Matthew 23:20

The NET Bible®

So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Therefore, the one who takes an oath by the altar takes an oath by it and by everything on it.

King James Version (1611)
Who so therefore shall sweare by the Altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

King James Version
Whoso therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

English Standard Version
So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

New American Standard Bible
"Therefore, the one who swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

New Century Version
The person who swears by the altar is really using the altar and also everything on the altar.

Amplified Bible
"Therefore, whoever swears [an oath] by the altar, swears both by it and by everything [offered] on it.

New American Standard Bible (1995)
"Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

Legacy Standard Bible
Therefore, whoever swears by the altar, swears both by the altar and by everything on it.

Berean Standard Bible
So then, he who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

Contemporary English Version
Anyone who swears by the altar also swears by everything on it.

Complete Jewish Bible
So someone who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it.

Darby Translation
He therefore that swears by the altar swears by it and by all things that are upon it.

Easy-to-Read Version
Whoever uses the altar to make a promise is really using the altar and everything on the altar.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Whosoeuer therefore sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

George Lamsa Translation
Therefore he who swears by the altar, he swears by it and by everything that is on it.

Good News Translation
So then, when a person swears by the altar, he is swearing by it and by all the gifts on it;

Lexham English Bible
Therefore the one who swears by the altar swears by it and by everything that is on it.

Literal Translation
Then the one swearing by the altar swears by it, and by all things on it.

American Standard Version
He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

Bible in Basic English
He, then, who takes an oath by the altar, takes it by the altar and by all things on it.

Hebrew Names Version
He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.

International Standard Version
Therefore, the one who swears an oath by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.

Etheridge Translation
He therefore who sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things that are upon it.

Murdock Translation
He therefore who sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all that is upon it.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Who so therfore sweareth by the aulter, sweareth by it, and by all thynges theron.

English Revised Version
He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things thereon.

World English Bible
He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it, and by everything on it.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
He therefore that sweareth by the altar, sweareth by it and by all things thereon.

Weymouth's New Testament
He who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it;

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor he that swerith in the auter, swerith in it, and in alle thingis that ben ther on.

Update Bible Version
He therefore that swears by the altar, swears by it, and by all things thereon.

Webster's Bible Translation
Whoever therefore shall swear by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all things upon it.

New King James Version
Therefore he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all things on it.

New Living Translation
When you swear ‘by the altar,' you are swearing by it and by everything on it.

New Life Bible
Whoever makes a promise by the altar, promises by it and by everything on it.

New Revised Standard
So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He therefore that hath sworn by the altar, sweareth by it, and by all that is upon it;

Douay-Rheims Bible
He therefore that sweareth by the altar sweareth by it and by all things that are upon it.

Revised Standard Version
So he who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Whosoever therfore sweareth by ye aultre sweareth by it and by all yt there on is.

Young's Literal Translation
`He therefore who did swear by the altar, doth swear by it, and by all things on it;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Therfore who so sweareth by the altare, sweareth by the same, and by all that is theron:

Mace New Testament (1729)
whoever swears by the altar, swears not only by the altar, but by every thing upon it.

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

Reciprocal: Hebrews 6:16 - swear

Cross-References

Genesis 23:7
Abraham got up and bowed down to the local people, the sons of Heth.

Genesis 23:10
(Now Ephron was sitting among the sons of Heth.) Ephron the Hethite replied to Abraham in the hearing of the sons of Heth—before all who entered the gate of his city—

Genesis 23:14
Ephron answered Abraham, saying to him,

Genesis 25:9
His sons Isaac and Ishmael buried him in the cave of Machpelah near Mamre, in the field of Ephron the son of Zohar, the Hethite.

Genesis 50:5
‘My father made me swear an oath. He said, "I am about to die. Bury me in my tomb that I dug for myself there in the land of Canaan." Now let me go and bury my father; then I will return.'"

Genesis 50:13
His sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, near Mamre. This is the field Abraham purchased as a burial plot from Ephron the Hittite.

2 Samuel 24:24
But the king said to Araunah, "No, I insist on buying it from you! I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing." So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty pieces of silver.

2 Kings 21:18
Manasseh passed away and was buried in his palace garden, the garden of Uzzah, and his son Amon replaced him as king.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Whosoever therefore shall swear by the altar,.... Not that Christ allowed of swearing by the altar, or by the temple, or by heaven, or by any creature, animate or inanimate; for such swearing is elsewhere disapproved of by him, and forbid, but if a man did swear by the altar, he ought to know, and consider that he not only

sweareth by it, but by all the gifts, and offerings that are brought, and laid upon it,

and by all things thereon; whatever gifts and sacrifices are offered upon it; which, by being put there, become holy, as the altar itself: so that he that swears by the altar, swears also by the gifts of the altar; and consequently, according to their own traditions, such oaths must be binding.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Matthew 23:20. Whoso - shall swear by the altar — As an oath always supposes a person who witnesses it, and will punish perjury; therefore, whether they swore by the temple or the gold, (Matthew 23:16), or by the altar or the gift laid on it, (Matthew 23:18), the oath necessarily supposes the God of the temple, of the altar, and of the gifts, who witnessed the whole, and would, even in their exempt cases, punish the perjury.