Matthew 23:21

"He therefore who swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it."

Key Reflection

In first-century Judaism, the temple's altar held significant religious importance as a symbol of God's presence. When someone swore by the altar, they were essentially swearing by God Himself and all that He represented in the Temple, including His laws and covenant promises. This practice underscores the sacred nature of the temple and its ritual objects, making any oath taken there weighty and binding for those in Jesus' audience.

From the Scholars: Barnes' Notes

Verse 21. Him that dwelleth therein. That is, God. The temple was his house, his dwelling. In the first, or Solomon's temple, he dwelt between the cherubims, in the most holy place. He manifested himself there by a visible symbol, in the form of a cloud resting on the mercy-seat, 1 Ki 8:10,13; Ps 80:1. {g} "him that dwelleth" 2 Ch 6:2; Ps 26:8 __________________________________________________________________

Related Verses

More from Matthew 23

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40

Go deeper with Bible.talk - your AI Bible study companion