“Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?”
The full verse · Matthew 23:17 · KJV
Ye : , the , the that the ?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, teaching in the temple during His last days in Jerusalem (Matthew 23:1; Matthew 24:1)
Asked to
Scribes: experts in the law of Moses who copied, taught, and interpreted it, here called "blind guides" for their teaching on oaths (Matthew 23:2, 16); Pharisees: a Jewish religious party known for strict keeping of the law and tradition, who sat with the scribes "in Moses' seat" (Matthew 23:2)
The Scene
Speaking in the temple to the crowds and His disciples, Jesus pronounces woes on the scribes and Pharisees, and here answers their teaching that an oath by the temple "is nothing" while an oath by "the gold of the temple" is binding (Matthew 23:1, 16).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionJesus asked this to show how upside down their rule was. They taught that swearing by the temple meant nothing, but swearing by the temple's gold made a person "a debtor," bound to keep his word (Matthew 23:16). Yet the gold was holy only because it belonged to the temple. Barnes says, "The gold had no holiness but what it derived from the temple." Gill calls their reasoning so thin that anyone could see through it, and says their minds were "foolishly blinded with avarice," or greed. The question needs no answer. Stating it plainly exposes the error.
The Response
What Scripture recordsNo reply from the scribes or Pharisees is recorded. Jesus gives a second example about the altar and the gift (Matthew 23:18-19), then answers both questions Himself: "whoso shall swear by the temple, sweareth by it, and by him that dwelleth therein" (Matthew 23:21). An oath by any holy thing is an oath before God, and it binds.
Historical Context
The world behind the wordsPeople backed up promises by swearing by heaven, Jerusalem, the temple, or the altar (Matthew 5:34-35; Matthew 23:16-22). Jesus had already taught, "Swear not at all," and "let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay" (Matthew 5:34, 37), and Barnes points back to that passage here. In the scribes' rule, an oath by the temple "is nothing"; Barnes explains, "It amounts to nothing - it is not binding."
The word for "fools" is moros, dull or foolish, and "blind" is tuphlos, blind in body or in mind. "Sanctifieth" translates hagiazo, to make holy or set apart. Gill explains why the temple is greater: it "was the seat of the divine majesty; built for him to dwell in."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyBehind this question is a truth about God: things are holy because of Him. The gold mattered only because it belonged to the house where God dwelt (Matthew 23:21). The scribes had turned that around, valuing the gold above the place of God's presence.
Matthew Henry sees a warning for every religious leader: "Corrupt church-guides make things to be sin or not sin as it serves their purposes." He adds, "That doctrine cannot be of the God of truth which gives countenance to the breach of faith in any case whatsoever." God is true, so His people are to be true in what they say.
Look Closer
According to the scribes' rule, which oath was binding?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Father, You are the One who makes things holy; what have I been valuing more than Your presence, and how can my words be as true as You are?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The scribes valued the gold more than the temple that made it holy. What good things are easiest for you to value more than God Himself?
- When has someone's simple, kept promise meant a lot to you? What made it trustworthy?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Your word matters to God. You do not need special words or sacred objects to make a promise binding. Jesus says a plain "Yea" or "Nay" should be enough (Matthew 5:37). If you said it, mean it and keep it.
This question also asks what you treasure. The gold was only precious because of the God who dwelt in the temple. Gifts, buildings, and religious things have value because they point to Him. Keep Him at the center.
Matthew Henry gives a sober reminder: "Oaths are edge-tools and are not to be jested with." Jesus is not condemning the temple or its gifts. He is condemning a way of thinking that uses holy things to dodge honesty.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources