Matthew 23:30

And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.

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Word by word — the Greek

Word	Greek	Strong’s	Meaning
And	καὶ kai	G2532	and · conjunction
say	λέγετε· legete	G3004	properly · verb — present active indicative, 2nd person plural
If	εἰ ei	G1487	if · conditional particle
we had been	ἤμεθα ēmetha	G1510	I exist (used only when emphatic) · verb — imperfect middle indicative, 1st person plural
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
the days	ἡμέραις hēmerais	G2250	day · noun — dative plural feminine
of	πατέρων paterōn	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively · noun — genitive plural masculine
our	ἡμῶν hēmōn	G2257	of (or from) us
fathers	πατήρ patḗr	G3962	a "father" (literally or figuratively
we	ἂν an	G302	(what- · particle
would	ἤμεθα ēmetha	G1510	I exist (used only when emphatic) · verb — imperfect middle indicative, 1st person plural
not	οὐκ ouk	G3756	the absolute negative (compare G3361 (μή)) adverb · particle — negative
have been	εἰμί eimí	G1510	I exist (used only when emphatic)
partakers	κοινωνοὶ koinōnoi	G2844	a sharer · noun — nominative plural masculine
with them	αὐτῶν autōn	G846	the reflexive pronoun self · personal pronoun — genitive plural masculine
in	ἐν en	G1722	"in · preposition
the blood	αἵματι aimati	G129	blood · noun — dative singular neuter
of the prophets	προφητῶν, prophētōn	G4396	a foreteller ("prophet") · noun — genitive plural masculine

Strong's Exhaustive Concordance (James Strong, 1890/1894), public domain; digitized by Open Scriptures (CC BY-SA). KJV word tagging: eBible.org (public domain). Original-language text, parsing and brief lexicon: STEPBible.org data from Tyndale House, Cambridge (CC BY 4.0).

Cross-references

Jeremiah 2:30 In vain have I smitten your children; they received no correction: your own sword hath devoured your prophets, like a destroying lion.
Matthew 21:35-36 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.
Matthew 23:34-35 Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall y…
2 Chronicles 36:15 And the LORD God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, a…

Cross-references from OpenBible.info (CC BY), in the lineage of the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (public domain).

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 23:27

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like whited sepulchres--or, whitewashed sepulchres. (Compare Act 23:3). The process of whitewashing the sepulchres, as LIGHTFOOT says, was performed on a certain day every year, not for ceremonial cleansing, but., as the following words seem rather to imply, to beautify them. which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness--What a powerful way of conveying the charge, that with all their fair show their hearts were full of corruption! (Compare Psa 5:9; Rom 3:13). But our Lord, stripping off the figure, next holds up their iniquity in naked colors. Wherefore ye be witnesses u…

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John Gill on Matthew 23:30

And say, if we had been in the days of our fathers,.... Their ancestors and predecessors: signifying, that if they had lived in the times they did, or had been in the same post and office with them, they should have opposed, at least not consented to their measures: we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets; would not have joined them in persecuting the prophets, and in shedding their blood, and putting them to death; but would have received them as the prophets of the Lord, have hearkened to their advice and message, and have honoured and obeyed them as such; and this they thought they sufficiently declared, by building and adorning their tombs.

John Calvin on Matthew 23:29–end

Matthew 23:29-39 Matthew 23:29-39 Luke 11:47-51 29. Woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the sepulchers of the prophets and embellish the monuments of the righteous, 30. And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been their associates in the blood of the prophets. 31. Thus you testify against yourselves, that you are the children of those who killed the prophets. 32. Do you also fill up the measure of your fathers. 33. Serpents, offspring of vipers, how shall you escape the judgment of hell? 34. Therefore, lo, I send to you prophets, and wise men, and scribes, and some of them you will slay and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in…

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The Church Fathers

For the things that ye now dare to do, show that ye do these things also in this spirit. For, though ye speak the contrary, saith He, as condemning them, as, for instance, "We should not, if we had been in their days, have been partakers with them;" yet the disposition is evident wherewith ye say these things. Wherefore also unfolding it, though darkly, still He hath expressed it. For when He had said, ye say, "If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets;" He added, "Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them that slew the prophets." And what blame is it to be a murderer's son, if one partake not in the mind of one's father? None. Whence it is evident, that for this same thing He brings it forward against them, hinting at their affinity in wickedness.
— John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 74

The Church Fathers: public-domain translations (Ante-Nicene and Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers), verse-indexed by SermonIndex (CC BY 4.0).

Dictionary and topics

Father — A name applied (1) to any ancestor (Deut. 1:11; 1 Kings 15:11; Matt. 3:9; 23:30, etc.); and (2) as a title of respect to a chief, ruler, or elder, etc. (Judg. 17:10; 18:19; 1 Sam. 10:12; 2 Kings…
Scribes — Anciently held various important offices in the public affairs of the nation. The Hebrew word so rendered (sopher) is first used to designate the holder of some military office (Judg. 5:14; A.V.,…
Ecclesiasticism · Jewish, rebuked by Jesus — Jewish, rebuked by Jesus
Hypocrisy · General scriptures concerning — General scriptures concerning
Pharisees · .By Jesus — .By Jesus
Pharisees, The · Christ: Denounced woes against — Christ: Denounced woes against
Satire · Of Jesus against hypocrites — Of Jesus against hypocrites
Self-Righteousness · 2:4; — 2:4;
Teachers · .Admonition against — .Admonition against

Dictionary: Easton's (1897) and Smith's (1863), public domain. Topics: Nave's Topical Bible (1896) and Torrey's Topical Textbook (1897), public domain. Both as parsed by NEUU (CC BY 4.0).

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 23:27

John Gill on Matthew 23:30

John Calvin on Matthew 23:29–end

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Word by word — the Greek

Cross-references

Commentary

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Matthew 23:27

John Gill on Matthew 23:30

John Calvin on Matthew 23:29–end

The Church Fathers

Dictionary and topics

Tyndale Open Study Notes on Matthew 23:29