“Watch out!” Jesus told them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
- KJV Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
- NKJV Then Jesus said to them, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees.”
- NASB And Jesus said to them, “Watch out and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
- NLT “Watch out!” Jesus warned them. “Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
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 the disciples to beware the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees. It matters because false teaching, like yeast, spreads quietly and corrupts.
Overview
Jesus uses yeast as a picture of how false doctrine permeates and corrupts unseen. The warning targets the teaching and influence of the religious leaders just encountered. A small amount of error, left unchecked, can spread through and spoil the whole. The disciples are to guard their minds against such corrupting influence.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Luke 12:1In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
- Gal 5:9A little leaven works through the whole batch of dough.
- Matt 16:12Then they understood that He was not telling them to beware of the leaven used in bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
- 1 Cor 5:6–8Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven works through the whole batch of dough?
- Lev 2:11No grain offering that you present to the LORD may be made with leaven, for you are not to burn any leaven or honey as an offering made by fire to the LORD.
- Mark 8:15“Watch out!” He cautioned them. “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod.”
- 2 Tim 2:16–17But avoid irreverent, empty chatter, which will only lead to more ungodliness,
- Luke 12:15And He said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against every form of greed, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.”
- Exod 12:15–19For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel.
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 16:6 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.