Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Matthew 23:19
[Ye] fools and blind: for whether [is] greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift
The altar that sanctifieth the gift – The altar, dedicated to God, gave all the value or holiness to the offering, and must therefore be the greatest or of the most importance. If, therefore, either bound to the fulfillment of an oath, it must be the altar.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
19. Ye fools, and blind! for whetheris greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?(SeeEx 29:37).
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Ye fools, and blind,…. This is very justly repeated, since this is no less an instance of their folly, blindness, and stupidity. In three copies of Beza’s the word “fools” is not; nor is it in the Vulgate Latin, nor in Munster’s Hebrew Gospel; but the Syriac, Arabic, Persic, and Ethiopic versions have it:
for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift? The gift, or offering, before it was devoted to sacred use, and brought, and laid upon the altar, was common, had no ceremonial sanctity in it, and might be put to any use; but when it was brought, and laid upon the altar, it became holy; for, according to the law, whatever touched the altar, and indeed all, or any of the vessels of the sanctuary, was holy, Ex 29:37. Christ speaks the sense of the law, and their own traditions, and in their own language, and argues from the same to the confutation of them: , “the altar”, they say u, “sanctifies” that which is fit for it; that is, that which is proper to be offered up upon it:
“as the altar sanctifies that which is fit for it, so the ascent unto it sanctifies; and as the altar, and the ascent, sanctify what is fit for them, so the vessels sanctify; the vessels for liquids sanctify the liquids, and the dry measures sanctify the dry; the vessels for liquids do not sanctify the dry, nor the dry measures sanctify the liquids; the holy vessels, which are bored, (or broken,) when they do the service they used to do, when whole, sanctify, if not, they do not sanctify; nor does anything sanctify but in the sanctuary.”
Now, since this is a clear case, that the altar sanctifies the gift, and not the gift the altar, our Lord’s question is, which is the greater? A man that has the least share of common sense will easily see, that the altar must be the greater: wherefore these scribes and Pharisees must be wretchedly stupid to give out, that an oath made by the altar was not binding, when one that was made by the gift, or
Korban, was binding; seeing the gift, or offering, received its sanctity from the altar: hence, of the two, an oath made by the altar should be more sacred and obligatory than one made by the gift.
u Misn. Zebachim, c. 9. sect. 7.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
“You blind ones, for which is greater, the gift, or the altar which sanctifies the gift?”
Then He passes His verdict and confirms why He considers that they are spiritually blind. Jesus’ point is that they lay too much stress on inessentials, and not sufficient on the reality of the living God. (This was in fact their whole problem all the way through). In His eyes the gifts only become important because of their connection with the Temple and the altar, which point beyond themselves to God. It is through them that the gifts ‘are made holy’, and thus they are of the greatest importance. Jesus recognises that until His own sacrifice of Himself has been completed the altar and the Temple are essential, while on the other hand the gifts and offerings made there are simply man’s participation in it. Thus the problem with the Scribes and Pharisees is that their worship is not based on the spiritual realities, with God filling the vision, but on the physical and the emotional aspects of coming and making their offerings, and therefore they do not encourage men, as it were, to break through to God. They are rather holding men at a distance from God. And as a result they do not thereby come under the Kingly Rule of God. They are rather taken up with what they do themselves, their means of worship, and their participation in it. They too therefore never come to see themselves as ‘sanctified’ (compare Heb 2:11), but as sinners afar off.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
19 Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?
Ver. 19. Ye fools and blind ] The second time so, for behold they have rejected the word of the Lord (yea, the Word, the Lord Christ), and what wisdom was in them? Jer 8:9 . True it is, they were accounted the only wise men. “Where is the wise? where is the scribe?” saith St Paul, 1Co 1:20 . As if wise and scribe were terms convertible. And for the Pharisees, they did so carry away the hearts of the people that there was no holy man that was not termed a Pharisee, as we find in their Talmud. And “after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee,” saith Paul, Act 26:5 . They were omnium districtissimi, and did utterly outshine and obscure those other sects of Sadducees and Essenes, the latter whereof are not so much as mentioned in the gospel. And yet we see what esteem Christ had for them, and what titles he here bestows upon them. To teach us not to rest in man’s applause, nor to think it sufficient that others think well of us. “But let every man prove his own work,” Gal 6:4 , and know that not he that commends himself, or is commended by others, is approved, but he whom the Lord commendeth,2Co 10:182Co 10:18 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
or: Exo 29:37, Exo 30:29
Reciprocal: Exo 37:25 – General Exo 40:26 – General Exo 40:29 – the altar Lev 21:18 – a blind man Num 7:1 – sanctified them Deu 26:4 – before the Isa 60:2 – the darkness Hag 2:12 – General Mat 5:23 – thou Mat 23:16 – ye blind Mat 23:17 – or
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Mat 23:19. Ye blind. The briefer reading is better supported.