Matthew 7
7
Judging Others. 1#In Mt 7:1 Matthew returns to the basic traditional material of the sermon (Lk 6:37–38, 41–42). The governing thought is the correspondence between conduct toward one’s fellows and God’s conduct toward the one so acting. #Lk 6:37–38, 41–42. “Stop judging,#This is not a prohibition against recognizing the faults of others, which would be hardly compatible with Mt 7:5, 6 but against passing judgment in a spirit of arrogance, forgetful of one’s own faults. that you may not be judged.#Rom 2:1–2; 1 Cor 4:5. 2For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.#Wis 12:22; Mk 4:24. 3Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’ while the wooden beam is in your eye? 5You hypocrite,#Hypocrite: the designation previously given to the scribes and Pharisees is here given to the Christian disciple who is concerned with the faults of another and ignores his own more serious offenses. remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.
Pearls Before Swine. 6“Do not give what is holy to dogs,#Dogs and swine were Jewish terms of contempt for Gentiles. This saying may originally have derived from a Jewish Christian community opposed to preaching the gospel (what is holy, pearls) to Gentiles. In the light of Mt 28:19 that can hardly be Matthew’s meaning. He may have taken the saying as applying to a Christian dealing with an obstinately impenitent fellow Christian (Mt 18:17). or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.#Prv 23:9.
The Answer to Prayers. 7#Mk 11:24; Lk 11:9–13. “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.#18:19. 8For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.#Lk 18:1–8; Jn 14:13. 9Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread,#There is a resemblance between a stone and a round loaf of bread and between a serpent and the scaleless fish called barbut. 10or a snake when he asks for a fish? 11If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.#1 Jn 5:14–15.
The Golden Rule. 12#See Lk 6:31. This saying, known since the eighteenth century as the “Golden Rule,” is found in both positive and negative form in pagan and Jewish sources, both earlier and later than the gospel. This is the law and the prophets is an addition probably due to the evangelist. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.#Lk 6:31. This is the law and the prophets.
The Narrow Gate. 13#The final section of the discourse is composed of a series of antitheses, contrasting two kinds of life within the Christian community, that of those who obey the words of Jesus and that of those who do not. Most of the sayings are from Q and are found also in Luke. “Enter through the narrow gate;#The metaphor of the “two ways” was common in pagan philosophy and in the Old Testament. In Christian literature it is found also in the Didache (1–6) and the Epistle of Barnabas (18–20). for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.#Lk 13:24. 14How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few.
False Prophets.#Christian disciples who claimed to speak in the name of God are called prophets (Mt 7:15) in Mt 10:41; Mt 23:34. They were presumably an important group within the church of Matthew. As in the case of the Old Testament prophets, there were both true and false ones, and for Matthew the difference could be recognized by the quality of their deeds, the fruits (Mt 7:16). The mention of fruits leads to the comparison with trees, some producing good fruit, others bad. 15“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but underneath are ravenous wolves.#2 Pt 2:1. 16#12:33; Lk 6:43–44. By their fruits you will know them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17Just so, every good tree bears good fruit, and a rotten tree bears bad fruit. 18A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a rotten tree bear good fruit. 19Every tree that does not bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. 20So by their fruits you will know them.#3:10.
The True Disciple. 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven,#The attack on the false prophets is continued, but is broadened to include those disciples who perform works of healing and exorcism in the name of Jesus (Lord) but live evil lives. Entrance into the kingdom is only for those who do the will of the Father. On the day of judgment (on that day) the morally corrupt prophets and miracle workers will be rejected by Jesus. but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.#Is 29:13; Lk 6:46. 22Many will say to me on that day,#Lk 13:26–27. ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?’#25:11–12. 23Then I will declare to them solemnly, ‘I never knew you.#I never knew you: cf. Mt 10:33. Depart from me, you evildoers: cf. Ps 6:9. Depart from me, you evildoers.’#Ps 5:5; 6:9.
The Two Foundations. 24#The conclusion of the discourse (cf. Lk 6:47–49). Here the relation is not between saying and doing as in Mt 7:15–23 but between hearing and doing, and the words of Jesus are applied to every Christian (everyone who listens). “Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock.#Lk 6:47–49. 25The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house.#Prv 10:25. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock. 26And everyone who listens to these words of mine but does not act on them will be like a fool who built his house on sand. 27The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. And it collapsed and was completely ruined.”
