TRV
Translation
King James Version
And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
Complete Jewish Bible
and you say, `Had we lived when our fathers did, we would never have taken part in killing the prophets.'
Berean Standard Bible
And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
American Standard Version
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
World English Bible Messianic
and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we wouldn’t have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’
Geneva Bible (1599)
And say, If we had bene in the dayes of our fathers, we would not haue bene partners with them in the blood of the Prophets.
Young's Literal Translation
and say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.
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In the KJVVerse 23,949 of 31,102
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Matthew Henry (1662–1714) — Commentary on the Whole Bible. This section covers . Public domain.
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Origen of AlexandriaAD 253
COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 27
Once the prophets had departed this life, their bodies were in the tomb but their souls and spirits were in the “realm of the living.” Accordingly, the historical narrative of the prophetic writings is to be regarded as the body but their spiritual meaning and the inner truth as the soul and spirit which inhabits history. It is not improper then for us to consider the “tombs of the prophets” to be the letters on the pages of their books, in which the narrative lays as though it were a body placed in a tomb. Those persons therefore who receive and understand the spiritual meaning of the prophetic writings and the truth hidden within them have the soul and spirit of the prophets and are themselves made into a sort of realm of the living prophets.… Those who neither seek nor accept the spiritual meaning but attend only to the simple, historical narrative study the bodies of the prophets in the letters and pages of the books, as though in so many tombs. Such persons were the Pharisees, who were rightly called Pharisees (that is, the “separated”) because they separated the spiritual meaning of the prophets from their bodily history, as though expelling the prophets’ souls from their bodies, killing them and rendering them devoid of soul and spirit. It was also right for the Pharisees to be called “hypocrites,” because they built and adorned only the tombs of the prophets which contained their bodily history, which is to say that they studied only the letter of their writings and books. They did not understand that those who study dead bodies (the historical narrative) may seem to act with reverence toward the memory of the prophets but are in fact being most irreverent. Their attempts to defend themselves against the charge of being associated with “those who killed the prophets” and to prove themselves innocent only add to the crimes of “those who killed the prophets,” thereby filling up the “measure” of the iniquity of their fathers by not believing in Christ, whom the prophets proclaimed not through the historical sense of their writings but through the spiritual sense.
John ChrysostomAD 407
Homily on the Gospel of Matthew 74
Not because they build, nor because they blame the others, doth He say, woe, but because, while both thus, and by what they say, they are pretending to condemn their fathers, they do worse. For in proof that the condemnation was a pretense, Luke saith, ye do allow because ye build; for, "Woe unto you," saith He, "for ye build the sepulchers of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness, and ye allow the deeds of your fathers, for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchers." For here He reproves their purpose, wherewith they built, that it was not for the honoring of them that were slain, but as making a show of the murders, and afraid, lest, when the tombs had perished by time, the proof and memory of such daring should fade away, setting up these glorious buildings, as a kind of trophy, and priding themselves in the daring deeds of those men, and displaying them.
For the things that ye now dare to do, show that ye do these things also in this spirit. For, though ye speak the contrary, saith He, as condemning them, as, for instance, "We should not, if we had been in their days, have been partakers with them;" yet the disposition is evident wherewith ye say these things. Wherefore also unfolding it, though darkly, still He hath expressed it. For when He had said, ye say, "If we had been in the days of our fathers, we should not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets;" He added, "Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them that slew the prophets." And what blame is it to be a murderer's son, if one partake not in the mind of one's father? None. Whence it is evident, that for this same thing He brings it forward against them, hinting at their affinity in wickedness.
John Chrysostom (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 407
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
(Hom. lxxiv.) He does not blame them for building the sepulchres, but discovers the design with which they built them; which was not to honour the slain, but to erect to themselves a triumphal monument of the murder, as fearing that in process of time the memory of this their audacious wickedness should perish.
What kind of accusation is this, to Call one the son of a murderer, who partakes not in his father's disposition? Clearly there is no guilt in being so; wherefore this must be said in proof of their resemblance in wickedness.
