Matthew 7:24-29
New English Translation
Hearing and Doing
24 “Everyone[a] who hears these words of mine and does them is like[b] a wise man[c] who built his house on rock. 25 The rain fell, the flood[d] came, and the winds beat against that house, but it did not collapse because its foundation had been laid on rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain fell, the flood came, and the winds beat against that house, and it collapsed—it was utterly destroyed!”[e]
28 When[f] Jesus finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed by his teaching, 29 because he taught them like one who had authority,[g] not like their experts in the law.[h]
Footnotes
Matthew 7:24 tn Grk “Therefore everyone.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated.
Matthew 7:24 tn Grk “will be like.” The same phrase occurs in v. 26.
Matthew 7:24 tn Here and in v. 26 the Greek text reads ἀνήρ (anēr), while the parallel account in Luke 6:47-49 uses ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) in vv. 48 and 49.
Matthew 7:25 tn Grk “the rivers.”
Matthew 7:27 tn Grk “and great was its fall.”
Matthew 7:28 tn Grk “And it happened when.” The introductory phrase καὶ ἐγένετο (kai egeneto, “it happened that”) is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.
Matthew 7:29 sn Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim; he taught with authority. A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Jesus addressed the issues directly, in terms of his own understanding, without citing other teachers.
Matthew 7:29 tn Or “their scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
