And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.
Parallel translations
- WEB I tell you that every idle word that men speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
- KJV But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
- BSB But I tell you that men will give an account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken.
- ESV I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak,
- NKJV But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.
- NASB But I tell you that for every careless word that people speak, they will give an account of it on the day of judgment.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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 warns that people will give account on judgment day for every careless word they speak.
Overview
Even idle, unguarded words reveal the heart and so come under God's righteous scrutiny. This sobering truth underscores human accountability before God. It drives sinners to seek the forgiveness and cleansing found only in Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Eccl 12:14For God will bring every work into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether it is good, or whether it is evil.
- Rom 2:16in the day when God will judge the secrets of men, according to my Good News, by Jesus Christ.
- Rev 20:12I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and they opened books. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.
- Jude 1:14–15About these also Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with ten thousands of his holy ones,
- Eph 6:4–6You fathers, don’t provoke your children to wrath, but nurture them in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 12:36 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.