Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version They tie up heavy, cumbersome loads and put them on other people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. New Living Translation They crush people with unbearable religious demands and never lift a finger to ease the burden. English Standard Version They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. Berean Standard Bible They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Berean Literal Bible And they tie up burdens heavy and hard to bear and lay them on the shoulders of men; but they themselves are not willing to move them with their finger. King James Bible For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. New King James Version For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. New American Standard Bible And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as their finger. NASB 1995 “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. NASB 1977 “And they tie up heavy loads, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. Legacy Standard Bible And they tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. Amplified Bible The scribes and Pharisees tie up heavy loads [that are hard to bear] and place them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves will not lift a finger [to make them lighter]. Christian Standard Bible They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. Holman Christian Standard Bible They tie up heavy loads that are hard to carry and put them on people’s shoulders, but they themselves aren’t willing to lift a finger to move them. American Standard Version Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. Aramaic Bible in Plain English And they bind heavy burdens and place them on the shoulders of men, but they are not willing to touch them with their fingers. Contemporary English Version They pile heavy burdens on people's shoulders and won't lift a finger to help. Douay-Rheims Bible For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them. English Revised Version Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger. GOD'S WORD® Translation They make loads that are hard to carry and lay them on the shoulders of the people. However, they are not willing to lift a finger to move them. Good News Translation They tie onto people's backs loads that are heavy and hard to carry, yet they aren't willing even to lift a finger to help them carry those loads. International Standard Version They tie up burdens that are heavy and unbearable and lay them on people's shoulders, but they refuse to lift a finger to remove them. Literal Standard Version for they bind together burdens [too] heavy and grievous to bear, and lay [them] on the shoulders of men, but with their finger they will not move them. Majority Standard Bible They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. New American Bible They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. NET Bible They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them. New Revised Standard Version They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them. New Heart English Bible For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on people's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. Webster's Bible Translation For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. Weymouth New Testament Heavy and cumbrous burdens they bind together and load men's shoulders with them, while as for themselves, not with one finger do they choose to lift them. World English Bible For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. Young's Literal Translation for they bind together burdens heavy and grievous to be borne, and lay upon the shoulders of men, but with their finger they will not move them. Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Woes to Scribes and Pharisees…3So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. 4 They tie up heavy, burdensome loads and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them. 5All their deeds are done for men to see. They broaden their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.… Cross References Isaiah 46:1 Bel crouches; Nebo cowers. Their idols weigh down beasts and cattle. The images you carry are burdensome, a load to the weary animal. Matthew 23:3 So practice and observe everything they tell you. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they preach. Luke 11:46 "Woe to you as well, experts in the law!" He replied. "You weigh men down with heavy burdens, but you yourselves will not lift a finger to lighten their load. Acts 15:10 Now then, why do you test God by placing on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 1 John 5:3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome, Treasury of Scripture For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers. Matthew 23:23 Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. Matthew 11:28-30 Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest… Luke 11:46 And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Jump to Previous Bind Borne Burdens Choose Finger Fingers Great Grievous Hard Heavy Help Lay Loads Move Shoulders Themselves Tie Together Unwilling Weights WillingJump to Next Bind Borne Burdens Choose Finger Fingers Great Grievous Hard Heavy Help Lay Loads Move Shoulders Themselves Tie Together Unwilling Weights WillingMatthew 23 1. Jesus admonishes the people to follow good doctrine, not bad examples5. His disciples must beware of their ambition. 13. He denounces eight woes against their hypocrisy and blindness, 34. and prophesies of the destruction of Jerusalem. (4) Heavy burdens.