Matthew 10:17

10:17 Beware ¹  of people, because they will hand you over to councils ²  and flog ³  you in their synagogues. ⁴ 

Matthew 23:1-7

Seven Woes

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 23:2 “The ⁵  experts in the law ⁶  and the Pharisees ⁷  sit on Moses’ seat. 23:3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach. ⁸  23:4 They ⁹  tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. 23:5 They ¹⁰  do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries ¹¹  wide and their tassels ¹²  long. 23:6 They ¹³  love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues ¹⁴  23:7 and elaborate greetings ¹⁵  in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’

Luke 20:45-47

Jesus Warns the Disciples against Pride

20:45 As ¹⁶  all the people were listening, Jesus ¹⁷  said to his disciples, 20:46 “Beware ¹⁸  of the experts in the law. ¹⁹  They ²⁰  like walking around in long robes, and they love elaborate greetings ²¹  in the marketplaces and the best seats ²²  in the synagogues ²³  and the places of honor at banquets. 20:47 They ²⁴  devour ²⁵  widows’ property, ²⁶  and as a show make long prayers. They will receive a more severe punishment.”

[10:17]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[10:17]  ² sn Councils in this context refers to local judicial bodies attached to the Jewish synagogue. This group would be responsible for meting out justice and discipline within the Jewish community.

[10:17]  ³ 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.”

[10:17]  ⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:2]  ⁵ tn Grk “saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[23:2]  ⁶ tn Or “The scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.

[23:2]  ⁷ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[23:3]  ⁸ tn Grk “for they say and do not do.”

[23:4]  ⁹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:5]  ¹⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:5]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² 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).”

[23:6]  ¹³ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:6]  ¹⁴ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:23.

[23:7]  ¹⁵ sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.

[20:45]  ¹⁶ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[20:45]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[20:46]  ¹⁸ tn Or “Be on guard against.” This is a present imperative and indicates that pride is something to constantly be on the watch against.

[20:46]  ¹⁹ tn Or “of the scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 5:21.

[20:46]  ²⁰ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun by the prior phrase.

[20:46]  ²¹ sn There is later Jewish material in the Talmud that spells out such greetings in detail. See D. L. Bock, Luke (BECNT), 2:1642; H. Windisch, TDNT 1:498.

[20:46]  ²² sn See Luke 14:1-14.

[20:46]  ²³ sn See the note on synagogues in 4:15.

[20:47]  ²⁴ tn Grk “who,” continuing the sentence begun in v. 46.

[20:47]  ²⁵ sn How they were able to devour widows’ houses is debated. Did they seek too much for contributions, or take too high a commission for their work, or take homes after debts failed to be paid? There is too little said here to be sure.

[20:47]  ²⁶ tn Grk “houses,” “households”; however, the term can have the force of “property” or “possessions” as well (O. Michel, TDNT 5:131; BDAG 695 s.v. οἶκια 1.a).