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Matthew

About this book
Chapter 7

1 “Do not judge so that you will not be judged.⁠ 2 For by the standard you judge you will be judged, and the measure you use will be the measure you receive.⁠ 3 Why do you see the speck in your brother’s eye, but fail to see the beam of wood in your own?⁠ 4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye,’ while there is a beam in your own? 5 You hypocrite! First remove the beam from your own eye, and then you can see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.⁠ 6 Do not give what is holy to dogs⁠ or throw your pearls before pigs;⁠ otherwise they will trample them under their feet and turn around and tear you to pieces.⁠ 7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;⁠ knock and the door will be opened for you.⁠ 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.⁠ 9 Is there anyone among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!⁠ 12 In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you,⁠ for this fulfills the law and the prophets.⁠ 13 “Enter through the narrow gate because the gate is wide and the way is spacious that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.⁠ 14 How narrow is the gate and difficult the way that leads to life, and there are few who find it! 15 “Watch out for false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are voracious wolves.⁠ 16 You will recognize them by their fruit. Grapes are not gathered from thorns or figs from thistles, are they?⁠ 17 In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 A good tree is not able to bear bad fruit, nor a bad tree to bear good fruit.⁠ 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.⁠ 20 So then, you will recognize them by their fruit. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’⁠ will enter into the kingdom of heaven—only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.⁠ 22 On that day, many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many powerful deeds in your name?’ 23 Then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Go away from me, you lawbreakers!’⁠ 24 “Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them is like a wise man who built his house on rock.⁠ 25 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!” 28 When Jesus finished saying these things,⁠ the crowds were amazed by his teaching,⁠ 29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Samuel 24:16 and Matthew 7:28

Hebrew Bible · New Testament

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Summary

Matthew 7 and 1 Samuel 24 use similar language to mark the end of a major speech. David finishes before Saul reacts, and Jesus ends his teaching before the story moves forward, connecting their authority through a common form.

Passages

1 Samuel 24:16

Hebrew Bible
15 May the Lord be our judge and arbiter. May he see and arbitrate my case and deliver me from your hands.” 16 When David finished speaking these words to Saul, Saul said, “Is that your voice, my son David?” Then Saul wept loudly. 17 He said to David, “You are more innocent than I, for you have treated me well, even though I have tried to harm you. 18 You have explained today how you have treated me well. The Lord delivered me into your hand, but you did not kill me.
600–501 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Samuel

Matthew 7:28

New Testament
26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!” 28 When Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 29 because he taught them like one who had authority, not like their experts in the law.
70–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Matthew

References

"... No sooner had Jesus uttered his words of warning about an impending ominous event than the narrative overtakes his preaching, revealing the unfolding of end-time events. Some commentators consider Matthew’s five notations of points in the narrative when Jesus had concluded speaking (viz. 7:28; 11:1; 13:53; 19:1; 26:1) to indicate five internal divisions within the texts, corresponding to the Five Books of Moses. In my opinion, the use of “concluded all of these words” is an indicator of prophetic significance. Jesus has spoken, and his words are about to become reality. In 1 Samuel 24:16 the use of the same phrase is also forward looking: “And it was as David concluded these words ...” David had just declared to Saul that God would judge between the two of them; one would be found innocent and the other guilty. In so doing he quoted an ancient proverb: “From the wicked comes forth wickedness,” which also sums up Jesus’ message in the previous chapter. Just as the events of history overtake David’s words, so too with Jesus. It seems unlikely that these literary parallels between Jesus and David are random or accidental ..."
Herbert W. Basser and Marsha B. Cohen, The Gospel of Matthew and Judaic Traditions: A Relevance-Based Commentary, BRLJ 46 (Leiden: Brill, 2015), 656.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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1 Samuel 24:16 and Matthew 7:28

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