--The thought was involved in our Lord's call to the "heavy laden," in the words that spoke of His own "burden" as "light" (Matthew 11:28; Matthew 11:30). Here it finds distinct expression. That it appealed to the witness which men's hearts were bearing, secretly or openly, we see from St. Peter's confession in Acts 15:10. They themselves will not move . . .--The rigorous precepts, the high-flown morality were for others, not themselves. Professing to guide, they neither helped nor sympathised with the troubles of those they taught. (Comp. Romans 2:17-23.) Verse 4. - Bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne; δυσβάστακτα: importabilia (Vulgate). The last epithet, which is very uncommon (Luke 11:46), is omitted by some manuscripts and versions, but it is probably genuine here. The burdens are the minute regulations and prescriptions, the vexatious restrictions, the innumerable traditional observances with which these teachers had garbled and defaced the written Law. We have noticed some of these glosses in the matter of the sabbath and ceremonial purification; and these are only specimens of a system which extended to every relation of life, and to all details of religious practice, binding one rule to another, enforcing useless and absurd minutiae, till the burden became insupportable. Alford considers that not human traditions and observances are signified by the "burdens," but the severity of the Law, the weighty duties inculcated therein, which they enforce on others, but do not observe. It may, however, well be doubted whether Christ would ever have termed the legitimate rites and ceremonies of the Law unbearable burdens, though their rigorous enforcement by men who regarded only the letter, while they had lost the spirit, would naturally deserve censure. (If the epithet is not genuine, of course this remark does not apply.) What Christ denounced was not the Law itself, however severe and grievous to human nature, or even immemorial tradition, but the false inferences and deductions therefrom, leading to injunctions insupportable and impracticable. Will not move them with one of their fingers; with their finger. This does not imply (and it would not be true) that the rabbis themselves were all hypocrites, and broke or evaded the Law with impunity. We know that they scrupulously attended to all outward observances. What is meant is that they take no trouble to lighten (κινῆσαι, "to move away"), to make these burdens easier by explanation or relaxation, or to proportion them to the strength of the disciple. They impose them with all their crushing weight and severity upon others, and uncompromisingly demand obedience to these unscriptural regulations, putting "a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear" (Acts 15:10; Galatians 5:1). Contrast with this the Christian's service: "My yoke is easy," says Christ, "and my burden is light" (ch. 11:33).Parallel Commentaries ... Greek They tie upδεσμεύουσιν (desmeuousin) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 1195: To bind, put in chains, tie together. From a derivative of desmeo; to be a binder, i.e. To enchain, to tie on. heavy, βαρέα (barea) Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural Strong's 926: Heavy, weighty, burdensome, lit. and met; violent, oppressive. From the same as baros; weighty, i.e. burdensome, grave. burdensome δυσβάστακτα (dysbastakta) Adjective - Accusative Neuter Plural Strong's 1419: Difficult to carry, oppressive. From dus- and a derivative of bastazo; oppressive. loads φορτία (phortia) Noun - Accusative Neuter Plural Strong's 5413: A burden; the freight of a ship. Diminutive of phortos; an invoice, i.e. a task or service. and καὶ (kai) Conjunction Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely. lay [them] ἐπιτιθέασιν (epititheasin) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 2007: To put, place upon, lay on; I add, give in addition. From epi and tithemi; to impose. on ἐπὶ (epi) Preposition Strong's 1909: On, to, against, on the basis of, at. men’s ἀνθρώπων (anthrōpōn) Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Strong's 444: A man, one of the human race. From aner and ops; man-faced, i.e. A human being. shoulders, ὤμους (ōmous) Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural Strong's 5606: The shoulder. Perhaps from the alternate of phero; the shoulder. but δὲ (de) Conjunction Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc. they themselves αὐτοὶ (autoi) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative Masculine 3rd Person Plural 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. are not willing θέλουσιν (thelousin) Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural Strong's 2309: To will, wish, desire, be willing, intend, design. to lift a finger δακτύλῳ (daktylō) Noun - Dative Masculine Singular Strong's 1147: A finger. Probably from deka; a finger. to move κινῆσαι (kinēsai) Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active Strong's 2795: To set in motion, move, remove, excite, stir up. From kio; to stir, literally or figuratively. them. αὐτά (auta) Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Neuter 3rd Person Plural 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. Links Matthew 23:4 NIVMatthew 23:4 NLT Matthew 23:4 ESV Matthew 23:4 NASB Matthew 23:4 KJV Matthew 23:4 BibleApps.com Matthew 23:4 Biblia Paralela Matthew 23:4 Chinese Bible Matthew 23:4 French Bible Matthew 23:4 Catholic Bible NT Gospels: Matthew 23:4 For they bind heavy burdens that (Matt. Mat Mt) |
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