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New Life Version

Matthew 12:36

I say to you, on the day men stand before God, they will have to give an answer for every word they have spoken that was not important.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Conversation;   Jesting;   Jesus, the Christ;   Judgment;   Miracles;   Slander;   Speaking;   Words;   Thompson Chain Reference - Accountability;   Stewardship;   Stewardship-Ownership;   The Topic Concordance - Accountability;   Condemnation;   Justification;   Speech/communication;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Judgment, the;   Slander;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Idle;   Judgment;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Gossip;   Judgment;   Tongue;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Eternal Life, Eternality, Everlasting Life;   Judgment;   Judgment, Day of;   Magic;   Sin;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Hutchinsonians;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Matthew, the Gospel of;   Slander;   Word;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Mss;   Text of the New Testament;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Activity;   Day of Judgment;   Discourse;   Doctrines;   Error;   Eternal Punishment;   Genealogies of Jesus Christ;   Gospel (2);   Guilt (2);   Hypocrisy;   Judgment;   Redemption (2);   Retribution (2);   Sincerity;   Trinity (2);   Vengeance (2);   Winter ;   Word (2);   Morrish Bible Dictionary - 37 Slow Slothful Idle;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Chief parables and miracles in the bible;   Judgment the day of;   Wilson's Dictionary of Bible Types - Idle;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Give;   Matthew, the Gospel of;   Salvation;   Ten Commandments, the;  

Devotionals:

- Daily Light on the Daily Path - Devotion for February 11;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
I tell you that on the day of judgment
King James Version (1611)
But I say vnto you, That euery idle word that men shall speake, they shall giue accompt thereof in the day of Iudgement.
King James Version
But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
English Standard Version
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
New American Standard Bible
"But I tell you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment.
New Century Version
And I tell you that on the Judgment Day people will be responsible for every careless thing they have said.
Amplified Bible
"But I tell you, on the day of judgment people will have to give an accounting for every careless or useless word they speak.
Geneva Bible (1587)
But I say vnto you, that of euery idle word that men shall speake, they shall giue account thereof at the day of iudgement.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
"But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
Legacy Standard Bible
But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
Berean Standard Bible
But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
Contemporary English Version
I promise you that on the day of judgment, everyone will have to account for every careless word they have spoken.
Complete Jewish Bible
Moreover, I tell you this: on the Day of Judgment people will have to give account for every careless word they have spoken;
Darby Translation
But I say unto you, that every idle word which men shall say, they shall render an account of it in judgment-day:
Easy-to-Read Version
I tell you that everyone will have to answer for all the careless things they have said. This will happen on the day of judgment.
George Lamsa Translation
For I say to you, that for every foolish word which men speak, they will have to answer for it on the day of judgment.
Good News Translation
"You can be sure that on the Judgment Day you will have to give account of every useless word you have ever spoken.
Lexham English Bible
But I tell you that every worthless word that they speak, people will give an account for it on the day of judgment!
Literal Translation
But I say to you, that every idle word, whatever men may speak, they shall give an account of it in Judgment Day.
American Standard Version
And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Bible in Basic English
And I say to you that in the day when they are judged, men will have to give an account of every foolish word they have said.
Hebrew Names Version
I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
International Standard Version
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give an account for every thoughtlessworthless">[fn] word they utter.
Etheridge Translation
But I tell you, that for every useless word which the sons of men shall speak, they must give the answer for it in the day of judgment.
Murdock Translation
For I say to you, That for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
But I say vnto you, of euery idell worde that men shall speake, they shall geue accompt therof, in the day of iudgment.
English Revised Version
And I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
World English Bible
I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
But I say to you, That every idle word which men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Weymouth's New Testament
But I tell you that for every careless word that men shall speak they will be held accountable on the day of Judgement.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And Y seie to you, that of euery idel word, that men speken, thei schulen yelde resoun therof in the dai of doom;
Update Bible Version
And I say to you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
Webster's Bible Translation
But I say to you, That for every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgment.
New English Translation
I tell you that on the day of judgment, people will give an account for every worthless word they speak.
New King James Version
But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
New Living Translation
And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.
New Revised Standard
I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter;
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
But I say unto you, That, every useless expression that men shall utter, they shall render, concerning it, an account, in a day of judgment;
Douay-Rheims Bible
But I say unto you, that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall render an account for it in the day of judgment.
Revised Standard Version
I tell you, on the day of judgment men will render account for every careless word they utter;
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
But I say vnto you that of every ydell worde that men shall have spoken: they shall geve acountes at the daye of iudgement.
Young's Literal Translation
`And I say to you, that every idle word that men may speak, they shall give for it a reckoning in a day of judgment;
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But I saye vnto you, that of euery ydell worde that me haue spoken, they shal geue accomptes at ye daye of iudgmet.
Mace New Testament (1729)
but I declare unto you, that men shall give an account at the day of judgment, of every scandalous expression they utter.
Simplified Cowboy Version
But I'm warnin' you, the next time you let your tongue slip, you will have to explain every single slip and careless word on Judgment Day.

