Matthew 24:4

4 And Jesus answered [and] said to them, "Watch out that no one deceives you!

Matthew 24:4 Meaning and Commentary

Matthew 24:4

And Jesus answered and said unto them
Not to indulge their curiosity, but to instruct them in things useful to be known, and which might be cautions to them and others, against deceivers; confirm them in the faith of himself, when they should see his predictions accomplished; and be directions to them, of what might shortly be expected.

Take heed that no man deceive you:
by pretending to come from God with a new revelation, setting himself up for the Messiah, after my departure; suggesting himself to be the person designed by God to be the deliverer of Israel, and to be sent by him, to set up a temporal kingdom, in great worldly splendour and glory; promising great names, and high places of honour and trust in it; things which Christ knew his disciples were fond of, and were in danger of being ensnared by; and therefore gives them this suitable and seasonable advice, and caution.

Matthew 24:4 In-Context

2 But he answered [and] said to them, "Do you not see all these [things]? Truly I say to you, not [one] stone will be left here on [another] stone that will not be thrown down!"

3 And [as] he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came up to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will these [things] happen, and what [will be] the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"

4 And Jesus answered [and] said to them, "Watch out that no one deceives you!

5 For many will come in my name, saying, 'I am the Christ,' and they will deceive many.

6 And you are going to hear about wars and rumors of wars. See to it that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is not yet.

Footnotes

• [a]. *Here "[and]" is supplied because the previous participle ("answered") has been translated as a finite verb