Matthew 12:33
New International Version
“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit.

New Living Translation
“A tree is identified by its fruit. If a tree is good, its fruit will be good. If a tree is bad, its fruit will be bad.

English Standard Version
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

Berean Standard Bible
Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Berean Literal Bible
Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad. For the tree is known by the fruit.

King James Bible
Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

New King James Version
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

New American Standard Bible
“Either assume the tree to be good as well as its fruit good, or assume the tree to be bad as well as its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

NASB 1995
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

NASB 1977
“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

Legacy Standard Bible
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

Amplified Bible
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for the tree is recognized and judged by its fruit.

Christian Standard Bible
“Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

American Standard Version
Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
Either make the tree good and its fruit good or make the tree bad and its fruit bad, for the tree is known by its fruit.

Contemporary English Version
A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. You can tell what a tree is like by the fruit it produces.

Douay-Rheims Bible
Either make the tree good and its fruit good: or make the tree evil, and its fruit evil. For by the fruit the tree is known.

English Revised Version
Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
"Make a tree good, and then its fruit will be good. Or make a tree rotten, and then its fruit will be rotten. A person can recognize a tree by its fruit.

Good News Translation
"To have good fruit you must have a healthy tree; if you have a poor tree, you will have bad fruit. A tree is known by the kind of fruit it bears.

International Standard Version
"Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten, because a tree is known by its fruit.

Literal Standard Version
Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad, for from the fruit is the tree known.

Majority Standard Bible
Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit.

New American Bible
“Either declare the tree good and its fruit is good, or declare the tree rotten and its fruit is rotten, for a tree is known by its fruit.

NET Bible
"Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is known by its fruit.

New Revised Standard Version
“Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit.

New Heart English Bible
"Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

Webster's Bible Translation
Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and its fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by its fruit.

Weymouth New Testament
"Either grant the tree to be wholesome and its fruit wholesome, or the tree poisonous and its fruit poisonous; for the tree is known by its fruit.

World English Bible
“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree corrupt and its fruit corrupt; for the tree is known by its fruit.

Young's Literal Translation
'Either make the tree good, and its fruit good, or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad, for from the fruit is the tree known.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Good and Bad Fruit
32Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the one to come. 33 Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.…

Cross References
Matthew 7:16
By their fruit you will recognize them. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles?

Matthew 7:17
Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

Matthew 7:20
So then, by their fruit you will recognize them.

Luke 6:43
No good tree bears bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit.

Luke 6:44
For each tree is known by its own fruit. Indeed, figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor grapes from brambles.

John 15:4
Remain in Me, and I will remain in you. Just as no branch can bear fruit by itself unless it remains in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in Me.


Treasury of Scripture

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

make the good tree.

Matthew 23:26
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Ezekiel 18:31
Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

Amos 5:15
Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph.

and his fruit good.

Matthew 3:8-10
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: …

Matthew 7:16-20
Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? …

Luke 3:9
And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

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Matthew 12
1. Jesus reproves the blindness of the Pharisees concerning the Sabbath,
3. by scripture,
9. by reason,
13. and by a miracle.
22. He heals a man possessed that was blind and mute;
24. and confronting the absurd charge of casting out demons by Beelzebub,
32. he shows that blasphemy against the Holy Spirit shall never be forgiven.
36. Account shall be made of idle words.
38. He rebukes the unfaithful, who seek after a sign,
46. and shows who is his brother, sister, and mother.














(33) Either make the tree good.--Like most proverbs and parables, the words present different phases, and admit of various applications. As spoken to men of neutral, half-hearted character, they might seem a call, not without a touch of indignant rebuke, to consistency. "At least be thorough; lot principles and actions harmonise. Do not think you can produce the fruit of good works from the tree of a corrupt heart." This, however, is not their meaning here. The men to whom our Lord spoke were not neutral, but in direct hostility to Him, and here, therefore, He presses on them logical rather than practical consistency; "make," i.e., reckon, the tree and the fruit as having the same character. If to cast out demons be a good work, then the power from which it flows must be good also. Works of that kind do not come from a corrupt source.

Verses 33-37. - You wonder that I make so much of words; words are not trivialities, but are really the legitimate and normal fruit of the heart, and therefore by them each man will be judged.

(1) Take your choice; half-heartedness is not enough (cf. ver. 30); the fruit tells the nature of the tree (ver. 33).

(2) Our Lord addresses the Pharisees directly, showing them their true character. They only speak according to their spiritual condition (ver. 34).

(3) Man can only bring out what is already in his heart (ver. 35). . . .

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
Make
ποιήσατε (poiēsate)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

a
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

tree
δένδρον (dendron)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1186: A tree. Probably from drus; a tree.

good
καλὸν (kalon)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 2570: Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

its
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

fruit
καρπὸν (karpon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2590: Probably from the base of harpazo; fruit, literally or figuratively.

[will be] good,
καλόν (kalon)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2570: Properly, beautiful, but chiefly good, i.e. Valuable or virtuous.

or
(ē)
Conjunction
Strong's 2228: Or, than. A primary particle of distinction between two connected terms; disjunctive, or; comparative, than.

make
ποιήσατε (poiēsate)
Verb - Aorist Imperative Active - 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4160: (a) I make, manufacture, construct, (b) I do, act, cause. Apparently a prolonged form of an obsolete primary; to make or do.

a
τὸ (to)
Article - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

tree
δένδρον (dendron)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1186: A tree. Probably from drus; a tree.

bad
σαπρὸν (sapron)
Adjective - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4550: Rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved. From sepo; rotten, i.e. Worthless.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

its
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Neuter 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

fruit
καρπὸν (karpon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2590: Probably from the base of harpazo; fruit, literally or figuratively.

[will be] bad;
σαπρόν (sapron)
Adjective - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4550: Rotten, useless, corrupt, depraved. From sepo; rotten, i.e. Worthless.

for
γὰρ (gar)
Conjunction
Strong's 1063: For. A primary particle; properly, assigning a reason.

a
τὸ (to)
Article - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

tree
δένδρον (dendron)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1186: A tree. Probably from drus; a tree.

is known
γινώσκεται (ginōsketai)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

by
ἐκ (ek)
Preposition
Strong's 1537: From out, out from among, from, suggesting from the interior outwards. A primary preposition denoting origin, from, out.

[its]
τοῦ (tou)
Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

fruit.
καρποῦ (karpou)
Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2590: Probably from the base of harpazo; fruit, literally or figuratively.


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