Proverbs 25:16

25:16 When you find ¹  honey, eat only what is sufficient for you,

lest you become stuffed ²  with it and vomit it up. ³ 

Matthew 6:1-7

Pure-hearted Giving

6:1 “Be ⁴  careful not to display your righteousness merely to be seen by people. ⁵  Otherwise you have no reward with your Father in heaven. 6:2 Thus whenever you do charitable giving, ⁶  do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in synagogues ⁷  and on streets so that people will praise them. I tell you the truth, ⁸  they have their reward. 6:3 But when you do your giving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 6:4 so that your gift may be in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. ⁹ 

Private Prayer

6:5 “Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues ¹⁰  and on street corners so that people can see them. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. 6:6 But whenever you pray, go into your room, ¹¹  close the door, and pray to your Father in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you. ¹²  6:7 When ¹³  you pray, do not babble repetitiously like the Gentiles, because they think that by their many words they will be heard.

Matthew 9:14

The Superiority of the New

9:14 Then John’s ¹⁴  disciples came to Jesus ¹⁵  and asked, “Why do we and the Pharisees ¹⁶  fast often, ¹⁷  but your disciples don’t fast?”

Matthew 15:2-9

15:2 “Why do your disciples disobey the tradition of the elders? For they don’t wash their ¹⁸  hands when they eat.” ¹⁹  15:3 He answered them, ²⁰  “And why do you disobey the commandment of God because of your tradition? 15:4 For God said, ²¹  ‘Honor your father and mother’ ²²  and ‘Whoever insults his father or mother must be put to death.’ ²³  15:5 But you say, ‘If someone tells his father or mother, “Whatever help you would have received from me is given to God,” ²⁴  15:6 he does not need to honor his father.’ ²⁵  You have nullified the word of God on account of your tradition. 15:7 Hypocrites! Isaiah prophesied correctly about you when he said,

15:8 ‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart ²⁶  is far from me,

15:9 and they worship me in vain,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” ²⁷ 

Matthew 23:5

23:5 They ²⁸  do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries ²⁹  wide and their tassels ³⁰  long.

Matthew 23:23-24

23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law ³¹  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth ³²  of mint, dill, and cumin, ³³  yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You ³⁴  should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! ³⁵ 

Matthew 23:29

23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law ³⁶  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You ³⁷  build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves ³⁸  of the righteous.

Luke 18:12

18:12 I fast twice ³⁹  a week; I give a tenth ⁴⁰  of everything I get.’

Romans 10:2

10:2 For I can testify that they are zealous for God, ⁴¹  but their zeal is not in line with the truth. ⁴² 

Philippians 3:6

3:6 In my zeal for God I persecuted the church. According to the righteousness stipulated in the law I was blameless.

Philippians 3:1

True and False Righteousness

3:1 Finally, my brothers and sisters, ⁴³  rejoice in the Lord! To write this again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you.

Philippians 4:3

4:3 Yes, I say also to you, true companion, ⁴⁴  help them. They have struggled together in the gospel ministry ⁴⁵  along with me and Clement and my other coworkers, whose names are in the book of life.

[25:16]  ¹ tn The verse simply begins “you have found honey.” Some turn this into an interrogative clause for the condition laid down (cf. KJV, ASV, NASB, NLT); most make the form in some way subordinate to the following instruction: “when you find…eat.”

[25:16]  ² tn The verb means “to be satisfied; to be sated; to be filled.” Here it means more than satisfied, since it describes one who overindulges and becomes sick. The English verb “stuffed” conveys this idea well.

[25:16]  ³ sn The proverb warns that anything overindulged in can become sickening. The verse uses formal parallelism to express first the condition and then its consequences. It teaches that moderation is wise in the pleasures of life.

[6:1]  ⁴ tc ‡ Several mss (א L Z Θ Ë¹ 33 892 1241 1424 al) have δέ (de, “but, now”) at the beginning of this verse; the reading without δέ is supported by B D W 0250 ˹³ Ï lat. A decision is difficult, but apparently the conjunction was added by later scribes to indicate a transition in the thought-flow of the Sermon on the Mount. NA²⁷ has δέ in brackets, indicating reservations about its authenticity.

[6:1]  ⁵ tn Grk “before people in order to be seen by them.”

[6:2]  ⁶ tn Grk “give alms,” but this term is not in common use today. The giving of alms was highly regarded in the ancient world (Deut 15:7-11).

[6:2]  ⁷ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[6:2]  ⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[6:4]  ⁹ tc L W Θ 0250 Ï it read ἐν τῷ φανερῷ (en tw fanerw, “openly”) at the end of this verse, giving a counterweight to what is done in secret. But this reading is suspect because of the obvious literary balance, because of detouring the point of the passage (the focus of vv. 1-4 is not on two kinds of public rewards but on human vs. divine approbation), and because of superior external testimony that lacks this reading (א B D Z Ë^1,13 33 al).

[6:5]  ¹⁰ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[6:6]  ¹¹ sn The term translated room refers to the inner room of a house, normally without any windows opening outside, the most private location possible (BDAG 988 s.v. ταμεῖον 2).

