents! broods of vipers! how should ye flee from the judgment of gehenna?

Douay-Rheims Bible
You serpents, generation of vipers, how will you flee from the judgment of hell?

Revised Standard Version
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how are you to escape being sentenced to hell?

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Ye serpentes, ye generation of vipers, howe wyll ye escape the dampnation of hell?

Good News Translation
You snakes and children of snakes! How do you expect to escape from being condemned to hell?

Christian Standard Bible®
“Snakes! Brood of vipers! How can you escape being condemned to hell?

Hebrew Names Version
You serpents, you offspring of vipers, how will you escape the judgment of Gehinnom?

Lexham English Bible
Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How will you escape from the condemnation to hell?

Literal Translation
Serpents! Offspring of vipers! How shall you escape the judgment of Hell?

Young's Literal Translation
`Serpents! brood of vipers! how may ye escape from the judgment of the gehenna?

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
O ye serpentes, O ye generacion of vypers, how wyl ye escape the damnacion of Hell?

Mace New Testament (1729)
ye serpents, ye brood of vipers, how can ye escape the punishment of Gehenna?

THE MESSAGE
"Snakes! Reptilian sneaks! Do you think you can worm your way out of this? Never have to pay the piper? It's on account of people like you that I send prophets and wise guides and scholars generation after generation—and generation after generation you treat them like dirt, greeting them with lynch mobs, hounding them with abuse.

New English Translation
You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?

New King James Version
Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

Simplified Cowboy Version
You're all coyotes! You're the bastard sons of coyotes! How are you gonna escape the truck that leads to the slaughterhouse?

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

Legacy Standard Bible
You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

Contextual Overview

¹³ But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in. ¹⁴ 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. ¹⁵ Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves. ¹⁶ Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor! ¹⁷ Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold? ¹⁸ And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty. ¹⁹ Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? ²⁰ Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon. ²¹ And whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein. ²² And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

serpents: Matthew 3:7, Matthew 12:34, Matthew 21:34, Matthew 21:35, Genesis 3:15, Psalms 58:3-5, Isaiah 57:3, Isaiah 57:4, Luke 3:7, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:3, Revelation 12:9

how: Matthew 23:14, Hebrews 2:3, Hebrews 10:29, Hebrews 12:25

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 32:22 - lowest Psalms 2:5 - Then Psalms 58:4 - serpent Isaiah 1:4 - a seed Isaiah 20:6 - and how Isaiah 59:12 - our transgressions Jeremiah 44:14 - shall escape Lamentations 4:13 - that Ezekiel 17:15 - shall he escape Ezekiel 22:4 - and thou hast Matthew 26:4 - by Mark 12:40 - long Luke 6:39 - shall Luke 16:23 - in hell Acts 2:40 - untoward Acts 28:3 - came Romans 2:3 - that thou shalt 1 Corinthians 6:10 - thieves Galatians 5:9 - General 1 Thessalonians 5:3 - and they

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Ye servants, ye generation of vipers,.... The latter of these names, John the Baptist calls the Sadducees and Pharisees by, in Matthew 3:7 and Christ, in Matthew 12:34 both express their craft and subtlety, their inward poison, and venomous nature; their fair outside, and specious pretences; their hypocrisy, malice, and wickedness; in which they were like to the old serpent, their father the devil, and to their ancestors, that murdered the prophets; nor could any good thing be expected, from such a viperous generation:

how can ye escape the damnation of hell? signifying, that it was impossible that they should; nor could they surely expect it themselves, who must be conscious to themselves of their wickedness, malice, and deceit. The Persic version reads it, "where can ye escape?" c. and so Beza says it was read, in one ancient copy of his and the sense is, whither can ye flee? to whom, or what can you have recourse to, to screen you from the wrath to come? Rocks and mountains, caves and dens, will be of no service. The phrase,

דינה של גיהנם, "the judgment, or damnation of hell", is a phrase often used in the Talmud p, and Midrashes q of the Jews; and intends future torment, and the everlasting vengeance and wrath of God, the unquenchable fire prepared for the devil and his angels, and which impenitent unbelieving sinners cannot escape.

p T. Bab. Berncot, fol. 61. 1. Erubin, fol. 18. 2. Yebamot, fol. 102. 2. Sota, fol. 4. 2. & 5. 1. & Bava Bathra, fol. 10. 1. q Bemidbar Rabba, fol. 203. 1. Shirhashirim Rabba, fol. 14. 2. & Midrash Kohelet, fol. 76. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Ye serpents - This name is given to them on account of their pretending to be pious, and very much devoted to God, but being secretly evil, At the heart, with all their pretensions, they were filled with evil designs, as the serpent was, Genesis 3:1-5

Generation of vipers - See the notes at Matthew 12:34.

Damnation of hell - This refers, beyond all question, to future punishment. So great was their wickedness and hypocrisy, that, if they persevered in this course, it was impossible to escape the damnation that should come on the guilty. This is the sternest language that Jesus ever used to wicked people. But it by no means authorizes ministers to use such language to sinners now. Christ knew that this was true of them. He had an authority which none now have. It is not the province of ministers to denounce judgment, or to use severe names, least of all to do it on pretence of imitating Christ. He knew the hearts of people. We know them not. He had authority to declare certainly that those whom he addressed would be lost. We have no such authority. He addressed persons; we address characters.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 33. Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers — What a terrible stroke! - Ye are serpents, and the offspring of serpents. This refers to Matthew 23:31: they confessed that they were the children of those who murdered the prophets; and they are now going to murder Christ and his followers, to show that they have not degenerated - an accursed seed, of an accursed breed. My old MS. translates this passage oddly - Gee serpentis, fruytis of burrownyngis of eddris that sleen her modris. There seems to be here an allusion to a common opinion, that the young of the adder or viper which are brought forth alive eat their way through the womb of their mothers. Hence that ancient enigma attributed to LACTANTIUS: -

Non possum nasci, si non occidero matrem.

Occidi matrem: sed me manet exitus idem.

Id mea mors faciet, quod jam mea fecit origo.

Cael. Firm. Symposium, N. xv.

I never can be born, nor see the day,

Till through my parent's womb I eat my way.

Her I have slain; like her must yield my breath;

For that which gave me life, shall cause my death.

Every person must see with what propriety this was applied to the Jews, who were about to murder the very person who gave them their being and all their blessings.