Matthew 7:1-17

Do Not Judge

7:1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. ¹  7:2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive. ²  7:3 Why ³  do you see the speck ⁴  in your brother’s eye, but fail to see ⁵  the beam of wood ⁶  in your own? 7:4 Or how can you say ⁷  to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 7:5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. 7:6 Do not give what is holy to dogs or throw your pearls before pigs; otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces. ⁸ 

Ask, Seek, Knock

7:7 “Ask ⁹  and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door ¹⁰  will be opened for you. 7:8 For everyone who asks ¹¹  receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 7:9 Is ¹²  there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 7:10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹³  7:11 If you then, although you are evil, ¹⁴  know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts ¹⁵  to those who ask him! 7:12 In ¹⁶  everything, treat others as you would want them ¹⁷  to treat you, ¹⁸  for this fulfills ¹⁹  the law and the prophets.

The Narrow Gate

7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate, because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 7:14 But the gate is narrow and the way is difficult that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

A Tree and Its Fruit

7:15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves. ²⁰  7:16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered ²¹  from thorns or figs from thistles, are they? ²²  7:17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad ²³  tree bears bad fruit.

[7:1]  ¹ sn The point of the statement do not judge so that you will not be judged is that the standards we apply to others God applies to us. The passive verbs in this verse look to God’s action.

[7:2]  ² tn Grk “by [the measure] with which you measure it will be measured to you.”

[7:3]  ³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[7:3]  ⁴ sn The term translated speck refers to a small piece of wood, chaff, or straw; see L&N 3.66.

[7:3]  ⁵ tn Or “do not notice.”

[7:3]  ⁶ sn The term beam of wood refers to a very big piece of wood, the main beam of a building, in contrast to the speck in the other’s eye (L&N 7.78).

[7:4]  ⁷ tn Grk “how will you say?”

[7:6]  ⁸ tn Or “otherwise the latter will trample them under their feet and the former will turn around and tear you to pieces.” This verse is sometimes understood as a chiasm of the pattern a-b-b-a, in which the first and last clauses belong together (“dogs…turn around and tear you to pieces”) and the second and third clauses belong together (“pigs…trample them under their feet”).

[7:7]  ⁹ sn The three present imperatives in this verse (Ask…seek…knock) are probably intended to call for a repeated or continual approach before God.

[7:7]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “it”; the referent (a door) is implied by the context and has been specified in the translation here and in v. 8 for clarity.

[7:8]  ¹¹ sn The actions of asking, seeking, and knocking are repeated here from v. 7 with the encouragement that God does respond.

[7:9]  ¹² tn Grk “Or is there.”

[7:10]  ¹³ sn The two questions of vv. 9-10 expect the answer, “No parent would do this!”

[7:11]  ¹⁴ tn The participle ὄντες (ontes) has been translated concessively.

[7:11]  ¹⁵ sn The provision of the good gifts is probably a reference to the wisdom and guidance supplied in response to repeated requests. The teaching as a whole stresses not that we get everything we want, but that God gives the good that we need.

[7:12]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “Therefore in.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.

[7:12]  ¹⁷ tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo"), referring to both males and females.

[7:12]  ¹⁸ sn Jesus’ teaching as reflected in the phrase treat others as you would want them to treat you, known generally as the Golden Rule, is not completely unique in the ancient world, but here it is stated in its most emphatic, selfless form.

[7:12]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “is.”

[7:15]  ²⁰ sn Sheep’s clothing…voracious wolves. Jesus uses a metaphor here to point out that these false prophets appear to be one thing, but in reality they are something quite different and dangerous.

[7:16]  ²¹ tn Grk “They do not gather.” This has been simplified to the passive voice in the translation since the subject “they” is not specified further in the context.

[7:16]  ²² sn The statement illustrates the principle: That which cannot produce fruit does not produce fruit.

[7:17]  ²³ tn Grk “rotten.” The word σαπρός, modifying “tree” in both v. 17 and 18, can also mean “diseased” (L&N 65.28).