Isaiah 3:12

3:12 Oppressors treat my ¹  people cruelly;

creditors rule over them. ² 

My people’s leaders mislead them;

they give you confusing directions. ³ 

Matthew 15:14

15:14 Leave them! They are blind guides. ⁴  If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, ⁵  both will fall into a pit.”

Matthew 23:16-36

23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. ⁶  But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. ⁷  But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.

23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law ⁸  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth ⁹  of mint, dill, and cumin, ¹⁰  yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You ¹¹  should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! ¹² 

23:25 “Woe to you, experts in the law ¹³  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, ¹⁴  so that the outside may become clean too!

23:27 “Woe to you, experts in the law ¹⁵  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. ¹⁶  23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law ¹⁷  and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You ¹⁸  build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves ¹⁹  of the righteous. 23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, ²⁰  we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors! 23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell? ²¹ 

23:34 “For this reason I ²²  am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, ²³  some of whom you will kill and crucify, ²⁴  and some you will flog ²⁵  in your synagogues ²⁶  and pursue from town to town, 23:35 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, ²⁷  whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 23:36 I tell you the truth, ²⁸  this generation will be held responsible for all these things! ²⁹ 

[3:12]  ¹ sn This may refer to the prophet or to the Lord.

[3:12]  ² tc The Hebrew text appears to read literally, “My people, his oppressors, he deals severely, and women rule over them.” The correct text and precise meaning of the verse are debated. The translation above assumes (1) an emendation of נֹגְשָׂיו (nogÿsayv, “his oppressors”) to נֹגְשִׂים (nogÿshim, “oppressors”) by moving the mem (ם) on the following form to the end of the word and dropping the vav (ו) as virtually dittographic; (2) an emendation of מְעוֹלֵל (mÿ’olel, a singular participle that does not agree with the preceding plural subject) to עֹלְלוּ (’olÿlu), a third plural Poel perfect from עָלַל (’alal, “deal severely”; note that the following form begins with a vav [ו]; the text may be haplographic or misdivided); and (3) an emendation (with support from the LXX) of נָשִׁים (nashim, “women”) to נֹשִׁים (noshim, “creditors”; a participle from נָשַׁא, nasa’). Another option is to emend מְעוֹלֵל to עוֹלְלִים (’olÿlim, “children”) and read, “My people’s oppressors are children; women rule over them.” In this case the point is the same as in v. 4; the leadership void left by the judgment will be filled by those incompetent to lead the community – children and women. (The text reflects the ancient Israelite patriarchal mindset.)

[3:12]  ³ tn Heb “and the way of your paths they confuse.” The verb בָּלַע (bala’, “confuse”; HALOT 135 s.v. I בלע) is a homonym of the more common בָּלַע (“swallow”; see HALOT 134 s.v. בלע).

[15:14]  ⁴ tc ‡ Most mss, some of which are significant, read “They are blind guides of the blind” (א¹ C L W Z Θ Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat). The shorter reading is read by א*^,2 B D 0237 Epiph. There is a distinct possibility of omission due to homoioarcton in א*; this manuscript has a word order variation which puts the word τυφλοί (tufloi, “blind”) right before the word τυφλῶν (tuflwn, “of the blind”). This does not explain the shorter reading, however, in the other witnesses, of which B and D are quite weighty. Internal considerations suggest that the shorter reading is original: “of the blind” was likely added by scribes to balance this phrase with Jesus’ following statement about the blind leading the blind, which clearly has two groups in view. A decision is difficult, but internal considerations here along with the strength of the witnesses argue that the shorter reading is more likely original. NA²⁷ places τυφλῶν in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.

[15:14]  ⁵ tn Grk “If blind leads blind.”

[23:16]  ⁶ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the temple, it is nothing.”

[23:18]  ⁷ tn Grk “Whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing.”

[23:23]  ⁸ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:23]  ⁹ tn Or “you tithe mint.”

[23:23]  ¹⁰ sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.

[23:23]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”

[23:25]  ¹³ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:26]  ¹⁴ tc A very difficult textual problem is found here. The most important Alexandrian and Byzantine, as well as significant Western, witnesses (א B C L W 0102 0281 ˹³ 33 Ï lat co) have “and the dish” (καὶ τῆς παροψίδος, kai th" paroyido") after “cup,” while few important witnesses (D Θ Ë¹ 700 and some versional and patristic authorities) omit the phrase. On the one hand, scribes sometimes tended to eliminate redundancy; since “and the dish” is already present in v. 25, it may have been deleted in v. 26 by well-meaning scribes. On the other hand, as B. M. Metzger notes, the singular pronoun αὐτοῦ (autou, “its”) with τὸ ἐκτός (to ekto", “the outside”) in some of the same witnesses that have the longer reading (viz., B* ˹³ al) hints that their archetype lacked the words (TCGNT 50). Further, scribes would be motivated both to add the phrase from v. 25 and to change αὐτοῦ to the plural pronoun αὐτῶν (aujtwn, “their”). Although the external evidence for the shorter reading is not compelling in itself, combined with these two prongs of internal evidence, it is to be slightly preferred.

[23:27]  ¹⁵ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:27]  ¹⁶ sn This was an idiom for hypocrisy – just as the wall was painted on the outside but something different on the inside, so this person was not what he appeared or pretended to be (for discussion of a similar metaphor, see L&N 88.234; BDAG 1010 s.v. τοῖχος). See Deut 28:22; Ezek 13:10-16; Acts 23:3.

[23:29]  ¹⁷ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:29]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “Because you.” Here ὅτι (Joti) has not been translated.

[23:29]  ¹⁹ tn Or perhaps “the monuments” (see L&N 7.75-76).

[23:30]  ²⁰ tn Grk “fathers” (so also in v. 32).

[23:33]  ²¹ tn Grk “the judgment of Gehenna.”

[23:34]  ²² tn Grk “behold I am sending.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

[23:34]  ²³ tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:34]  ²⁴ sn See the note on crucified in 20:19.

[23:34]  ²⁵ tn BDAG 620 s.v. μαστιγόω 1.a states, “of flogging as a punishment decreed by the synagogue (Dt 25:2f; s. the Mishna Tractate Sanhedrin-Makkoth, edited w. notes by SKrauss ’33) w. acc. of pers. Mt 10:17; 23:34.”

[23:34]  ²⁶ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:35]  ²⁷ sn Spelling of this name (Βαραχίου, Baraciou) varies among the English versions: “Barachiah” (RSV, NRSV); “Berechiah” (NASB); “Berachiah” (NIV).

[23:36]  ²⁸ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

[23:36]  ²⁹ tn Grk “all these things will come on this generation.”