Matius 23:5

23:5 They ¹  do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries ²  wide and their tassels ³  long.

Matius 23:1

Seven Woes

23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,

1 Samuel 16:7

16:7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t be impressed by ⁴  his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. God does not view things the way men do. ⁵  People look on the outward appearance, ⁶  but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Mazmur 51:6

51:6 Look, ⁷  you desire ⁸  integrity in the inner man; ⁹ 

you want me to possess wisdom. ¹⁰ 

Yeremia 17:9-10

17:9 The human mind is more deceitful than anything else.

It is incurably bad. ¹¹  Who can understand it?

17:10 I, the Lord, probe into people’s minds.

I examine people’s hearts. ¹² 

I deal with each person according to how he has behaved.

I give them what they deserve based on what they have done.

Lukas 16:15

16:15 But ¹³  Jesus ¹⁴  said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in men’s eyes, ¹⁵  but God knows your hearts. For what is highly prized ¹⁶  among men is utterly detestable ¹⁷  in God’s sight.

Ibrani 4:12-13

4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any double-edged sword, piercing even to the point of dividing soul from spirit, and joints from marrow; it is able to judge the desires and thoughts of the heart. 4:13 And no creature is hidden from God, ¹⁸  but everything is naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must render an account.

[23:5]  ¹ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[23:5]  ² sn Phylacteries were small leather cases containing OT scripture verses, worn on the arm and forehead by Jews, especially when praying. The custom was derived from such OT passages as Exod 13:9; 16; Deut 6:8; 11:18.

[23:5]  ³ tn The term κράσπεδον (kraspedon) in some contexts could refer to the outer fringe of the garment (possibly in Mark 6:56). This edge could have been plain or decorated. L&N 6.180 states, “In Mt 23:5 κράσπεδον denotes the tassels worn at the four corners of the outer garment (see 6.194).”

[23:5]  sn Tassels refer to the tassels that a male Israelite was obligated to wear on the four corners of his outer garment according to the Mosaic law (Num 15:38; Deut 22:12).

[16:7]  ⁴ tn Heb “don’t look toward.”

[16:7]  ⁵ tn Heb “for not that which the man sees.” The translation follows the LXX, which reads, “for not as man sees does God see.” The MT has suffered from homoioteleuton or homoioarcton. See P. K. McCarter, I Samuel (AB), 274.

[16:7]  ⁶ tn Heb “to the eyes.”

[51:6]  ⁷ sn The juxtaposition of two occurrences of “look” in vv. 5-6 draws attention to the sharp contrast between the sinful reality of the psalmist’s condition and the lofty ideal God has for him.

[51:6]  ⁸ tn The perfect is used in a generalizing sense here.

[51:6]  ⁹ tn Heb “in the covered [places],” i.e., in the inner man.

[51:6]  ¹⁰ tn Heb “in the secret [place] wisdom you cause me to know.” The Hiphil verbal form is causative, while the imperfect is used in a modal sense to indicate God’s desire (note the parallel verb “desire”).

[51:6]  sn You want me to possess wisdom. Here “wisdom” does not mean “intelligence” or “learning,” but refers to moral insight and skill.

[17:9]  ¹¹ tn Or “incurably deceitful”; Heb “It is incurable.” For the word “deceitful” compare the usage of the verb in Gen 27:36 and a related noun in 2 Kgs 10:19. For the adjective “incurable” compare the usage in Jer 15:18. It is most commonly used with reference to wounds or of pain. In Jer 17:16 it is used metaphorically for a “woeful day” (i.e., day of irreparable devastation).

[17:9]  sn The background for this verse is Deut 29:18-19 (29:17-18 HT) and Deut 30:17.

[17:10]  ¹² tn The term rendered “mind” here and in the previous verse is actually the Hebrew word for “heart.” However, in combination with the word rendered “heart” in the next line, which is the Hebrew for “kidneys,” it is best rendered “mind” because the “heart” was considered the center of intellect, conscience, and will and the “kidneys” the center of emotions.

[17:10]  sn For an earlier reference to this motif see Jer 11:20. For a later reference see Jer 20:12. See also Ps 17:2-3.

[16:15]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast present in this context.

[16:15]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “before men.” The contrast is between outward appearance (“in people’s eyes”) and inward reality (“God knows your hearts”). Here the Greek term ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") is used twice in a generic sense, referring to both men and women, but “men” has been retained in the text to provide a strong verbal contrast with “God” in the second half of the verse.

[16:15]  ¹⁶ tn Or “exalted.” This refers to the pride that often comes with money and position.

[16:15]  ¹⁷ tn Or “is an abomination,” “is abhorrent” (L&N 25.187).

[4:13]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “him”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.