Among the Jewish religious teachers of Jesus’ day there was a rule of Scripture interpretation known as “the lesser and the greater” or “the light and the heavy” (see “the weightier matters of the law” in verse 23), and the Pharisees were evidently applying it to the matter of vows. Their argument would have been that vows made by “lesser” holy objects (the Temple, the altar, and heaven) were not binding, whereas vows made by “greater” holy objects (the gold, the gift, and the throne of God) were binding.

But Jesus employs this same method of Scripture interpretation to condemn them for the narrow and erroneous applications which they drew from it. Not only had the Pharisees in two instances drawn inaccurate distinctions between what is “lesser” (the gold and the gift) and “greater” (the Temple and the altar), but they had failed to recognize that vows made by the lesser sacred objects were just as binding as those made by the more sacred objects. Therefore, if vows made by the gold in the Temple, the gift (on the altar), and the throne of God are binding, so are vows made by the Temple, the altar, and heaven. In fact, vows made by any sacred object are binding, since they are ultimately vows made in the presence of God.

Woe to you may be expressed here the same as in the preceding verses. However, Jesus now addresses the scribes and Pharisees as blind guides, an expression used also in 15.14. See comments there. Some translators find it better to express this warning with a short sentence. Barclay is an example: “Tragic will be your fate, for you are blind guides.”

Good News Translation has translated who say as “You teach,” which more accurately reflects the situation. Both Good News Translation and Revised Standard Version retain the direct discourse, but in a number of languages it will be more natural to use indirect discourse, as in “You teach people that if someone swears….”

For swears, see the discussion at 5.33. Here the reference is obviously to promising to do something and calling upon something holy to be a witness, in this case the Temple or the gold of the Temple to serve as a witness. If there is no word in the receptor language that expresses this idea exactly, translators may say “promises (God) to do something and uses the Temple to confirm (or, witness) the promise” or “promises he will do something and calls on the Temple to confirm it.”

The gold of the temple may be the gold with which the Temple is decorated, or the gold vessels used in the Temple’s service, or even the gold stored in the Temple treasury. No final decision is possible. Translators may say “the gold things that belong to the Temple” or “… are in the Temple.”

In the context it is nothing (New American Bible “it means nothing”; New Jerusalem Bible “it has no force”) contrasts with he is bound by his oath, and so means “he isn’t bound by his vow” (Good News Translation). Some translators put “he doesn’t have to do what he promised.” He is bound by his oath can be “he has to do what he promised.” Both expressions represent the technical terminology used by Jewish teachers of religion.

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .