Breakdown of Matthew 23:15

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves." — Jesus reveals that the Pharisees' zealous pursuit of converts wasn't about genuine spiritual transformation, but about recruiting followers for their own sect. In doing so, they turned these new conv…

Matthew 23:15 Meaning Explained

All verses

Matthew 23:15

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.

English Standard Version (ESV)

Jesus reveals that the Pharisees' zealous pursuit of converts wasn't about genuine spiritual transformation, but about recruiting followers for their own sect. In doing so, they turned these new converts into something far worse—"children of hell" because they adopted the Pharisees' hollow, self-serving religiosity, making them more deeply damned than their teachers.

What Matthew 23:15 means

Jesus is in the midst of a series of "woes" directed at the scribes and Pharisees, condemning their hypocrisy. He's already accused them of locking people out of God's kingdom, devouring widows' property, and being overly focused on ritual minutiae. This verse continues that intense critique, highlighting their fervent but misguided efforts to gain converts.

Zeal for Proselytes, Not for God

These religious leaders traveled far and wide, dedicating immense energy to winning new followers. But was this zeal for God's glory, or for something else entirely?

Jesus calls out the scribes and Pharisees for their relentless pursuit of converts. They would 'travel across sea and land' – an idiom signifying immense effort and expense – to gain just 'a single proselyte.' This isn't about a genuine desire to see people come to know God. Instead, their energy was directed towards swelling the ranks of their own sect and bolstering their own influence. Their focus was on the number of converts, not the transformation of their hearts. This is a powerful warning against religious activity that prioritizes outward appearance and numbers over genuine, internal change.

Doubling the Condemnation

Why would bringing someone into their religious system make them 'twice as much a child of hell'?

The most damning indictment is that these new converts became worse than their teachers. When a Gentile became a proselyte, they weren't truly introduced to God's kingdom. Instead, they were indoctrinated into the Pharisees' complex web of hypocrisy, legalism, and outward show. They learned to perform religion without possessing it. This made them 'twice as much a child of hell' because:

They were taught to be hypocrites: They learned to mask sin with piety, just like their teachers.
Their existing flaws were amplified: Their former Gentile vices were now combined with the superficial righteousness and self-deception learned from the Pharisees.
They were actively misled: They were led away from the true path of God's kingdom and further into spiritual darkness, making their condemnation more severe.

Understand the original words

Original language

proselyteπροσήλυτος

prosēlytos · Greek Noun

A person who has converted from paganism to Judaism, undergoing ritual initiation; in the NT, it implies a commitment to the legalistic traditions of the religious leaders.

hellγέεννα

geenna · Greek Noun

A biblical metaphor for the place of final judgment and eternal separation from God; a state of extreme moral corruption or spiritual death.

Historical context

Written: Likely between 50-70 AD, during the latter half of the 1st century AD.
Author: Matthew the Apostle, traditionally understood as the author. However, some scholars suggest a later date and anonymous origin.
Location: Written from Galilee or Judea.
Genre: Gospel (narrative account of Jesus' life and teachings), featuring prophetic woe oracles.

Historical background

Jesus' strong words here highlight a period where Jewish religious leaders were actively seeking converts, sometimes through aggressive means, yet their own spiritual state and the corrupted form of Judaism they represented made these converts "twice as much a child of hell."

c. 140 BC - 37 BC
Hasmonean Dynasty Expands Jewish Influence
During this period, Hasmonean rulers like John Hyrcanus actively pressured surrounding Idumean populations to adopt Judaism, offering them the choice of exile or circumcision. This marked a phase of aggressive expansion and forced proselytism.
c. 37 BC - AD 6
Roman Rule and Continued Proselytism
Under Roman dominion, direct coercion for conversion became less feasible. However, Jewish communities continued to engage in active proselytizing efforts, using persuasion and appealing to the perceived purity and divine favor of Judaism.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Public Ministry and Teachings
Jesus begins his public ministry, challenging the religious establishment and offering a new understanding of God's kingdom, often contrasting it with the practices of the scribes and Pharisees.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus' Confrontations with Scribes and Pharisees

Key themes

01Hypocrisy in religious practice
02Misleading spiritual leaders
03Zeal for false conversion
04Spiritual corruption of converts

Cross-references

Luke 11:52

This passage directly parallels Matthew 23:13, highlighting how the 'lawyers' (a similar group to the scribes and Pharisees) took away the 'key of knowledge,' preventing people from entering the kingdom of heaven, which aligns with the exclusionary and destructive nature of the Pharisees' proselytism.

