Matthew 23:18

The NET Bible®

And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.'

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Also, ‘Whoever takes an oath by the altar, it means nothing; but whoever takes an oath by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.’

King James Version (1611)
And whosoeuer shall sweare by the Altar, it is nothing: but whosoeuer sweareth by the gift that is vpon it, he is guiltie.

King James Version
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

English Standard Version
And you say, ‘If anyone swears by the altar, it is nothing, but if anyone swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.'

New American Standard Bible
"And you say, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it is obligated.'

New Century Version
And you say, ‘If people swear by the altar when they make a promise, that means nothing. But if they swear by the gift on the altar, they must keep that promise.'

Amplified Bible
"And [you scribes and Pharisees say], 'Whoever swears [an oath] by the altar, that is nothing (non-binding), but whoever swears [an oath] by the offering on it, he is obligated [as a debtor to fulfill his vow and keep his promise].'

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"And, 'Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.'

Legacy Standard Bible
And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, that is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering on it, he is obligated.'

Berean Standard Bible
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.'

Contemporary English Version
You also teach that it doesn't matter if a person swears by the altar. But you say that it does matter if someone swears by the gift on the altar.

Complete Jewish Bible
And you say, ‘If someone swears by the altar, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the offering on the altar, he is bound.'

Darby Translation
And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it is a debtor.

Easy-to-Read Version
"And you say, ‘If anyone uses the altar to make a promise, that means nothing. But anyone who uses the gift on the altar to make a promise must keep that promise.'

Geneva Bible (1587)
And whosoeuer sweareth by the altar, it is nothing: but whosoeuer sweareth by the offering that is vpon it, offendeth.

George Lamsa Translation
And whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is on it, he is guilty.

Good News Translation
You also teach, ‘If someone swears by the altar, he isn't bound by his vow; but if he swears by the gift on the altar, he is bound.'

Lexham English Bible
And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing! But whoever swears by the gift that is on it is bound by his oath.'

Literal Translation
And you say , Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift on it, he is a debtor.

American Standard Version
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.

Bible in Basic English
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.

Hebrew Names Version
'Whoever will swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever will swear by the gift that is on it, he is a debtor.'

International Standard Version
Again you say,And">[fn] 'Whoever swears an oath by the altar is excused,is nothing">[fn] but whoever swears by the gift that is on it must keep his oath.'owes a debt">[fn]

Etheridge Translation
And (that) whoever sweareth by the altar, it is nothing; but [fn] he swear by the oblation which is upon it, he is liable.

Murdock Translation
And, whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing: but whoever shall swear by the oblation upon it, he is holden.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
And whosoeuer sweareth by the aulter, it is nothyng: but whosoeuer sweareth by the gyft that is vpon it, he is a detter.

English Revised Version
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.

World English Bible
'Whoever will swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever will swear by the gift that is on it, he is a debtor.'

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And whosoever shall swear by the altar, ye say, it is nothing: but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is bound.

Weymouth's New Testament
And you say, "`Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering lying on it is bound by the oath.'

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And who euer swerith in the auter, it is no thing; but he that swerith in the yifte that is on the auter, owith.

Update Bible Version
And, Whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever shall swear by the gift that is on it, he is a debtor.

Webster's Bible Translation
And whoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

New King James Version
And, "Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, he is obliged to perform it.'

New Living Translation
And you say that to swear ‘by the altar' is not binding, but to swear ‘by the gifts on the altar' is binding.

New Life Bible
You say, ‘Whoever will promise by the altar, his promise does not have to be kept. But whoever makes a promise by the gift on the altar, then his promise has to be kept.'

New Revised Standard
And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.'

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is, nothing, but, whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it, is bound:

Douay-Rheims Bible
And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gift that is upon it is a debtor.

Revised Standard Version
And you say, 'If any one swears by the altar, it is nothing; but if any one swears by the gift that is on the altar, he is bound by his oath.'

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And whosoever sweareth by the aulter it is nothinge: but whosoever sweareth by ye offeringe yt lyeth on ye aultre offendeth.

Young's Literal Translation
`And, whoever may swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever may swear by the gift that is upon it -- is debtor!

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And who so euer sweareth by the altare, that is nothinge: but who so euer sweareth by the offeringe that is vpo it, he is giltye.

Mace New Testament (1729)
again, if any one swear by the altar he is under no engagement but if he swear by the gift that is upon it, he is bound thereby.

Simplified Cowboy Version

Contextual Overview

¹³ "But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in. "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves! "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.' Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.' You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it. "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too! "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous. And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? "For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things! "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it! Look, your house is left to you desolate! For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘ Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! '" ¹⁴Seven Woes Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, "The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat. Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long. They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.' But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,' for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers. And call no one your ‘father' on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven. Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,' for you have one teacher, the Christ. The greatest among you will be your servant. And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. "But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in. ¹⁵ "Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves! ¹⁶ "Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.' ¹⁷ Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.' ¹⁹ You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. ²¹ And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. ²² And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

guilty: or, debtor, Matthew 23:15, or bound

Reciprocal: Numbers 30:2 - to bind 2 Chronicles 6:22 - the oath Mark 7:11 - It is Corban Galatians 5:3 - a debtor

Cross-References

Genesis 34:20
So Hamor and his son Shechem went to the gate of their city and spoke to the men of their city,

Ruth 4:1
Now Boaz went up to the village gate and sat there. Then along came the guardian whom Boaz had mentioned to Ruth! Boaz said, "Come here and sit down, ‘John Doe'!" So he came and sat down.

Jeremiah 32:12
I took both copies of the deed of purchase and gave them to Baruch son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah. I gave them to him in the presence of my cousin Hanamel, the witnesses who had signed the deed of purchase, and all the Judeans who were housed in the courtyard of the guardhouse.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing,.... These are again the words or savings of the scribes and Pharisees, and express their sentiments and practice: it was usual with them to swear by the altar; and this was reckoned either no sin at all, or such an oath was not accounted binding on a man; he might break, or keep it as he thought fit: of this kind of swearing, we have the following instances. One said to another r,

"swear to me that thou wilt not discover me, and he swore to him; by what did he swear? says R. Jose bar Chanina,

במזבח הפנימי, "by the innermost altar".''

Again, it is said of Zedekiah s,

"that he (Nebuchadnezzar) made him to swear; by what did he make him to swear? says R. Jose, by the covenant he made him to swear; Rabbi says במזבח, "by the altar" he made him to swear.''

And elsewhere t it is said of him,

""and he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who made him swear by God", 2 Chronicles 36:13. By what did he make him swear? says R. Jose bar Chanina, "by the horns of the innermost altar" he made him swear.''

But whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty: of perjury, if he does not make good his oath; he is bound to perform it, it is obligatory; whatever he swore should be a gift for the altar, he was indispensably obliged to bring it; for whatever he swore by "Korban", or the gift, could never be put to any other use.

r Echa Rabbati, fol. 54. 1. s Midrash Kohelet, fol. 78. 1. t Midrash Megillat Esther, fol. 89. 1.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The altar - The altar of burnt-offerings, in the court of the priests. See the notes at Matthew 21:12. It was made of brass, about 30 feet in length and breadth, and 15 feet in height, 2 Chronicles 4:1. On this altar were offered all the beasts and bloody oblations of the temple.

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.