11:42 “But woe to you Pharisees! 1 You give a tenth 2 of your mint, 3 rue, 4 and every herb, yet you neglect justice 5 and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. 6 11:43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats 7 in the synagogues 8 and elaborate greetings 9 in the marketplaces! 11:44 Woe to you! 10 You are like unmarked graves, and people 11 walk over them without realizing it!” 12
11:45 One of the experts in religious law 13 answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things you insult 14 us too.” 11:46 But Jesus 15 replied, 16 “Woe to you experts in religious law as well! 17 You load people 18 down with burdens difficult to bear, yet you yourselves refuse to touch 19 the burdens with even one of your fingers! 11:47 Woe to you! You build 20 the tombs of the prophets whom your ancestors 21 killed.
1 tn Grk “Woe to you…because you…” The causal particle ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated here for rhetorical effect (and so to the end of this chapter).
2 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
3 sn These small herbs were tithed with great care (Mishnah, m. Demai 2:1).
4 tn Grk “and rue.” Καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
5 sn Justice was a major theme of OT ethics (Mic 6:8; Zech 7:8-10).
6 tn Grk “those”; but this has been translated as “the others” to clarify which are meant.
7 tn Or “seats of honor.” The term here is plural and is not a reference only to the lead “seat of Moses” in the synagogue, but includes the front seats near the ark.
8 sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.
9 tn Grk “and the greetings.”
10 tc Most
11 tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
12 sn In Judaism to come into contact with the dead or what is associated with them, even without knowing it, makes one unclean (Num 19:11-22; Lev 21:1-3; Mishnah, m. Demai 2:3). To Pharisees, who would have been so sensitive about contracting ceremonial uncleanness, it would have been quite a stinging rebuke to be told they caused it.
13 sn That is, an expert in the interpretation of the Mosaic law. They worked closely with the Pharisees.
14 tn For this term, see Matt 22;6; Luke 18:32; Acts 14:5; 1 Thess 2:2.
15 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
16 tn Grk “said.”
17 tn Here “as well” is used to translate καί (kai) at the beginning of the statement.
18 tn Grk “men.” This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.
19 tn Grk “you yourselves do not touch.” This could mean one of two things: (1) Either they make others do what they themselves do not (through various technical exceptions) or (2) they make no effort to help the others fulfill what they are required to do. Considering the care these religious figures are said to have given to the law, the second option is more likely (see L&N 18.11).
20 sn The effect of what the experts in the law were doing was to deny the message of the prophets and thus honor their death by supporting those who had sought their removal. The charge that this is what previous generations did shows the problem is chronic. As T. W. Manson said, the charge here is “The only prophet you honor is a dead prophet!” (The Sayings of Jesus, 101).
21 tn Or “forefathers”; Grk “fathers.”
22 sn You have taken away the key to knowledge is another stinging rebuke. They had done the opposite of what they were trying to do.
23 tn Or “you tried to prevent.”