Matthew 23:23

Jesus condemns the Pharisees for straining out gnats while swallowing camels, focusing on outward observances while neglecting justice, mercy, and faithfulness. This connects to the Matthew 23:15 verse by showing the hypocrisy in their zealous pursuit of proselytes, whom they then failed to truly teach about the weightier matters of God's law.

Acts 13:10

The Apostle Paul confronts Elymas the sorcerer, calling him a 'child of the devil' and an 'enemy of all righteousness.' This echoes the strong condemnation in Matthew 23:15, demonstrating how spiritual leaders can actively oppose God's ways and lead others astray, becoming like their master.

Romans 2:21-24

Paul rebukes the Jews for their hypocrisy, pointing out that they teach others not to steal but steal themselves, and commit adultery but despise idols. This passage illuminates the core issue in Matthew 23:15: the stark contrast between the outward appearance the Pharisees presented and their inner corruption, which they then passed on to their converts.

Scholarly commentary

Matthew 23:13-15: "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you do not enter yourselves, and do not permit those who come to enter. 14. And woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you devour widows' houses, and that under the disgu…

calvin

Matthew 23:13-33: "But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in."

23:13-33 The scribes and Pharisees were enemies to the gospel of Christ, and therefore to the salvation of the souls of men. It is bad to keep away from Christ ourselves, but worse also to keep others from him. Yet it is no new thing for the show and form of godliness to be made a cloak to t…
henry

Frequently asked questions

What does Matthew 23:15 mean?

Explain the meaning of Matthew 23:15

What is the context of Matthew 23:15?

Study this verse in Sola

Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.

Open in Sola app Get the app

Ask a follow-up

Ask Sola about this verse

Ask Sola things like:

“What does "proselyte" mean in the original Greek?”
“Why did Matthew the Apostle, traditionally understood as the author. However, some scholars suggest a later date and anonymous origin. write Matthew 23:15?”
“How does hypocrisy in religious practice show up in Matthew 23:15?”

Ask in the Sola app Get the app

Live chat about Matthew 23:15 is available in the Sola app.

This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.

What Matthew 23:15 means

Original language

proselyteπροσήλυτος

prosēlytos · Greek Noun

A person who has converted from paganism to Judaism, undergoing ritual initiation; in the NT, it implies a commitment to the legalistic traditions of the religious leaders.

hellγέεννα

geenna · Greek Noun

A biblical metaphor for the place of final judgment and eternal separation from God; a state of extreme moral corruption or spiritual death.

Historical context

Written: Likely between 50-70 AD, during the latter half of the 1st century AD.
Author: Matthew the Apostle, traditionally understood as the author. However, some scholars suggest a later date and anonymous origin.
Location: Written from Galilee or Judea.
Genre: Gospel (narrative account of Jesus' life and teachings), featuring prophetic woe oracles.

Historical background

c. 140 BC - 37 BC

Hasmonean Dynasty Expands Jewish Influence

During this period, Hasmonean rulers like John Hyrcanus actively pressured surrounding Idumean populations to adopt Judaism, offering them the choice of exile or circumcision. This marked a phase of aggressive expansion and forced proselytism.

c. 37 BC - AD 6

Roman Rule and Continued Proselytism

Under Roman dominion, direct coercion for conversion became less feasible. However, Jewish communities continued to engage in active proselytizing efforts, using persuasion and appealing to the perceived purity and divine favor of Judaism.

c. AD 30

Jesus' Public Ministry and Teachings

Jesus begins his public ministry, challenging the religious establishment and offering a new understanding of God's kingdom, often contrasting it with the practices of the scribes and Pharisees.

c. AD 30-33— this verse

Jesus' Confrontations with Scribes and Pharisees