Contextual Overview

22 Then they brought to Him a man who had a demon. He was blind and could not speak. Jesus healed him and he could talk and see. 23 All the people were surprised and said, "Can this Man be the Son of David?" 24 But when the proud religious law-keepers heard it, they said, "This Man puts out demons only by Satan, the leader of demons." 25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, "Every nation divided into groups that fight each other is going to be destroyed. Every city or family divided into groups that fight each other will not stand. 26 If the devil puts out the devil, he is divided against himself. How will his nation stand? 27 If I put out demons by Satan, by whom do your followers put them out? So your followers will say if you are guilty. 28 But if I put out demons by the Spirit of God, then the holy nation of God is come to you. 29 How can anyone go into a strong man's house and take away his things, unless he ties up the strong man first? Only then can he take things from his house. 30 "Whoever is not with Me is against Me. Whoever is not gathering with Me is sending everywhere. 31 I tell you, every sin and every bad word men speak against God will be forgiven, but bad words spoken against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

every: Ecclesiastes 12:14, Romans 2:16, Ephesians 6:4-6, Jude 1:14, Jude 1:15, Revelation 20:12

idle word: חלב [Strong's G4487], בסדןע [Strong's G692], i.e., ב̓וסדןם - (work, act, deed) from ב, privative, and וסדןם [Strong's G2041], work, a word that produces no good effect, and is not calculated to produce any. "Discourse," says Dr. Doddridge, "tending to innocent mirth, to exhilarate the spirits, is not idle discourse; as the time spent in necessary recreation is not idle time.

Reciprocal: Job 9:20 - mine Job 15:3 - he reason Job 31:30 - mouth Job 35:2 - Thinkest Job 37:20 - Shall it Psalms 59:12 - For the Proverbs 13:3 - General Ecclesiastes 5:7 - in the Isaiah 3:8 - because Jeremiah 23:36 - for every Hosea 7:16 - the rage Matthew 10:15 - in the Matthew 11:22 - the day Mark 6:11 - in the day Luke 12:3 - whatsoever Luke 16:2 - give John 16:11 - judgment Romans 14:12 - General 1 Peter 4:5 - shall 2 Peter 3:7 - against 1 John 4:17 - the day

Gill's Notes on the Bible

But I say unto you,.... This form of speaking is used, the more strongly to asseverate the truth of what is after said; and the rather, because men are apt to indulge a liberty with their tongues; fancying no great crime is committed, when only words are spoken, and no facts done;

that every idle word that a man shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. By an "idle word" is meant, what the Jews call, שיחה קלה, "light conversation", and דבר בטל, "vain discourse", as the Hebrew Gospel of Munster reads it here; frothy language, unprofitable talk, which, though it does not directly hurt God or man, yet is of no use to speaker or hearer; and yet even this, in the last general and awful judgment, if not forgiven, and repented of, must be accounted for; and much more such horrid blasphemies the Pharisees had vented against Christ, and the Spirit of Christ. The Jews d have a saying pretty much like this,

"That even על שיחה קלה, "for any light conversation", which passes between a man and his wife, he shall "be brought to judgment".''

d R. Jonah apud L. Capell. in loc.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

But I say unto you ... - Christ closes this address to his malignant and wicked hearers by a solemn declaration that for these things God would bring them into judgment. Therefore. They who had spoken so malignantly against him, could not escape.

Idle word - This literally means a vain, thoughtless, useless word; a word that accomplishes no good. Here it means, evidently, “wicked, injurious, false, malicious, for such” were the words which they had spoken.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 36. Every idle word — ρημα αργον, a word that does nothing, that neither ministers grace nor instruction to them who hear it. The word αργον corresponds to the Hebrew שוא shave, which signifies not only vain or empty, but also wicked and injurious, such as a false testimony against a neighbour, compare Deuteronomy 5:11; Deuteronomy 5:20. Add to this, that Symmachus translates piggul, polluted, Leviticus 19:7, by the very Greek word in the text. It was to explain this ambiguous meaning of the word, that ten MSS. have changed αργον Into πονηρον, evil. Our Lord must be understood here as condemning all false and injurious words: the scope of the place necessarily requires this meaning.


 
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