the Fourth Week of Lent
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New Living Translation
Matthew 15:14
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Leave them alone! They are blind guides.
Let them alone: they be blinde leaders of the blinde. And if the blinde lead the blinde, both shall fall into the ditch.
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit."
"Leave them alone; they are blind guides of blind people. And if a person who is blind guides another who is blind, both will fall into a pit."
Stay away from the Pharisees; they are blind leaders. And if a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a ditch."
"Leave them alone; they are blind guides leading blind followers. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Let them alone, they be the blinde leaders of the blinde: and if the blinde leade ye blinde, both shall fall into the ditche.
"Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Disregard them! They are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Stay away from those Pharisees! They are like blind people leading other blind people, and all of them will fall into a ditch."
Let them be. They are blind guides. When a blind man guides another blind man, both will fall in a pit."
Leave them alone; they are blind leaders of blind: but if blind lead blind, both will fall into a ditch.
Stay away from the Pharisees. They lead the people, but they are like blind men leading other blind men. And if a blind man leads another blind man, both of them will fall into a ditch."
Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind lead around the blind, both will fall into a pit.
"Don't worry about them! They are blind leaders of the blind; and when one blind man leads another, both fall into a ditch."
Let them! They are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."
Leave them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind; and if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit.
Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
Let them be: they are blind guides. And if a blind man is guiding a blind man, the two will go falling into a hole together.
Let them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."
Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind.of the blind">[fn] If one blind person leads another blind person, both will fall into a ditch."Isaiah 9:16; Malachi 2:8; Matthew 23:16; Luke 6:39;">[xr]
Leave them: they are blind leaders of the blind; but if a blind man shall lead a blind man, both shall fall into the ditch.
Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if a blind man leadeth one blind, they will both fall into the ditch.
Let them alone, they be the blynde leaders of the blynde. If the blynde leade the blynde, both shall fall into the dytche.
Let them alone: they are blind guides. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
Let them alone. They are blind guides of the blind. If the blind guide the blind, both will fall into a pit."
Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind: but if the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a ditch.
Leave them alone. They are blind guides of the blind; and if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into some pit."
Suffre ye hem; thei ben blynde, and leederis of blynde men. And if a blynd man lede a blynd man, bothe fallen doun in to the diche.
Let them alone: they are blind guides of the blind. And if the blind guide the blind, both shall fall into a pit.
Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leadeth the blind, both will fall into the ditch.
Leave them! They are blind guides. If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, both will fall into a pit."
Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch."
Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. If one blind man leads another blind man, they will both fall into a hole."
Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if one blind person guides another, both will fall into a pit."
Let them alone! they are, blind leaders; and, if the, blind, lead the, blind, both, into a ditch, will fall.
Let them alone: they are blind, and leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both fall into the pit.
Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit."
Let them alone they be the blynde leaders of the blynde. If the blynde leede the blynde boothe shall fall into the dyche.
let them alone, guides they are -- blind of blind; and if blind may guide blind, both into a ditch shall fall.'
Let the go, they are ye blynde leaders of ye blynde. Wha one blinde leadeth another, they fall both i ye diche.
let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind. now if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
Stay away from them hypocritical preachers. They are like blind city slickers leading blind people on blind horses off the edge of a cliff."
Contextual Overview
Bible Verse Review
from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge
Let: Hosea 4:17, 1 Timothy 6:5
they: Matthew 23:16-24, Isaiah 9:16, Isaiah 42:19, Isaiah 56:10, Malachi 2:8, Luke 6:39
And if: Jeremiah 5:31, Jeremiah 6:15, Jeremiah 8:12, Ezekiel 14:9, Ezekiel 14:10, Micah 3:6, Micah 3:7, 2 Peter 2:1, 2 Peter 2:17, Revelation 19:20, Revelation 22:15
Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 27:18 - General 2 Kings 17:28 - taught them Psalms 119:99 - than all Proverbs 4:19 - General Proverbs 9:8 - Reprove Proverbs 16:22 - the instruction Isaiah 3:12 - lead thee Isaiah 8:15 - stumble Isaiah 43:27 - and thy Isaiah 51:18 - none Isaiah 60:2 - the darkness Jeremiah 14:16 - the people Jeremiah 23:1 - pastors Jeremiah 23:32 - therefore Jeremiah 27:15 - ye Lamentations 4:14 - have wandered Hosea 4:6 - for Hosea 4:9 - like people Amos 4:5 - for Micah 3:5 - concerning Zephaniah 1:17 - they shall Zechariah 11:3 - a voice Zechariah 11:9 - that that dieth Zechariah 11:15 - a foolish Malachi 2:12 - the master and the scholar Matthew 16:4 - And he Matthew 21:27 - We cannot tell Mark 8:13 - General Mark 11:33 - We Luke 13:15 - Thou hypocrite Luke 20:8 - General John 3:10 - Art John 12:40 - hath Acts 19:9 - he departed Romans 1:24 - God Romans 2:19 - art confident 1 Corinthians 12:2 - even 1 Corinthians 14:38 - General 1 Timothy 1:7 - understanding Revelation 22:11 - that is unjust
Cross-References
Some time later, the Lord spoke to Abram in a vision and said to him, "Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great."
But Abram replied, "O Sovereign Lord , what good are all your blessings when I don't even have a son? Since you've given me no children, Eliezer of Damascus, a servant in my household, will inherit all my wealth.
Then the Lord said to him, "No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own who will be your heir."
Then the Lord took Abram outside and said to him, "Look up into the sky and count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have!"
And Abram believed the Lord , and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith.
Then the Lord told him, "I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans to give you this land as your possession."
The Lord told him, "Bring me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
Some vultures swooped down to eat the carcasses, but Abram chased them away.
But I will punish the nation that enslaves them, and in the end they will come away with great wealth.
So the Lord made a covenant with Abram that day and said, "I have given this land to your descendants, all the way from the border of Egypt to the great Euphrates River—
Gill's Notes on the Bible
Let them alone,.... Have nothing to say, or do with them; do not mind their anger and resentment, their reproaches and reflections, nor trouble yourselves at the offence they have taken; if they will go, let them go; they are a worthless generation of men, who are not to be regarded, hearkened to, nor to be pleased; it matters not what they say of me, and of my doctrine:
they be blind leaders of the blind; the people that hearken to them, and are followers of them, are "blind", as to any true sense of themselves, their state, and condition by nature; as to any spiritual, saving knowledge of God; as to any acquaintance with the Messiah, and the method of salvation by him; as to the Spirit of God, and the work of grace, regeneration, and sanctification upon the soul; as to the Scriptures of truth, and doctrines of the Gospel; and the "leaders" of them were as "blind" as they: by whom are meant the Scribes and Pharisees, the learned doctors and rabbins of the Jewish nation; who thought themselves very wise and knowing, yet they were blind also; and none more than they. It was an old tradition g among the Jews,
"that there should be "blind teachers" at the time when God should have his tabernacle among them.''
This was predicted, in Isaiah 42:19 and all such leaders and teachers are blind, who, notwithstanding their natural abilities, and acquired parts, are in a state of unregeneracy; and have nothing more than what they have from nature, or have attained to at school; and as apparently all such are, who lead men from Christ, to mere morality, and to a dependence upon their own righteousness for justification, which was the darling principle of the blind leaders in the text.
And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch; of ignorance and error, immorality and profaneness, distress, if not despair, temporal ruin and destruction; which was notoriously verified in the Jewish people, and their guides: and of eternal damnation, the lake which burns with fire and brimstone; what else can be expected?
g Midrash Tillim in Psal. cxlvi apud Grotium in loc.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible
See also Mark 7:15-17.
And he called the multitude - In opposition to the doctrines of the Pharisees, the Saviour took occasion to show them that the great source of pollution was the heart. They supposed that external things chiefly defiled a man. On this all their doctrines about purification were founded. This opinion of the Jews it was of great importance to correct. The Saviour took occasion, therefore, to direct the people to the true source of defilement - their own hearts. He particularly directed them to it as of importance - “Hear and understand.”
Matthew 15:11
Not that which goeth into the mouth ... - The disciples were charged with being sinners for transgressing the tradition of the elders in eating with unwashed hands.
