So then, you will know them by their fruits.
Parallel translations
- WEB Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
- KJV Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.
- BSB So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.
- NKJV Therefore by their fruits you will know them.
- NLT Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.
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
So you will recognize them by their fruits. Conduct and character are the decisive test of what people truly are.
Overview
Jesus restates the principle as a summarizing conclusion to the section on false prophets. The repetition underscores that fruit—not appearance, words, or claims—is the reliable mark of authenticity. It prepares for the following verses, where even impressive religious words prove worthless apart from doing the Father's will.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 7:20 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.