Luke 11:42

42 "How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give [God] one-tenth of your mint, spices, and every garden herb. But you have ignored justice and the love of God. You should have done these things without ignoring the others.

Luke 11:42 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 11:42

But woe unto you Pharisees
Though these words, with several other passages in this chapter, are much alike with those in Matthew 23 yet it is clear that they were spoken at different times, these in the house of a Pharisee, and they in the temple at Jerusalem:

for ye tithe mint and rue; (See Gill on Matthew 23:23) the Persic version here reads, "mint and anise", as there; and the Ethiopic version only "hyssop":

and all manner of herbs;
or "every herb"; that is, all sorts of herbs that grow in the garden, and were not common to all;

and pass over judgment, and the love of God:
by "judgment" may be meant justice, or doing that which is right between man and man, both publicly and privately, which was greatly neglected by these extortioners and unjust men: and by "the love of God" may be intended, both love to God, which shows itself in the observance of the first table of the law, and love to the neighbour, which God requires, and regards the second table:

these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone;
(See Gill on Matthew 23:23).

Luke 11:42 In-Context

40 You fools! Didn't the one who made the outside make the inside too?
41 Give what is inside as a gift to the poor, and then everything will be clean for you.
42 "How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You give [God] one-tenth of your mint, spices, and every garden herb. But you have ignored justice and the love of God. You should have done these things without ignoring the others.
43 "How horrible it will be for you Pharisees! You love to sit in the front seats in the synagogues and to be greeted in the marketplaces.
44 How horrible it will be for you! You are like unmarked graves. People walk on them without knowing what they are."
GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.