Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus isn't just pointing out hypocrisy; He's highlighting how a massive fault in your own character blinds you to the truth, making you utterly unqualified to even see your brother's minor issue clearly. The original Greek words used emphasize a passive overlooking of your own huge problem versus an active, pointed focus on someone else's tiny one.
Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is teaching about how to interact with others, especially concerning their faults. He's just spoken about not judging others hypocritically, and this verse dramatically illustrates that point by highlighting the absurdity of focusing on someone else's minor flaws when you have significant ones yourself. The imagery contrasts a tiny speck with a massive log, emphasizing the blindness that comes from self-deception before offering a solution in the following verses.
Ever pointed out someone's small mistake, only to realize you've got a much bigger one?
Jesus uses a striking image here: a tiny speck versus a massive log in the eye. He's calling out the hypocrisy of focusing intensely on minor flaws in others while completely ignoring our own, often much larger, failings.
The Contrast:
The point isn't that small sins are okay, but that our vision is distorted when we magnify others' minor issues while remaining blind to our own major ones. It's like a splinter versus a tree trunk blocking your vision!
If you have a log in your eye, you can't see anything clearly. What does Jesus say about this?
Jesus isn't saying we should never address wrongdoing. Instead, he's clarifying the proper order and qualification for doing so. Our own spiritual vision must be clear first.
The Process:
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This isn't about harsh judgment, but about restoring clear sight so that genuine help and correction can occur with humility and effectiveness.
Understand the original words
karphos · Greek Noun
A tiny particle of dust, chaff, or splinter. It symbolizes a minor fault, sin, or inconsistency in another person’s life.
adelphou · Greek Noun
A fellow believer or member of the covenant community. It implies a relationship of mutual love, accountability, and shared identity under God.
dokon · Greek Noun
A large beam used in construction. It is a hyperbolic metaphor representing a much greater, more obvious, or more destructive sin or fault in one’s own life compared to the faults one critiques in others.
This passage is a direct parallel in Luke's Gospel, featuring the same vivid imagery and highlighting the hypocrisy of focusing on minor faults in others while ignoring major ones in oneself.
Romans 2:1Paul echoes Jesus' teaching here, emphasizing that if we judge others for their faults, we are inexcusable because we commit the same offenses ourselves.
1 Corinthians 4:5This verse reminds us not to pass judgment before the Lord comes, urging us to wait for God's final assessment rather than prematurely condemning our brothers and sisters.
James 4:11-12James warns directly against slandering or judging one another, stating that there is only one Lawgiver and Judge, who has the authority to save and destroy.
vincentMatthew 7:3: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"
Beholdest (βλέπεις)Staring at from without, as one who does not see clearly.Considerest (κατανοεῖς)A stronger word, apprehendest from within, what is already there.Mote (κάρφος)A.V. and Rev. The word mote, however, suggests dust; whereas the figure is that of a minute chip or splinter, of the same material with the beam. Wyc. renders festu, with the explanation,…
bensonMatthew 7:3: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?"
Matthew 7:3-5 . And why beholdest thou the mote, &c. — In particular, why do you open your eyes to any fault of your brother, while you yourself are guilty of a much greater? — The word καρφος , here rendered mote, according to Hesychius, may signify a little splinter of wood. This, and the beam, its opposite, were proverbially used by the Jews to denote, the one,…
Jesus isn't just pointing out hypocrisy; He's highlighting how a massive fault in your own character blinds you to the truth, making you utterly unqualified to even see your brother's minor issue clearly. The original Greek words used emphasize a passive overlooking of your own huge problem versus an active, pointed focus on someone else's tiny one.
Jesus is teaching about how to interact with others, especially concerning their faults. He's just spoken about not judging others hypocritically, and this verse dramatically illustrates that point by highlighting the absurdity of focusing on someone else's minor flaws when you have significant ones yourself. The imagery contrasts a tiny speck with a massive log, emphasizing the blindness that comes from self-deception before offering a solution in the following verses.
Jesus is teaching about how to interact with others, especially concerning their faults. He's just spoken about not judging others hypocritically, and this verse dramatically illustrates that point by highlighting the absurdity of focusing on someone else's minor flaws when you have significant ones yourself. The imagery contrasts a tiny speck with a massive log, emphasizing the blindness that comes from self-deception before offering a solution in the following verses.
"Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?" — Jesus isn't just pointing out hypocrisy; He's highlighting how a massive fault in your own character blinds you to the truth, making you utterly unqualified to even see your brother's minor issue…
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Last reviewed October 2026