Matthew 23:18

Mat 23:18. Ἐν τῷ δώρῳ, by the gift) The error originated in the mistaken views entertained by the offerers with regard to their own righteousness. They esteemed their own gifts more highly than the Divine institution.—ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ, upon it) sc. the altar.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Ye fools, and blind,.... This is very justly repeated, since this is no less an instance of their folly, blindness, and stupidity. In three copies of Beza's the word "fools" is not; nor is it in the Vulgate Latin, nor in Munster's Hebrew Gospel; but the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions have it:

for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? The gift, or offering, before it was devoted to sacred use, and brought, and laid upon the altar, was common, had no ceremonial sanctity in it, and might be put to any use; but when it was brought, and laid upon the altar, it became holy; for, according to the law, whatever touched the altar, and indeed all, or any of the vessels of the sanctuary, was holy, Exo 29:37. Christ speaks the sense of the law, and their own traditions, and in their own language, and argues from the same to the confutation of them: , "the altar", they say (u), "sanctifies" that which is fit for it; that is, that which is proper to be offered up upon it:

"as the altar sanctifies that which is fit for it, so the ascent unto it sanctifies; and as the altar, and the ascent, sanctify what is fit for them, so the vessels sanctify; the vessels for liquids sanctify the liquids, and the dry measures sanctify the dry; the vessels for liquids do not sanctify the dry, nor the dry measures sanctify the liquids; the holy vessels, which are bored, (or broken,) when they do the service they used to do, when whole, sanctify, if not, they do not sanctify; nor does anything sanctify but in the sanctuary.''

Now, since this is a clear case, that the altar sanctifies the gift, and not the gift the altar, our Lord's question is, which is the greater? A man that has the least share of common sense will easily see, that the altar must be the greater: wherefore these scribes and Pharisees must be wretchedly stupid to give out, that an oath made by the altar was not binding, when one that was made by the gift, or

Korban, was binding; seeing the gift, or offering, received its sanctity from the altar: hence, of the two, an oath made by the altar should be more sacred and obligatory than one made by the gift.

(u) Misn. Zebachim, c. 9. sect. 7.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

18 And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is nothing; but whosoever sweareth by the gift that is upon it, he is guilty.

Ver. 18. But whosoever sweareth by the gift, &c.] Ubi utilitas, ibi pietas, saith Epictetus, where there is gain there is godliness, οπου το συμφερον εκει το ευσεβες. And, Deos quisque sibi utiles cudit, saith another. All the worldling’s ploughing, sailing, building, buying, buts upon commodity, he knows no other deity. These Pharisees strove to reduce all offerings to their own purses and paunches, though they rendered men thereby not only irreligious, but unnatural, Mat 15:5-6. {See Trapp on "Mat 15:5"} {See Trapp on "Mat 15:6"}

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

The altar - The altar of burnt-offerings, in the court of the priests. See the notes at Mat 21:12. It was made of brass, about 30 feet in length and breadth, and 15 feet in height, 2Ch 4:1. On this altar were offered all the beasts and bloody oblations of the temple.

The gift that is upon it - The gift or offering made to God, so called because it was devoted or “given” to him. The gift upon this altar was always beasts and birds.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

By the altar. The great altar of burnt offerings, according to the Mosaic ritual, was consecrated and dedicated with most remarkable solemnities, as the centre of sacrificial worship. (see Exo_29:36, etc.; Exo_30:28, 29 Num_7:10, etc.) The gift that is upon it. The victim, which, as being offered by themselves, was counted more worthy than the altar of God which sanctified the gift. This is, indeed, an instance of sight blinded by self-righteousness. He is guilty; ofeilei : he is a debtor, as ver. 16. Others see here the principle that the validity of oaths was differentiated by the nearness to the Person of God of the things by which they were taken. This, too, opened up large opportunities of evasion.

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18–20. The altar. That of the temple, the only altar known in Israel. The gift. The offering placed on the altar.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

And

The understood information can be made clear. AT: "And you also say" (See: Ellipsis)

it is nothing

"he does not have to do what he has sworn to do" or "he does not have to keep his oath"

the gift

This is an animal or grain that a person would bring to God by putting it on God's altar.

is bound to his oath

"is tied to his oath." Being required to do what one has said he would do in an oath is spoken of as if he is tied to the oath. AT: "must do what he promised to do" (See: Metaphor)

blind people

The Jewish leaders were spiritually blind. Although they thought of themselves as teachers, they were unable to understand God's truth. (See: Metaphor)

Which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift holy?

Jesus uses this question to rebuke the Pharisees for treating the gift as if it were more important than the altar. AT: "The altar that makes the gift holy is greater than the gift!" (See: Rhetorical Question)

the altar that makes the gift holy

"the altar that makes the gift special to God"

translationWords

oath

altar

gift

bind

holy

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

18. θυσιαστηρίῳ, ‘altar of sacrifice.’ This word is an instance of the care taken to exclude certain heathen associations from Jewish and Christian religious thought. βωμὸς is used once only in N.T., Act 17:22, and then of a pagan altar. In the LXX. θυσιαστήριον is used of the altar of Jehovah except Jdg 6:25, where the altar of Baal is called θυσιαστήριον. The altar ‘Ed’ is called βωμός, this however being not a sacrificial altar but ‘a heap of witness.’ The two words are distinguished, 1Ma 1:54, ᾠκοδόμησαν βδέλυγμα ἐρημώσεως ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον· καὶ ἐν πόλεσιν Ἰούδα κύκλῳ ᾠκοδόμησαν βωμούς. Elsewhere βωμὸς is used of the ‘high places’ of paganism, ἀπολεῖται καὶ Δηβὼν οὗ ὁ βωμὸς ὑμῶν, Isa 15:2. Josephus does not observe the distinction; he uses βωμὸς of the altar in the temple.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

18. And, Whosoever shall swear by the altar, it is not valid; but whosoever shall swear by the gift which is upon it, he is bound by his oath.]

(L)

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

He is guilty [οφειλει] . In the rendering of this word the A. V. seems to have been shaped by the earlier and now obsolete sense of guilt, which was probably a fine or payment. Compare Anglo - Saxon gyld, a recompense, and German geld, money. There is a hint of this sense in Shakspeare, Henry Xiv (Second Part), Act 4 Sc. 4

"England shall double gild his treble guilt,"

where the play upon the words hovers between the sense of bedeck and recompense. Wyc. renders oweth, and Tynd., he is debtor. Rev., he is a debtor.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.