Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.
Parallel translations
- WEB Don’t judge according to appearance, but judge righteous judgment.”
- BSB Stop judging by outward appearances, and start judging justly.”
- NKJV Do not judge according to appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
- NASB Do not judge by the outward appearance, but judge with righteous judgment.”
- NLT Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly.”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus commands them not to judge by appearances but to judge with righteous judgment. He calls for discernment that goes beneath the surface to the truth.
Overview
Having exposed their superficial reasoning about the Sabbath, Jesus calls for judgment that is fair and rooted in God's righteousness rather than outward impressions. This corrects their snap condemnation of His healing and challenges all hasty, surface-level judgments. True discernment evaluates by God's standards, and ultimately rightly recognizes who Jesus is.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- Isa 11:3–4And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the LORD: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears:
- Jas 2:9But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors.
- Prov 17:15He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
- John 8:15Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.
- Prov 24:23These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment.
- Jas 2:1My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.
- Lev 19:15Ye shall do no unrighteousness in judgment: thou shalt not respect the person of the poor, nor honor the person of the mighty: but in righteousness shalt thou judge thy neighbour.
- Isa 5:23Which justify the wicked for reward, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him!
- Deut 1:16–17And I charged your judges at that time, saying, Hear the causes between your brethren, and judge righteously between every man and his brother, and the stranger that is with him.
- Deut 16:18–19Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
- Jas 2:4Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
- Ps 58:1–2Do ye indeed speak righteousness, O congregation? do ye judge uprightly, O ye sons of men?
- Ps 82:2How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
- Ps 94:20–21Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
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John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
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Original language
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