Matthew 3:7

NET Bible® (New English Translation)

But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them,“You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

¶Ἰδὼν δὲ πολλοὺς τῶν Φαρισαίων καὶ Σαδδουκαίων ἐρχομένους ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα αὐτοῦ, εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς;

Transliteration

¶Idōn de many of the Pharisaiōn and Saddoukaiōn erchomenous to the baptisma of him, eipen to them, Gennēmata echidnōn, who hypedeixen to you to phygein from the mellousēs orgēs?

Grammar Details

• *Idōn*: aorist active participle, nominative, masculine, singular - seeing/having seen
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and
• *Pharisaiōn*: genitive, masculine, plural - of Pharisees
• *Saddoukaiōn*: genitive, masculine, plural - of Sadducees
• *erchomenous*: present middle/passive participle, accusative, masculine, plural - coming
• *baptisma*: accusative, neuter, singular - baptism
• *eipen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd singular - said
• *Gennēmata*: vocative, neuter, plural - offspring/brood
• *echidnōn*: genitive, feminine, plural - of vipers
• *hypedeixen*: aorist active indicative, 3rd singular - showed/warned
• *phygein*: aorist active infinitive - to flee
• *mellousēs*: present active participle, genitive, feminine, singular - coming/about to come
• *orgēs*: genitive, feminine, singular - of wrath/anger

Word Meanings

• *Idōn*: seeing/having seen/when he saw
• *erchomenous*: coming/approaching/arriving
• *eipen*: said/spoke/declared
• *Gennēmata*: offspring/brood/generation
• *hypedeixen*: showed/warned/instructed
• *phygein*: to flee/to escape/to run away from
• *mellousēs*: coming/about to come/imminent
• *orgēs*: wrath/anger/indignation

