Matthew 7:4

Matthew 7:4 is the fourth verse of the seventh chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. This verse continues the discussion of judgmentalism.

Matthew 7:4
← 7:3 7:5 →
The Parable of the Mote and the Beam. Drawing by Ottmar Elliger the Younger (1666–1735).
Book	Gospel of Matthew
Christian Bible part	New Testament

Content

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:

Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the

mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

The World English Bible translates the passage as:

Or how will you tell your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck

from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is in your own eye?

For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 7:4

Analysis

The 'speck' or 'mote' is translated from the Greek κάρφος (karphos) that can also mean "any small dry body".[1] The previous verse introduced the metaphor of a person with a plank in their own eye who criticizes someone for a speck in their own eye. This verse extends the metaphor, showing how ridiculous a person with a plank would appear helping someone with simply a speck. Such aid is impossible, and its offer is ridiculous and condescending. Fowler sees this verse as stating that those with major flaws should keep quiet about the flaws of others until their own are dealt with. He links this to the metaphor of the blind leading the blind, if you follow one who cannot see you will simply follow the blind one into disaster.[2]

References

1. Henry Liddell and Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon: κάρφος.
2. Fowler, Harold. The Gospel of Matthew: Volume One. Joplin: College Press, 1968