Jerome (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 420
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
By a most subtle syllogism He proves them to be the sons of murderers, while to gain good character and reputation with the people, they build the sepulchres of the Prophets whom their fathers put to death.
Though they speak not this in words, they proclaim it by their actions, in ambitious and magnificent structures to their memory.
JeromeAD 420
Commentary on Matthew
(Verse 29 onwards) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and you say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. In the most skillful syllogism, they are proven to be the offspring of murderers, while they themselves, by the opinion of goodness and glory among the people, build tombs for the prophets whom their forefathers killed, and they say, 'If we had lived in that time, we would not have done what our fathers did.' However, even if they do not say it in words, they speak through their actions by ambitiously and magnificently building monuments to the slain, whom they do not deny were killed by their forefathers.
And you, fulfill the measure of your fathers. Having proven with the previous words that they were the children of murderers and those who killed the prophets, he now concludes what he wanted and puts forth the final part of the syllogism. And you, fulfill the measure of your fathers. What was lacking for them, you complete. They killed the servants, you crucify the Lord. They killed the prophets, you kill him who was preached by the prophets.
Pseudo-Chrysostom (as quoted by Aquinas, AD 1274)AD 500
Catena Aurea by Aquinas
But say, hypocrite, if it be good to be wicked, why do you not desire to seem that which you desire to be? For what it is shameful to seem, that it is more shameful to be; and what to seem is fair, that it is fairer to be. Either therefore be what you seem, or seem what you are.
Or, they said within themselves, If we do good to the poor not many see it, and then but for a moment; were it not better to raise buildings which all may see, not only now, but in all time to come? O foolish man, what boots this posthumous memory, if, where you are, you are tortured, and where you are not there you are praised? While He corrects the Jews, He instructs the Christians; for had these things been spoken to the former only, they would have been spoken, but not written; but now they were spoken on their account, and written on ours. When one, besides other good deeds, raises sacred buildings, it is an addition to his good works; but if without any other good works, it is a passion for worldly renown. The martyrs joy not to be honoured with money which has caused the poor to weep. The Jews, moreover, have ever been adorers of saints of former times, and contemners, yea persecutors, of the living. Because they could not endure the reproaches of their own Prophets, they persecuted and killed them; but afterwards the succeeding generation perceived the error of their fathers, and thus in grief at the death of innocent Prophets, they built up monuments of them. But they themselves in like manner persecuted and put to death the Prophets of their own time, when they rebuked them for their sins. This is what is meant, And ye say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the Prophets.
What they thought in their hearts, that they spoke by their deeds. Christ lays bare here the natural habit of all wicked men; each readily apprehends the other's fault, but none his own; for in another's case each man has an unprejudiced heart, but in his own case it is distorted. Therefore in the cause of others we can all easily be righteous judges. He only is the truly righteous and wise who is able to judge himself. It follows, Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that you are the children of them which killed the Prophets.
The character of the parents is a witness to the sons; if the father be good and the mother bad, or the reverse, the children may follow sometimes one, sometimes the other. But when both are the same, it very rarely happens that bad sons spring of good parents, or the reverse, though it be so sometimes. This is as a man is sometimes born out of the rule of nature, having six fingers or no eyes.
Source: Quotations drawn from early Church Fathers and historical Christian theologians (AD 100–1500). Some quotes address the surrounding passage context rather than this verse alone.
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SUMMARY
In Matthew 23:30, Jesus exposes the profound hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, who self-righteously declare that if they had lived in the time of their ancestors, they would not have participated in the persecution and murder of the prophets. This statement, intended to assert their moral superiority, ironically serves to condemn them further by highlighting their spiritual blindness and their active rejection of God's ultimate messenger, Jesus Himself.