Referenced Verses

• Matt 23:33 : 33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
• Matt 12:34 : 34 Offspring of vipers! How are you able to say anything good, since you are evil? For the mouth speaks from what fills the heart.
• 1 Thess 1:10 : 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus our deliverer from the coming wrath.
• Matt 22:23 : 23 Marriage and the Resurrection The same day Sadducees(who say there is no resurrection) came to him and asked him,
• Acts 5:17 : 17 Further Trouble for the Apostles Now the high priest rose up, and all those with him(that is, the religious party of the Sadducees), and they were filled with jealousy.
• Matt 16:6 : 6 “Watch out,” Jesus said to them,“beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees.”
• Matt 16:11-12 : 11 How could you not understand that I was not speaking to you about bread? But beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and Sadducees!” 12 Then they understood that he had not told them to be on guard against the yeast in bread, but against the teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees.
• Acts 23:6-9 : 6 Then when Paul noticed that part of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, he shouted out in the council,“Brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. I am on trial concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead!” 7 When he said this, an argument began between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided. 8 (For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) 9 There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly,“We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
• Rom 1:18 : 18 The Condemnation of the Unrighteous For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of people who suppress the truth by their unrighteousness,
• Rom 5:9 : 9 Much more then, because we have now been declared righteous by his blood, we will be saved through him from God’s wrath.
• Jer 6:10 : 10 I answered,“Who would listen if I spoke to them and warned them? Their ears are so closed that they cannot hear! Indeed, the LORD’s message is offensive to them. They do not like it at all.
• Jer 51:6 : 6 Get out of Babylonia quickly, you foreign people. Flee to save your lives. Do not let yourselves be killed because of her sins. For it is time for the LORD to wreak his revenge. He will pay Babylonia back for what she has done.
• Ezek 3:18-21 : 18 When I say to the wicked,“You will certainly die,” and you do not warn him– you do not speak out to warn the wicked to turn from his wicked lifestyle so that he may live– that wicked person will die for his iniquity, but I will hold you accountable for his death. 19 But as for you, if you warn the wicked and he does not turn from his wicked deed and from his wicked lifestyle, he will die for his iniquity but you will have saved your own life. 20 “When a righteous person turns from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I set an obstacle before him, he will die. If you have not warned him, he will die for his sin. The righteous deeds he performed will not be considered, but I will hold you accountable for his death. 21 However, if you warn the righteous person not to sin, and he does not sin, he will certainly live because he was warned, and you will have saved your own life.”
• Ezek 33:3-7 : 3 He sees the sword coming against the land, blows the trumpet, and warns the people, 4 but there is one who hears the sound of the trumpet yet does not heed the warning. Then the sword comes and sweeps him away. He will be responsible for his own death. 5 He heard the sound of the trumpet but did not heed the warning, so he is responsible for himself. If he had heeded the warning, he would have saved his life. 6 But suppose the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people. Then the sword comes and takes one of their lives. He is swept away for his iniquity, but I will hold the watchman accountable for that person’s death.’ 7 “As for you, son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel. Whenever you hear a word from my mouth, you must warn them on my behalf.
• Matt 5:20 : 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness goes beyond that of the experts in the law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven!
• Matt 12:24 : 24 But when the Pharisees heard this they said,“He does not cast out demons except by the power of Beelzebul, the ruler of demons!”
• Gen 3:15 : 15 And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring’s heel.”
• Ps 58:3-6 : 3 The wicked turn aside from birth; liars go astray as soon as they are born. 4 Their venom is like that of a snake, like a deaf serpent that does not hear, 5 that does not respond to the magicians, or to a skilled snake charmer. 6 O God, break the teeth in their mouths! Smash the jawbones of the lions, O LORD!
• Isa 57:3-4 : 3 But approach, you sons of omen readers, you offspring of adulteresses and prostitutes! 4 At whom are you laughing? At whom are you opening your mouth and sticking out your tongue? You are the children of rebels, the offspring of liars,
• Isa 59:5 : 5 They hatch the eggs of a poisonous snake and spin a spider’s web. Whoever eats their eggs will die, a poisonous snake is hatched.
• Mark 7:3-5 : 3 (For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they perform a ritual washing, holding fast to the tradition of the elders. 4 And when they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. They hold fast to many other traditions: the washing of cups, pots, kettles, and dining couches.) 5 The Pharisees and the experts in the law asked him,“Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with unwashed hands?”
• Mark 8:15 : 15 And Jesus ordered them,“Watch out! Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees and the yeast of Herod!”
• Mark 12:13 : 13 Paying Taxes to Caesar Then they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to trap him with his own words.
• Mark 12:18 : 18 Marriage and the Resurrection Sadducees(who say there is no resurrection) also came to him and asked him,
• Luke 3:7-9 : 7 So John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him,“You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves,‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! 9 Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
• Luke 7:30 : 30 However, the Pharisees and the experts in religious law rejected God’s purpose for themselves, because they had not been baptized by John.)
• Luke 11:39-44 : 39 But the Lord said to him,“Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the plate, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. 40 You fools! Didn’t the one who made the outside make the inside as well? 41 But give from your heart to those in need, and then everything will be clean for you. 42 “But woe to you Pharisees! You give a tenth of your mint, rue, and every herb, yet you neglect justice and love for God! But you should have done these things without neglecting the others. 43 Woe to you Pharisees! You love the best seats in the synagogues and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces! 44 Woe to you! You are like unmarked graves, and people walk over them without realizing it!”
• Luke 16:14 : 14 More Warnings about the Pharisees The Pharisees(who loved money) heard all this and ridiculed him.
• Luke 18:11 : 11 The Pharisee stood and prayed about himself like this:‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: extortionists, unrighteous people, adulterers– or even like this tax collector.
• John 1:24 : 24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)
• John 7:45-49 : 45 Lack of Belief Then the officers returned to the chief priests and Pharisees, who said to them,“Why didn’t you bring him back with you?” 46 The officers replied,“No one ever spoke like this man!” 47 Then the Pharisees answered,“You haven’t been deceived too, have you? 48 None of the members of the ruling council or the Pharisees have believed in him, have they? 49 But this rabble who do not know the law are accursed!”
• John 8:44 : 44 You people are from your father the devil, and you want to do what your father desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not uphold the truth, because there is no truth in him. Whenever he lies, he speaks according to his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.
• John 9:40 : 40 Some of the Pharisees who were with him heard this and asked him,“We are not blind too, are we?”
• Acts 4:1-2 : 1 The Arrest and Trial of Peter and John While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests and the commander of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to them, 2 angry because they were teaching the people and announcing in Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
• Acts 26:5 : 5 They know, because they have known me from time past, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion, I lived as a Pharisee.
• Heb 11:7 : 7 By faith Noah, when he was warned about things not yet seen, with reverent regard constructed an ark for the deliverance of his family. Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.
• 1 John 3:10 : 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are revealed: Everyone who does not practice righteousness– the one who does not love his fellow Christian– is not of God.
• Rev 6:16-17 : 16 They said to the mountains and to the rocks,“Fall on us and hide us from the face of the one who is seated on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb, 17 because the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to withstand it?”
• Rev 12:9-9 : 9 So that huge dragon– the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world– was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice in heaven saying,“The salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the ruling authority of his Christ, have now come, because the accuser of our brothers and sisters, the one who accuses them day and night before our God, has been thrown down.
• Matt 22:15 : 15 Paying Taxes to Caesar Then the Pharisees went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words.
• Matt 15:12 : 12 Then the disciples came to him and said,“Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?”
• Acts 15:5 : 5 But some from the religious party of the Pharisees who had believed stood up and said,“It is necessary to circumcise the Gentiles and to order them to observe the law of Moses.”
• Acts 20:31 : 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that night and day for three years I did not stop warning each one of you with tears.
• Matt 22:34 : 34 The Greatest Commandment Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together.
• Matt 23:13-28 : 13 “But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in. 15 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves! 16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say,‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’ 17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred? 18 And,‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’ 19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it. 21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it. 22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it. 23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law– justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others. 24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! 25 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too! 27 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean. 28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
• 2 Thess 1:9-9 : 9 They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength, 10 when he comes to be glorified among his saints and admired on that day among all who have believed– and you did in fact believe our testimony.
• Heb 6:18 : 18 so that we who have found refuge in him may find strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us through two unchangeable things, since it is impossible for God to lie.