Romans 2:21-23
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? You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The sting here isn't just hypocrisy, but the idea that teaching without practicing means you haven't truly learned it yourself. Paul's pointed questions reveal that claiming to know God's will through the Law is meaningless if you're actively defying it, especially when specific sins like stealing, adultery, or sacrilege were notoriously present among Jewish teachers of the time.
Paul is addressing the Jewish people who pride themselves on knowing the Law and teaching it to others. He's challenging their hypocrisy, pointing out that their boasting in the Law means nothing if they don't live by it. The verse sets up a rhetorical question that exposes their failure to practice what they preach, highlighting sins they were known to commit, thereby bringing shame upon God's name among the Gentiles.
It's one thing to know the rules, another to live by them. But what happens when the 'rule-keeper' breaks them?
Paul hits hard here, calling out the hypocrisy of those who teach God's ways but don't live them. He's speaking directly to the Jewish religious leaders, who prided themselves on knowing and teaching the Law.
The Shame of a Broken Mirror
Imagine a mirror that's cracked. It can show you what you look like, but it distorts the image. Teachers who don't practice what they preach are like that cracked mirror. They can point out sin to others, but their own lives are a distorted, ungodly reflection of God's truth.
More Than Just Knowing
Paul isn't just talking about knowing the Law; he's talking about living it. True teaching comes from a transformed life. When you teach about honesty but steal, or teach about faithfulness but commit adultery, you're not just failing – you're actively dishonoring God and making His ways look foolish to the world.
The Jews boasted in their Law, yet Paul points out they were often guilty of the very sins they condemned in others. How could this be?
Paul's rhetorical questions aren't just general rebukes; they strike at the heart of a specific problem within the Jewish community of his day. While many Jews abhorred idolatry (especially after the Babylonian exile), some had fallen into other, equally serious sins.
Sins Against Neighbors and God
Paul flips the order of sins he discussed with the Gentiles. For Gentiles, sins against God were often the most obvious. But for Jews, who were supposed to know God, their sins against their neighbors (like stealing or adultery) and especially their sins against God (like sacrilege – robbing God of His glory) were particularly shameful.
More Than Just Pretending
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.
Paul's sharp rebuke in Romans 2:21 wasn't just theoretical; it directly challenged the hypocrisy prevalent among Jewish teachers of his day. They prided themselves on knowing the Law and teaching it, yet their actions—including theft and sacrilege—betrayed their own teachings and brought shame upon God's name.
c. 500 BC - 1st Century AD
Jews Abhor Idolatry
Following the Babylonian Exile, the Jewish people strongly rejected idolatry, a stark contrast to their Gentile neighbors. This made them susceptible to accusations of sacrilege if they failed to honor God properly.
From Malachi (c. 400 BC) onwards
Complaints of Sacrilege
Prophetic books like Malachi already addressed the issue of God's people robbing Him by withholding required offerings and honors. This was a recurring concern that continued into the time of Paul.
c. 1st Century BC - 1st Century AD
Corruption in the Priesthood
The period leading up to and during the New Testament saw significant corruption within the Jewish religious leadership, with the high priesthood often bought and sold. This led to abuses and the exploitation of people.
c. 30-33 AD
Jesus Denounces Hypocrisy
Jesus publicly condemned the religious leaders of his day for their hypocrisy, pointing out that they 'say and do not' and 'tie up heavy burdens' for others while not lifting a finger themselves.
This passage speaks about God sanctifying His name which has been profaned among the nations, directly echoing Paul's concern in Romans 2 about how the actions of the Jews bring blasphemy upon God's name.
Matthew 23:3Jesus confronts the scribes and Pharisees with the same hypocrisy, stating, 'Whatever they teach you, do whatever they tell you, but do not do what they do.' This highlights the long-standing issue of religious leaders not practicing what they preached.
Malachi 2:8-9This prophetic passage rebukes the priests for stumbling in their ways and showing partiality in God's law, leading to their dishonor and contempt among the people, mirroring the theme of religious leaders failing to uphold the law they are meant to teach.
Luke 11:46In this account, Jesus also condemns the Pharisees for placing heavy burdens on others that they themselves do not carry, further illustrating the hypocrisy Paul addresses in Romans 2 regarding the disconnect between teaching and practice.
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 sting here isn't just hypocrisy, but the idea that teaching without practicing means you haven't truly learned it yourself. Paul's pointed questions reveal that claiming to know God's will through the Law is meaningless if you're actively defying it, especially when specific sins like stealing, adultery, or sacrilege were notoriously present among Jewish teachers of the time.
Paul is addressing the Jewish people who pride themselves on knowing the Law and teaching it to others. He's challenging their hypocrisy, pointing out that their boasting in the Law means nothing if they don't live by it. The verse sets up a rhetorical question that exposes their failure to practice what they preach, highlighting sins they were known to commit, thereby bringing shame upon God's name among the Gentiles.
Paul is addressing the Jewish people who pride themselves on knowing the Law and teaching it to others. He's challenging their hypocrisy, pointing out that their boasting in the Law means nothing if they don't live by it. The verse sets up a rhetorical question that exposes their failure to practice what they preach, highlighting sins they were known to commit, thereby bringing shame upon God's name among the Gentiles.
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Scholars note that figures like the Jewish historian Josephus documented widespread corruption among the Jewish leadership and people at the time. They weren't just ignorant of the Law; they were actively disobeying it, often twisting its meaning or practicing sins like defrauding widows, despite their outward religious observances.
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.
kauchasai · Greek Verb
To take pride or glory in something. Biblically, boasting is only valid when it is in the Lord and His works, rather than in self or one's own religious status.
nomon · Greek Noun
The divine instruction or moral code given by God, primarily to Israel, to reveal His holiness and man's need for redemption.
atimazeis · Greek Verb
To treat with lack of respect or to shame. When directed toward God, it involves conduct that misrepresents His character or contradicts His revealed will.
c. 40-60s AD— this verse
Paul Writes to the Romans
The Apostle Paul penned his letter to the church in Rome, addressing the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. In this context, he critiques the self-righteousness of those who relied on the Law but didn't keep it.
"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? You who boast in the law…" — The sting here isn't just hypocrisy, but the idea that teaching without practicing means you haven't truly learned it yourself. Paul's pointed questions reveal that claiming to know God's will thro…
