Romans 2:21-22
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The core point here isn't just about hypocrisy, but about the sheer failure of intellect and spirit when knowledge doesn't transform behavior. Paul is showing that for all their boasting in the Law, these teachers were, in effect, not teaching themselves – their actions completely negated their words, making their pronouncements hollow and even dishonoring to God.
you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?
English Standard Version (ESV)
Paul is directly confronting Jewish religious leaders who are criticizing Gentiles for their sins while ignoring their own hypocrisy. He points out that their boasting in the Law and their role as teachers are meaningless if they don't live by what they preach, even accusing them of sins like theft and sacrilege which were known issues among them. This sets the stage for his argument that mere knowledge of the Law or ethnic identity isn't enough; genuine righteousness comes from obedience, which they are failing to demonstrate.
You can be an amazing speaker, a brilliant explainer, a captivating preacher... but if your life doesn't match your words, your teaching is hollow.
Paul hits hard here, not just with a question, but with a glaring truth: the teacher who doesn't practice what they preach is deeply flawed. This isn't about occasional slip-ups; it's about a disconnect between public proclamation and private action.
The Disconnect
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It's not just about personal failure; your inconsistent life can actually cause others to speak evil of God.
Paul connects the dots between personal hypocrisy and the reputation of God. When those who claim to follow God live in ways that contradict His nature, it's more than just a personal failing – it's a public disgrace.
The Ripple Effect
Understand the original words
didaskeis · Greek Verb
The act of instructing or providing guidance, often involving the transmission of moral or religious truth. In a biblical context, it implies the responsibility of the teacher to embody the truth they impart.
kērussōn · Greek Verb
To publicly proclaim or herald a message. In Scripture, it often refers to the proclamation of God's word or moral exhortation.
klepteis · Greek Verb
The act of taking the property of another without permission; in the Mosaic Law, it is explicitly forbidden as a violation of one's neighbor and of God's command.
moichaai · Greek Verb
Sexual relations between a married person and someone other than their spouse; it is a serious violation of the marriage covenant and God’s standard of holiness.
bdelussomenos · Greek Verb
To hate, detest, or regard with extreme repugnance. Theologically, it describes the necessary attitude toward that which God rejects, particularly false gods.
eidōla · Greek Noun
Images or physical objects worshipped as gods; idolatry is the fundamental sin of substituting the creature or created things for the Creator.
hierosyleis · Greek Verb
To take something by force or theft. Here, it refers to the sacrilegious act of plundering pagan shrines, implying an ironic contradiction for those who claim to despise idols.
Paul's sharp critique in Romans isn't just abstract theology; it's aimed at a specific historical reality of Jewish leaders who claimed to uphold God's Law but were widely known for practicing the very sins they condemned.
c. 457 BC
Malachi's Prophecy
The prophet Malachi denounces the corruption of the Jewish priests and people, accusing them of sacrilege and robbing God. This sets a historical precedent for the hypocrisy Paul addresses.
c. 30 BC - 20 AD
High Priesthood Becomes a Commodity
During the Second Temple period, the high priesthood was often bought and sold, leading to immense corruption and moral decay within the religious leadership. This created a climate ripe for hypocrisy.
c. AD 20 - 30
Jesus Denounces Hypocrisy
Jesus publicly rebukes the religious leaders of His day, calling them hypocrites, blind guides, and whitewashed tombs. He points out their failure to practice what they preached.
c. AD 30 - 35— this verse
Paul Writes Romans
The Apostle Paul writes his letter to the church in Rome. In chapter 2, he directly addresses the Jews who prided themselves on the Law but failed to keep it, highlighting their hypocrisy.
c. AD 70
Destruction of the Second Temple
The Roman destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple marked a catastrophic end to the Jewish religious system that Paul critiques in Romans. The prophecies of judgment for disobedience were tragically fulfilled.
This passage speaks of God's name being profaned among the nations because of Israel's actions, directly paralleling Paul's point that the Jews' hypocrisy brought reproach upon God's name.
Matthew 23:3Jesus rebukes the Pharisees with a very similar accusation: 'They say, and do not.' This highlights the consistent theme of leaders failing to practice what they preach throughout Scripture.
Luke 18:10-14The parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector illustrates a similar hypocrisy, where outward religious observance masks an unrighteous heart and a lack of genuine self-awareness, contrasting with true humility before God.
1 Peter 4:17This verse states that judgment begins with the household of God, underscoring that religious professionals or those who teach are held to a higher standard, just as Paul implies with his rhetorical questions to the Jewish teachers.
bensonRomans 2:21: "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"
Romans 2:21-24 . Thou therefore which teachest another — And valuest thyself upon thy ability to do it, trusting therein for acceptance with God; teachest thou not thyself? — He does not teach himself, who does not practise what he teaches. This, and what follows, is mentioned, to show that the knowledge, which the scribes and doctors pretended to derive…
pulpitRomans 2:21: "Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?"
Verse 21. - Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? The οῦν here does not involve an anacoluthon after the reading εἴ δὲ in ver. 17, though St. Paul would not have much cared if it had been so. It serves only to sum up the lengthened protasis, and introduce the apodosis: "If... dost thou then," etc.? In what follows it is not, o…
The core point here isn't just about hypocrisy, but about the sheer failure of intellect and spirit when knowledge doesn't transform behavior. Paul is showing that for all their boasting in the Law, these teachers were, in effect, not teaching themselves – their actions completely negated their words, making their pronouncements hollow and even dishonoring to God.
Paul is directly confronting Jewish religious leaders who are criticizing Gentiles for their sins while ignoring their own hypocrisy. He points out that their boasting in the Law and their role as teachers are meaningless if they don't live by what they preach, even accusing them of sins like theft and sacrilege which were known issues among them. This sets the stage for his argument that mere knowledge of the Law or ethnic identity isn't enough; genuine righteousness comes from obedience, which they are failing to demonstrate.
Paul is directly confronting Jewish religious leaders who are criticizing Gentiles for their sins while ignoring their own hypocrisy. He points out that their boasting in the Law and their role as teachers are meaningless if they don't live by what they preach, even accusing them of sins like theft and sacrilege which were known issues among them. This sets the stage for his argument that mere knowledge of the Law or ethnic identity isn't enough; genuine righteousness comes from obedience, which they are failing to demonstrate.
"you then who teach others, do you not teach yourself? While you preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that one must not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" — The core point here isn't just about hypocrisy, but about the sheer failure of intellect and spirit when knowledge doesn't transform behavior. Paul is showing that for all their boasting in the Law,…
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Last reviewed October 2026
