Matthew 23:4
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New International Version (©1984)
They tie up heavy loads and put them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

New American Standard Bible (©1995)
"They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men's shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

International Standard Version (©2008)
They tie up burdens that are heavy and unbearable and lay them on people's shoulders, but they refuse to lift a finger to remove them.

GOD'S WORD® Translation (©1995)
They make loads that are hard to carry and lay them on the shoulders of the people. However, they are not willing to lift a finger to move them.

King James Bible
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

American King James Version
For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

American Standard Version
Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

Bible in Basic English
They make hard laws and put great weights on men's backs; but they themselves will not put a finger to them.

Douay-Rheims Bible
For they bind heavy and insupportable burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders; but with a finger of their own they will not move them.

Darby Bible Translation
but bind burdens heavy and hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of men, but will not move them with their finger.

English Revised Version
Yea, they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with their finger.

Webster's Bible Translation
For they bind heavy burdens, and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

Weymouth New Testament
Heavy and cumbrous burdens they bind together and load men's shoulders with them, while as for themselves, not with one finger do they choose to lift them.

World English Bible
For they bind heavy burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not lift a finger to help them.

Young's Literal Translation
for they bind together burdens heavy and grievous to be borne, and lay upon the shoulders of men, but with their finger they will not move them.

Geneva Study Bible

{2} For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

(2) For the most part hypocrites most severely exact those things which they themselves chiefly neglect.

People's New Testament

23:4 They bind heavy burdens. By the traditions they added to the laws. The law itself was a heavy yoke (Ac 15:10), but the traditions so strenuously insisted on added to this yoke. See notes on Mt 15:1-6.

Wesley's Notes

23:4 Luke 11:46.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

4. For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them-"touch them not" (Lu 11:46).

with one of their fingers-referring not so much to the irksomeness of the legal rites, though they were irksome enough (Ac 15:10), as to the heartless rigor with which they were enforced, and by men of shameless inconsistency.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

23:1-12 The scribes and Pharisees explained the law of Moses, and enforced obedience to it. They are charged with hypocrisy in religion. We can only judge according to outward appearance; but God searches the heart. They made phylacteries. These were scrolls of paper or parchment, wherein were written four paragraphs of the law, to be worn on their foreheads and left arms, Ex 13:2-10; 13:11-16; De 6:4-9; 11:13-21. They made these phylacteries broad, that they might be thought more zealous for the law than others. God appointed the Jews to make fringes upon their garments, Nu 15:38, to remind them of their being a peculiar people; but the Pharisees made them larger than common, as if they were thereby more religious than others. Pride was the darling, reigning sin of the Pharisees, the sin that most easily beset them, and which our Lord Jesus takes all occasions to speak against. For him that is taught in the word to give respect to him that teaches, is commendable; but for him that teaches, to demand it, to be puffed up with it, is sinful. How much is all this against the spirit of Christianity! The consistent disciple of Christ is pained by being put into chief places. But who that looks around on the visible church, would think this was the spirit required? It is plain that some measure of this antichristian spirit prevails in every religious society, and in every one of our hearts.


Luke 11:46 But He said, "Woe to you lawyers as well! For you weigh men down with burdens hard to bear, while you yourselves will not even touch the burdens with one of your fingers.
Acts 15:10 "Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? (NASB ©1995)

Bind Borne Burdens Choose Finger Fingers Great Grievous Hard Heavy Help Lay Loads Move Shoulders Themselves Tie Together Unwilling Weights Willing


For they bind heavy burdens and grievous to be borne, and lay them on men's shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.

23 11:28-30 Lu 11:46 Ac 15:10,28 Ga 6:13 Re 2:24

Bible Gateway: Matthew Chapter 23 Verse 4 NIV ESV NKJV NLT KJV Message Amplified

Alphabetical: a and are as burdens but finger heavy lay lift loads men's move much not on put shoulders so them themselves They tie to unwilling up willing with

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