Christ replies that what they should eat could not render them sinners. The man, the moral agent, the soul, could not be polluted by anything that was eaten. What proceeds from the man himself, from his heart, would defile him.
Defileth - Pollutes, corrupts, or renders sinful.
Matthew 15:12
The Pharisees were offended - They were so zealous of their traditions that they could not endure that their absurdities should be exposed.
Matthew 15:13
Every plant ... - Religious doctrine is not inaptly compared to a plant. See 1 Corinthians 3:6-8. It is planted in the mind for the purpose of producing fruit in the life, or right conduct. Jesus here says that all those doctrines of which his Father was not the author must be rooted up or corrected. The false doctrines of the Pharisees, therefore, must be attacked, and it was no wonder if they were indignant. It could not be helped. It was his duty to attack them. He was not surprised that they were enraged; but, notwithstanding their opposition, their doctrine should be destroyed.
Matthew 15:14
Let them alone - That is, do not be troubled at their rage.
Be not anxious about it. This result is to be expected. They are greatly attached to their traditions, and you are not to wonder that they are indignant. They lead, also, the blind. They have a vast influence over the multitude, and it is to be expected that they will be enraged at any doctrines that go to lessen their authority or influence. By commanding them “to let them alone,” Christ does not mean that they were to be suffered to remain in error without any attempt to refute or correct them, for this he was doing then; but he meant to charge his disciples not to mind them or to regard their opposition - it was to be expected.
If the blind lead the blind ... - This was a plain proposition. A blind man, attempting to conduct blind men, would fall into every ditch that was in the way. So with religious teachers. If these Pharisees, themselves ignorant and blind, should be suffered to lead the ignorant multitude, both would be destroyed. This was another reason for confuting their errors, or for rooting up the plants which God had not planted. He wished, by doing it, to save the deluded multitude.
God often suffers one man to lead many to ruin. A rich and profligate man, an infidel, a man of learning, a politician, or a teacher, is allowed to sweep multitudes to ruin. This is not unjust, for those who are led are not compelled to follow such people. They are free in choosing such leaders, and they are answerable for being led to ruin.
Clarke's Notes on the Bible
Verse Matthew 15:14. Let them alone — αφετε αυτους, give them up, or leave them. These words have been sadly misunderstood. Some have quoted them to prove that blind and deceitful teachers should not be pointed out to the people, nor the people warned against them; and that men should abide in the communion of a corrupt Church, because that Church had once been the Church of God, and in it they had been brought up; and to prove this they bring Scripture, for, in our present translation, the words are rendered, let them alone: but the whole connection of the place evidently proves that our blessed Lord meant, give them up, have no kind of religious connection with them, and the strong reason for which he immediately adds, because they are blind leaders. This passage does not at all mean that blind leaders should not be pointed out to the people, that they may avoid being deceived by them; for this our Lord does frequently, and warns his disciples, and the people in general, against all such false teachers as the scribes and Pharisees were; and though he bids men do that they heard those say, while they sat in the chair of Moses, yet he certainly meant no more than that they should be observant of the moral law when read to them out of the sacred book: yet neither does he tell them to do all these false teachers said; for he testifies in Matthew 15:6, that they had put such false glosses on the law, that, if followed, would endanger the salvation of their souls. The Codex Bezae, for αφετε αυτους, has αφετε τους τυφλους, give up these blind men. Amen! A literal attention to these words of our Lord produced the Reformation.
Probably the words may be understood as a sort of proverbial expression for - Don't mind them: pay no regard to them. - "They are altogether unworthy of notice."
And if the blind lead the blind — This was so self-evident a case that an apter parallel could nut be found - if the blind lead the blind, both must fall into the ditch. Alas, for the blind teachers, who not only destroy their own souls, but those also of their flocks! Like priest, like people. If the minister be ignorant, he cannot teach what he does not know; and the people cannot become wise unto salvation under such a ministry - he is ignorant and wicked, and they are profligate. They who even wish such God speed; are partakers of their evil deeds. But shall not the poor deceived people escape? No: both shall fall into the pit of perdition together; for they should have searched the Scriptures, and not trusted to the ignorant sayings of corrupt men, no matter of what sect or party. He who has the Bible in his hand, or within his reach, and can read it, has no excuse.
