Luke 11:39

39 And the Lord said to him, 1"Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of 2greed and wickedness.

Luke 11:39 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 11:39

And the Lord said unto him
Jesus, as the Syriac and Persic versions read; the Lord Jesus, as the Ethiopic.

Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup, and the
platter;
being very tenacious of the traditions of the elders, concerning the washing of cups and pots, which had been of late years brought in among them, and therefore the word "now" is used; (See Gill on Matthew 23:25) and (See Gill on Mark 7:4),

but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness:
meaning either their souls, which were full of all manner of sin, the cleansing and purity of which they had no concern about, whilst they were very strict and curious in washing their bodies, their cups and platters; or rather the vessels which were filled with meat and drink got by extortion, rapine, and oppression; see ( Matthew 23:25 ) .

Luke 11:39 In-Context

37 While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.
38 The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner.
39 And the Lord said to him, "Now you Pharisees cleanse the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness.
40 You fools! Did not he who made the outside make the inside also?
41 But give as alms those things that are within, and behold, everything is clean for you.

Cross References 2

  • 1. Matthew 23:25, 26; [Luke 20:47]
  • 2. [Luke 16:14]
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.