So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
The verse highlights a stark contrast: outward appearance versus inner reality. While the Pharisees seemed righteous to others, their core was filled with "hypocrisy and lawlessness," meaning a disregard for God's true commands and an inner falseness. This reveals that surface-level observance can hide a profound lack of genuine devotion.
So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus has just delivered a series of "woes" against the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, focusing on how they emphasize outward rituals like tithing herbs while neglecting the heart of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. He compares them to "whitened sepulchers," beautiful on the outside but full of death and decay within, highlighting their deceptive appearance. This verse serves as a concluding summary of that condemnation, directly stating that their righteousness is merely a facade for men, masking inner corruption and a disregard for God's true commands.
Ever feel like you're doing all the 'right things' but your heart's not in it? Jesus calls out this exact trap.
Jesus uses vivid imagery – like whitened tombs and clean cups – to expose the Pharisees' fatal flaw: they focused on external appearances of righteousness while their inner lives were corrupt. They meticulously followed minor rules (like tithing herbs) but neglected the core of God's law: justice, mercy, and faithfulness. This outward show was a deliberate performance for human approval, not a reflection of a transformed heart.
What's the opposite of outward righteousness? It's not just a lack of good deeds, but a heart that rebels against God's very law.
The word translated 'lawlessness' here points to a deep-seated disregard for God's authority and commands. The Pharisees weren't just imperfect; they were actively living in rebellion against God's core principles, even while presenting themselves as paragons of religious observance.
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Understand the original words
dikaios · Greek Adjective
The quality of being morally upright and compliant with God’s standard of justice; living in a right relationship with God and others.
anomia · Greek Noun
Contempt for or violation of the law; a state of being unrestrained by divine standards, leading to rebellion against God’s moral authority.
Jesus' strong words in Matthew 23 are deeply rooted in the specific religious and political landscape of 1st-century Judea, where the Pharisaic movement, despite its initial intentions, had become characterized by a public display of righteousness that masked inner corruption.
Late 2nd century BC
Rise of the Hasidim and Pharisaic Movement
The Hasidim, a group dedicated to piety and observance, emerged in response to Hellenistic influence. They eventually evolved into the Pharisees, who emphasized meticulous observance of both written and oral law.
c. 63 BC
Roman Conquest of Judea
Rome conquers Judea, marking the beginning of Roman rule. This political shift created a tense environment where Jewish leaders, including the Pharisees, navigated their religious authority within a foreign power structure.
c. 28-30 AD
Jesus' Public Ministry Begins
Jesus begins his public ministry, teaching and healing. His teachings often challenged the established religious authorities, particularly the Pharisees, highlighting a disconnect between outward piety and inner righteousness.
c. 30-33 AD— this verse
Jesus' Confrontations with Pharisees
Jesus engages in numerous public confrontations with the scribes and Pharisees, often denouncing their hypocrisy and emphasis on outward rituals over inward devotion. Matthew 23 records a series of 'woes' directed at them.
c. 40-60 AD
Early Church Spreads the Teachings
The apostles and early followers of Jesus begin to spread his teachings, including his critiques of the Pharisees, throughout the Roman Empire.
This passage mirrors Jesus' critique of the Pharisees, calling them 'blind' and cleansing the inside of the cup and dish first, directly paralleling the theme of outward appearance versus inner corruption.
Matthew 23:27This verse immediately precedes the one in question and uses the potent metaphor of 'whitened sepulchers' to illustrate the same point: a beautiful exterior hiding inner decay and death.
1 Samuel 16:7This verse highlights God's perspective, contrasting human judgment based on outward appearance with God's discernment of the heart, underscoring the futility of the Pharisees' hypocrisy.
Galatians 2:11-13This passage describes Peter's hypocrisy in separating himself from Gentile believers due to pressure from Jewish Christians, showing how even leaders can fall into outward conformity while inwardly compromising truth.
Romans 2:28-29Paul explains that true circumcision is of the heart, not outward, directly addressing the concept that outward religious practices are meaningless without inner transformation, a core issue with the Pharisees.
calvinMatthew 23:23-28: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."
- Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you pay tithe of mint, and anise, and cumin and have omitted the more important points of the law, judgment, and mercy, and faith. The latter you ought to have done, and not to have omi…
ellicottMatthew 23:28: "Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
(28) Even so ye also . . . —A like image meets us in the words in which one of the Maccabean princes, Alexander Jannæus, warned his wife on his death-bed to beware of “men who were painted Pharisees, expecting the reward of Phinehas, while their works were the works of Zimri.” Iniquity.—Better, lawlessness—a reckless disregard of the very Law of which they professed to be the…
The verse highlights a stark contrast: outward appearance versus inner reality. While the Pharisees seemed righteous to others, their core was filled with "hypocrisy and lawlessness," meaning a disregard for God's true commands and an inner falseness. This reveals that surface-level observance can hide a profound lack of genuine devotion.
Jesus has just delivered a series of "woes" against the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, focusing on how they emphasize outward rituals like tithing herbs while neglecting the heart of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. He compares them to "whitened sepulchers," beautiful on the outside but full of death and decay within, highlighting their deceptive appearance. This verse serves as a concluding summary of that condemnation, directly stating that their righteousness is merely a facade for men, masking inner corruption and a disregard for God's true commands.
Jesus has just delivered a series of "woes" against the scribes and Pharisees for their hypocrisy, focusing on how they emphasize outward rituals like tithing herbs while neglecting the heart of the law—justice, mercy, and faithfulness. He compares them to "whitened sepulchers," beautiful on the outside but full of death and decay within, highlighting their deceptive appearance. This verse serves as a concluding summary of that condemnation, directly stating that their righteousness is merely a facade for men, masking inner corruption and a disregard for God's true commands.
"So you also outwardly appear righteous to others, but within you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." — The verse highlights a stark contrast: outward appearance versus inner reality. While the Pharisees seemed righteous to others, their core was filled with "hypocrisy and lawlessness," meaning a dis…
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Last reviewed October 2026