28#When Jesus finished these words: this or a similar formula is used by Matthew to conclude each of the five great discourses of Jesus (cf. Mt 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1). When Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at his teaching, 29#Not as their scribes: scribal instruction was a faithful handing down of the traditions of earlier teachers; Jesus’ teaching is based on his own authority. Their scribes: for the implications of their, see note on Mt 4:23. #Mk 1:22; Lk 4:32. for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.
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Matthew 7: NABRE
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Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc
Mattityahu 7
7
1Judge not lest you be judged.
2For with what gezar din (verdict) you judge, you will be judged, and with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you.
3And why do you see the speck in the eye of your Ach,#7:3 b'Moshiach but you do not consider the beam in your own eye.
4Or how will you say to your Ach,#7:4 b'Moshiach Let me take the speck out from your eye! (And, hinei! The beam is in your own eye!)
5Tzevua (hypocrite), first take the beam out of your eye, and then you will see clearly enough to take out the speck from the eye of your Ach.#7:5 b'Moshiach
6Do not give the kodesh to kelevim nor throw your pearls before chazirim, lest they will trample them with their feet and turn around and tear you into pieces.
7Keep asking and it shall be given to you; keep searching and you shall find; keep knocking and the delet shall be opened to you.
8For everyone asking receives, and the one searching finds, and to the one knocking the delet will be opened.
9Or what man is there among you the ben of whom will ask for lechem (bread), and he will give him a stone.
10Or if he asks for a dag (fish), will give him a nachash (snake)?
11Therefore, if you, being ra'im (evil ones), know to give matanot tovot (good gifts) to your yeladim, how much more does your Av shbaShomayim give hatov (the good) to the ones asking Him.
12Therefore, everything that you wish Bnei Adam do for you, thus also you do for them. For this is the Torah and the Neviim.
13Enter through the derech (way) of the shaar hatzarut (gate of narrowness), for wide is the delet and broad is the rekhov (street) leading to Avaddon (destruction, hell, Abaddon), and rabbim (many) are they who enter through it.
14But tzar (narrow) is the delet and constricted is the Derech (Way) that leads to Chayyim (life) and few are the ones finding it.
15Beware of the neviei hasheker (false prophets), who come to you in the malbush (clothing) of kevasim (sheep), but within are ravenous ze'evim (wolves).
16By their perot (fruits) you will have da'as of them. Surely grapes are not gathered from thorns nor figs from thistles, are they?
17So every etz tov (good tree) produces pri tov (good fruit), but the etz nishchat (corrupt tree) produces pri rah.
18An etz tov is not able to produce pri rah nor is an etz nishchat able to produce pri tov.
19Kol etz (every tree) not producing pri tov is cut off and is thrown into HaEish (the Fire).#7:19 (Isa 66:24; Dan 12:2)
20Therefore, by their perot (fruits) you shall have da'as of them.
21Not all the ones saying to me, Adoneinu, Adoneinu, will enter the Malchut HaShomayim, but the one doing the ratzon Avi shbaShomayim (the will of my Father in Heaven).#7:21 Mt 26:39
22Many#7:22 messianic darshanim will say to me#7:22 Moshiach on that Day,#7:22 the Yom HaDin, the Day of Judgment Adoneinu, Adoneinu, did we not speak as neviim in your Name? Did we not cast out shedim (evil spirits, demons) in your Name? Did we not accomplish many niflaot (miracles) in your Name?
23And then I will tell them to their face, I never had da'as of you. Depart from me, you workers of mufkarut (lawlessness).#7:23 Ps 6:8 [9]
24Therefore, everyone who hears these devarim (words) of mine and does them, is like a chacham (wise man) who built his bais (house) upon the Tzur (Rock).
25And the geshem (rain) came down, the floods arrived, and the winds blew and beat against that bais, and it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the Tzur (Rock).
26And everyone hearing these words of mine#7:26 Divrei Moshiach and not doing them is like the shoteh (fool), who built his bais upon the sand.
27And the geshem (rain) came down, and the floods arrived, and the winds blew and beat against that bais, and it fell, and gadolah was the mapalah (fall, downfall, defeat) of it.
28And it came about when Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach finished these divrei torah (words of teaching), the multitudes were filled with fear and wonder at his torah.
29For his ministry of moreh (teacher) was as one having samchut (authority) and not as their Sofrim (scribes, torah teachers, rabbonim).
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.