CONTEXT
EXPOSITION AND ANALYSIS
Key Word Analysis
Verse Breakdown
Literary Devices
Matthew 23:30 is rich with Irony, serving as the primary literary device. The Pharisees' self-righteous declaration is profoundly ironic because, at the very moment they utter it, they are actively plotting to kill Jesus, the greatest Prophet and Son of God. Their claim to be morally superior to their ancestors, who "killed the prophets," is immediately contradicted by their own murderous intentions. This highlights their deep-seated Hypocrisy, a central theme of Jesus' woes in this chapter. Their outward show of piety (building tombs for prophets in Matthew 23:29) stands in stark contrast to their inner corruption and murderous hearts. The verse also employs Dramatic Foreshadowing, as their declaration inadvertently foreshadows their ultimate complicity in the shedding of Jesus' innocent blood, thereby fulfilling the very pattern of sin they claim to abhor.
THEOLOGICAL AND THEMATIC CONNECTIONS
This verse powerfully underscores the insidious nature of self-righteousness and spiritual blindness. The Pharisees' declaration reveals a profound disconnect between their outward religious observance and their inner spiritual state. They were quick to condemn the sins of past generations while being utterly blind to the same destructive patterns within themselves. Theologically, this highlights the continuity of human rebellion against God's truth and His messengers. It's not merely about historical acts but about a persistent heart posture that rejects divine authority and wisdom, whether it comes through ancient prophets or through the Son of God Himself. Their claim to innocence ironically makes them complicit, as their present actions validate the sins of their forefathers, proving them to be "children" of those who killed the prophets, as Jesus immediately states.
REFLECTION AND APPLICATION
Matthew 23:30 serves as a potent mirror for self-examination, challenging us to look beyond outward appearances and pious declarations to the true condition of our hearts. It warns against the dangerous trap of self-righteousness, where we are quick to condemn the sins of others or past generations while remaining blind to our own similar failings. True spiritual health requires humble self-assessment, acknowledging our capacity for sin and our need for God's grace. Are we, like the Pharisees, honoring God's past messengers (e.g., biblical figures, historical saints) while resisting the truth He speaks to us today through His Word, His Spirit, or His contemporary servants? This verse calls us to genuine repentance and a willingness to align our hearts and actions with God's will, rather than resting on inherited piety or a false sense of moral superiority. It encourages us to ensure that our reverence for past truth-tellers does not become a substitute for embracing the living truth of Christ in our present lives.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What is the significance of the Pharisees building and beautifying tombs for the prophets, as mentioned in the preceding verse, Matthew 23:29?
Answer: The act of building and beautifying tombs for the prophets was an outward display of piety and respect, seemingly honoring those whom their ancestors had persecuted and killed. However, Jesus exposes this as a profound act of hypocrisy. By outwardly honoring the dead prophets, they were attempting to distance themselves from the sins of their ancestors and project an image of righteousness. Yet, their actions and intentions towards Jesus, the ultimate Prophet and Son of God, demonstrated that they harbored the very same murderous spirit as those who killed the prophets of old. It was a classic case of outward religious observance masking inward corruption, proving that they were "children of them which killed the prophets" (Matthew 23:31).
CHRIST-CENTERED FULFILLMENT
Matthew 23:30, with its chilling declaration by the Pharisees, finds its ultimate and tragic fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ. The historical pattern of rejecting and murdering God's prophets, which the Pharisees claimed they would not perpetuate, culminates in their zealous pursuit of Jesus' death. He is the final and greatest Prophet, the very Son of God, whom God sent into His vineyard (Matthew 21:33-41). The "blood of the prophets" that their ancestors shed pales in comparison to the innocent blood of the Lamb of God, which they would soon clamor to shed (Matthew 27:24-25). Yet, in a profound twist of divine irony and grace, the shedding of Jesus' blood, though a heinous act of human rebellion, becomes the very means of salvation for all who believe (John 3:16). His innocent sacrifice on the cross establishes a new covenant, a covenant sealed by His precious blood, offering forgiveness and reconciliation that the blood of prophets or animals could never achieve (Hebrews 9:11-14). Thus, the very act of rejecting the ultimate Prophet becomes the means by which God provides the ultimate redemption, transforming a history of bloodshed into a fountain of life.