Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayer: therefore ye shall receive the greater damnation.
Parallel translations
- WEB “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the Kingdom of Heaven against men; for you don’t enter in yourselves, neither do you allow those who are entering in to enter.
- NKJV Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
This woe condemns the leaders for exploiting widows while making a show of long prayers, promising them severer judgment. It denounces religion that masks greed with piety.
Overview
This verse, present in some manuscripts and absent in the earliest, charges the leaders with defrauding the vulnerable under cover of devout appearances. Their hypocrisy compounded their guilt and would bring greater condemnation. God sees through outward religion to the heart and will judge those who abuse the weak while parading their piety.
Cross-references & the web
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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 23:14 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
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