Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
Parallel translations
- WEB You therefore who teach another, don’t you teach yourself? You who preach that a man shouldn’t steal, do you steal?
- BSB you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal?
- NKJV You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that a man should not steal, do you steal?
- NASB you, therefore, who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one is not to steal, do you steal?
- NLT Well then, if you teach others, why don’t you teach yourself? You tell others not to steal, but do you steal?
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
You who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? Teaching others is hollow without practicing it oneself.
Overview
Paul turns the indictment into pointed questions. The one who instructs others fails to apply the law to himself. The example of stealing shows that knowing and proclaiming the law does not equal keeping it. This exposes the hypocrisy of religious privilege divorced from obedience, leaving the self-righteous Jew as guilty as the pagan of chapter 1.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 1 Cor 9:27But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.
- Matt 23:3–28All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and do; but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not.
- Luke 12:47And that servant, which knew his lord’s will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
- Mic 3:11The heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD, and say, Is not the LORD among us? none evil can come upon us.
- Titus 2:1–7But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine:
- Luke 11:46And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers.
- Ps 50:16–21But unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth?
- Matt 21:13And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
- Ezek 22:27Her princes in the midst thereof are like wolves ravening the prey, to shed blood, and to destroy souls, to get dishonest gain.
- Amos 8:4–6Hear this, O ye that swallow up the needy, even to make the poor of the land to fail,
- Luke 19:22And he saith unto him, Out of thine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked servant. Thou knewest that I was an austere man, taking up that I laid not down, and reaping that I did not sow:
- Luke 4:23And he said unto them, Ye will surely say unto me this proverb, Physician, heal thyself: whatsoever we have heard done in Capernaum, do also here in thy country.
- Ezek 22:12–13In thee have they taken gifts to shed blood; thou hast taken usury and increase, and thou hast greedily gained of thy neighbours by extortion, and hast forgotten me, saith the Lord GOD.
- Isa 56:11Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.
- Gal 6:13For neither they themselves who are circumcised keep the law; but desire to have you circumcised, that they may glory in your flesh.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Paul unfolds the gospel in full: Christ our righteousness received by faith, the second Adam in whom many are made righteous, in whose death and resurrection we are buried and raised.
How Romans 2:21 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.