“Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?”
The full verse · Matthew 7:4 · KJV
wilt thou to , me pull the out ; , , a is thine ?
Asked to
Disciples: "his disciples" (Matthew 5:1), the followers who came to Jesus on the mountain with the multitudes nearby, not limited in the text to the twelve, who are first named in Matthew 10:1-2; Jesus is still teaching them about judging a brother (Matthew 7:1-4). When He finished, "the people were astonished at his doctrine" (Matthew 7:28).
The Scene
Jesus has just asked why someone sees the mote in his brother's eye but does not consider the beam in his own (Matthew 7:3).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThe first question exposed the blindness; this one shows how absurd it is to offer help while still blind. "Let me pull out the mote" sounds kind, yet the would-be helper has a beam in his own eye. Matthew Henry observes, "It is common for those who are most sinful themselves, and least sensible of it, to be most forward and free in judging and censuring others." His remedy is simple: "Those who blame others, ought to be blameless and harmless themselves." Jesus asks "how" because the thing cannot be done well from that position.
The Response
What Scripture recordsJesus answers with a name and a command: "Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye" (Matthew 7:5). The would-be helper is not told to stop helping, but to start with himself. Only then can he see clearly enough to do his brother good.
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Let me" translates aphes, a command form that means "permit" or "allow." The words sound polite, as if the helper is only asking permission to do a kindness. "Behold" (idou) calls attention to what the speaker has missed: the beam is right there in his own eye.
Jesus' word in Matthew 7:5, "hypocrite," recalls the "hypocrites" He described earlier in the sermon, those who give, pray, and fast "that they may be seen of men" (Matthew 6:2, 5, 16). Luke's account makes the polite tone even clearer: "Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye" (Luke 6:42).
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyThis question shows that God cares about the heart behind correction, not just its accuracy. The speck in the brother's eye may be real, but a helper blind to his own sin cannot be trusted with someone else's eye. Matthew Henry explains why Jesus uses the word "hypocrite": whatever such a person may pretend, he "is no enemy to sin (if he were, he would be an enemy to his own sin)."
Jesus still wants the speck removed. In the same sermon He sums up how to treat others: "all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them" (Matthew 7:12). Anyone with something in his eye would want help from someone who can "see clearly" (Matthew 7:5).
Look Closer
What makes the offer "Let me pull out the mote" wrong?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord, before I offer to fix someone else, what do You want to show me about my own heart?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- Why can offering to fix others feel easier than letting God deal with us?
- Share about someone whose humility made their correction easy to receive.
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Notice when you are eager to fix someone. That eagerness can be love, but it can also be a way of avoiding your own issues. Pause and ask God to show you your own beam first.
Then, when you do speak, speak as someone who has been helped yourself. The goal is a brother who sees clearly, not an argument won.
This does not mean you should never offer correction. Jesus expects the mote to come out (Matthew 7:5). But the order matters: your own eye first, then your brother's.
Scripture's own application: Romans 2:1
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
“And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
“Either how canst thou say to thy brother, Brother, let me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou thyself beholdest not the beam that is in thine own eye?”
“Can the blind lead the blind? Shall they not both fall into the ditch?”