They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”
Parallel translations
- WEB those who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
- KJV Which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation.
- NKJV who devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. These will receive greater condemnation.”
- NASB who devour widows’ houses, and for appearance’s sake offer long prayers. These will receive all the more condemnation.”
- NLT Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Because of this, they will be more severely punished.”
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
These same scribes exploit defenseless widows while masking their greed with lengthy prayers. Jesus says they will face greater condemnation.
Overview
Beneath an outward show of piety lay oppression of the vulnerable, whom the law commanded Israel to protect. Hypocrisy that cloaks injustice in religious language invites stricter judgment, for greater knowledge brings greater accountability. The contrast with the poor widow in the next verses is deliberate: Jesus condemns those who devour widows and then honors a widow's wholehearted gift.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- Luke 20:47They defraud widows of their houses, and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will receive greater condemnation.”
- Matt 23:33You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape the sentence of hell?
- Matt 23:13Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let in those who wish to enter.
- Matt 6:7And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard.
- Ezek 22:25The conspiracy of the princes in her midst is like a roaring lion tearing its prey. They devour the people, seize the treasures and precious things, and multiply the widows within her.
- Luke 12:47–48That servant who knows his master’s will but does not get ready or follow his instructions will be beaten with many blows.
- Mic 3:1–4Then I said: “Hear now, O leaders of Jacob, you rulers of the house of Israel. Should you not know justice?
- 2 Tim 3:6They are the kind who worm their way into households and captivate vulnerable women who are weighed down with sins and led astray by various passions,
- Matt 11:22–24But I tell you, it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
- Mic 2:2They covet fields and seize them; they take away houses. They deprive a man of his home, a fellow man of his inheritance.
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Christ at the center
Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
How Mark 12:40 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.