Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying,
Parallel translations
- KJV Then came to Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying,
- BSB Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked,
- NKJV Then the scribes and Pharisees who were from Jerusalem came to Jesus, saying,
- NASB Then some Pharisees and scribes *came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said,
- NLT Some Pharisees and teachers of religious law now arrived from Jerusalem to see Jesus. They asked him,
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
Pharisees and scribes come from Jerusalem to question Jesus. Religious leaders confront Him over matters of tradition.
Overview
Representatives of the religious establishment travel from Jerusalem to challenge Jesus, signaling official scrutiny of His ministry. Their arrival introduces a significant dispute about tradition and the heart of true obedience. The verse sets the stage for Jesus' penetrating teaching on what truly defiles a person.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Matt 5:20For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
- Mark 3:22The scribes who came down from Jerusalem said, “He has Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons he casts out the demons.”
- Matt 23:2saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat.
- Luke 5:21The scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this that speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins, but God alone?”
- Acts 23:9A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”
- Luke 5:30Their scribes and the Pharisees murmured against his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with the tax collectors and sinners?”
- Mark 7:1–23Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered together to him, having come from Jerusalem.
- Luke 5:17On one of those days, he was teaching; and there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by, who had come out of every village of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem. The power of the Lord was with him to heal them.
- Matt 23:15–28Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel around by sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much of a son of Gehenna as yourselves.
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 15:1 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.