[6:6]  ¹² tc See the tc note on “will reward you” in 6:4: The problem is the same and the ms support differs only slightly.

[6:7]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[9:14]  ¹⁴ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[9:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[9:14]  ¹⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[9:14]  ¹⁷ sn John’s disciples and the Pharisees followed typical practices with regard to fasting and prayer. Many Jews fasted regularly (Lev 16:29-34; 23:26-32; Num 29:7-11). The zealous fasted twice a week on Monday and Thursday.

[15:2]  ¹⁸ tc ‡ Although most witnesses read the genitive plural pronoun αὐτῶν (autwn, “their”), it may have been motivated by clarification (as it is in the translation above). Several other authorities do not have the pronoun, however (א B Δ 073 ˹ 579 700 892 1424 pc f g¹); the lack of an unintentional oversight as the reason for omission strengthens their combined testimony in this shorter reading. NA²⁷ has the pronoun in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[15:2]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “when they eat bread.”

[15:3]  ²⁰ tn Grk “But answering, he said to them.”

[15:4]  ²¹ tc Most mss (א*^,2 C L W 0106 33 Ï) have an expanded introduction here; instead of “For God said,” they read “For God commanded, saying” (ὁ γὰρ θεὸς ἐνετείλατο λέγων, Jo gar qeo" eneteilato legwn). But such expansions are generally motivated readings; in this case, most likely it was due to the wording of the previous verse (“the commandment of God”) that caused early scribes to add to the text. Although it is possible that other witnesses reduced the text to the simple εἶπεν (eipen, “[God] said”) because of perceived redundancy with the statement in v. 3, such is unlikely in light of the great variety and age of these authorities (א¹ B D Θ 073 Ë^1,13 579 700 892 pc lat co, as well as other versions and fathers).

[15:4]  ²² sn A quotation from Exod 20:12; Deut 5:16.

[15:4]  ²³ sn A quotation from Exod 21:17; Lev 20:9.

[15:5]  ²⁴ tn Grk “is a gift,” that is, something dedicated to God.

[15:6]  ²⁵ tc The logic of v. 5 would seem to demand that both father and mother are in view in v. 6. Indeed, the majority of mss (C L W Θ 0106 ˹ Ï) have “or his mother” (ἢ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ, h thn mhtera autou) after “honor his father” here. However, there are significant witnesses that have variations on this theme (καὶ τὴν μητέρα αὐτοῦ [kai thn mhtera autou, “and his mother”] in Φ 565 1241 pc and ἢ τὴν μητέρα [“or mother”] in 073 ˹³ 33 579 700 892 pc), which is usually an indication of a predictable addition to the text rather than an authentic reading. Further, the shorter reading (without any mention of “mother”) is found in early and important witnesses (א B D sa). Although it is possible that the shorter reading came about accidentally (due to the repetition of –ερα αὐτοῦ), the evidence more strongly suggests that the longer readings were intentional scribal alterations.

[15:8]  ²⁶ tn The term “heart” is a collective singular in the Greek text.

[15:9]  ²⁷ sn A quotation from Isa 29:13.

[23:5]  ²⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:5]  ²⁹ sn Phylacteries were small leather cases containing OT scripture verses, worn on the arm and forehead by Jews, especially when praying. The custom was derived from such OT passages as Exod 13:9; 16; Deut 6:8; 11:18.

[23:5]  ³⁰ tn The term κράσπεδον (kraspedon) in some contexts could refer to the outer fringe of the garment (possibly in Mark 6:56). This edge could have been plain or decorated. L&N 6.180 states, “In Mt 23:5 κράσπεδον denotes the tassels worn at the four corners of the outer garment (see 6.194).”

[23:23]  ³¹ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:23]  ³² tn Or “you tithe mint.”

[23:23]  ³³ sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.

[23:23]  ³⁴ tc ‡ Many witnesses (B C K L W Δ 0102 33 565 892 pm) have δέ (de, “but”) after ταῦτα (tauta, “these things”), while many others lack it (א D Γ Θ Ë^1,13 579 700 1241 1424 pm). Since asyndeton was relatively rare in Koine Greek, the conjunction may be an intentional alteration, and is thus omitted from the present translation. NA²⁷ includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[23:24]  ³⁵ tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”

[23:29]  ³⁶ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:29]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated.

[23:29]  ³⁸ tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).

[18:12]  ³⁹ sn The law only required fasting on the Day of Atonement. Such voluntary fasting as this practiced twice a week by the Pharisee normally took place on Monday and Thursday.

[18:12]  ⁴⁰ tn Or “I tithe.”

[10:2]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “they have a zeal for God.”

[10:2]  ⁴² tn Grk “in accord with knowledge.”

[3:1]  ⁴³ tn Grk “brothers.” See note on the phrase “brothers and sisters” in 1:12.

[4:3]  ⁴⁴ tn Or “faithful fellow worker.” This is more likely a descriptive noun, although some scholars interpret the word σύζυγος (suzugos) here as a proper name (“Syzygos”), L&N 42.45.

[4:3]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “in the gospel,” a metonymy in which the gospel itself is substituted for the ministry of making the gospel known.