Matthew 5:20

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

`For I say to you, that if your righteousness may not abound above that of the scribes and Pharisees, ye may not enter to the reign of the heavens.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν, Ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ περισσεύσῃ ἡ δικαιοσύνη ὑμῶν πλεῖον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν.

Transliteration

Legō gar to-you, That ean not perisseusē the dikaiosynē of-you pleion of-the grammateōn and Pharisaiōn, not not eiselthēte into the basileian of-the ouranōn.

Grammar Details

• *Legō*: present active indicative, 1st person singular - I say/tell
• *gar*: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• *ean*: conditional conjunction - if
• *perisseusē*: aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular - might exceed/abound
• *dikaiosynē*: nominative feminine singular - righteousness
• *pleion*: nominative neuter comparative - more than
• *grammateōn*: genitive masculine plural - of scribes
• *Pharisaiōn*: genitive masculine plural - of Pharisees
• *eiselthēte*: aorist active subjunctive, 2nd person plural - you might enter
• *basileian*: accusative feminine singular - kingdom
• *ouranōn*: genitive masculine plural - of heavens

Word Meanings

• *Legō*: say/tell/speak
• *perisseusē*: exceed/abound/surpass
• *dikaiosynē*: righteousness/justice/uprightness
• *pleion*: more than/greater than
• *grammateōn*: scribes/scholars of the law
• *Pharisaiōn*: Pharisees (Jewish religious group)
• *eiselthēte*: enter/go in
• *basileian*: kingdom/reign/rule
• *ouranōn*: heavens/skies

Referenced Verses

• John 3:3-5 : 3 Jesus answered and said to him, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born from above, he is not able to see the reign of God;' 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, `How is a man able to be born, being old? is he able into the womb of his mother a second time to enter, and to be born?' 5 Jesus answered, `Verily, verily, I say to thee, If any one may not be born of water, and the Spirit, he is not able to enter into the reign of God;
• Rom 10:2-3 : 2 for I bear them testimony that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge, 3 for not knowing the righteousness of God, and their own righteousness seeking to establish, to the righteousness of God they did not submit.
• Phil 3:9 : 9 not having my righteousness, which `is' of law, but that which `is' through faith of Christ -- the righteousness that is of God by the faith,
• Heb 12:14 : 14 peace pursue with all, and the separation, apart from which no one shall see the Lord,
• Luke 16:14-15 : 14 And also the Pharisees, being lovers of money, were hearing all these things, and were deriding him, 15 and he said to them, `Ye are those declaring yourselves righteous before men, but God doth know your hearts; because that which among men is high, `is' abomination before God;
• Luke 18:24-25 : 24 And Jesus having seen him become very sorrowful, said, `How hardly shall those having riches enter into the reign of God! 25 for it is easier for a camel through the eye of a needle to enter, than for a rich man into the reign of God to enter.'
• Luke 18:10-14 : 10 `Two men went up to the temple to pray, the one a Pharisee, and the other a tax-gatherer; 11 the Pharisee having stood by himself, thus prayed: God, I thank Thee that I am not as the rest of men, rapacious, unrighteous, adulterers, or even as this tax-gatherer; 12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all things -- as many as I possess. 13 `And the tax-gatherer, having stood afar off, would not even the eyes lift up to the heaven, but was smiting on his breast, saying, God be propitious to me -- the sinner! 14 I say to you, this one went down declared righteous, to his house, rather than that one: for every one who is exalting himself shall be humbled, and he who is humbling himself shall be exalted.'
• Luke 18:17 : 17 verily I say to you, Whoever may not receive the reign of God as a little child, may not enter into it.'
• 2 Cor 5:17 : 17 so that if any one `is' in Christ -- `he is' a new creature; the old things did pass away, lo, become new have the all things.
• Rom 9:30-32 : 30 What, then, shall we say? that nations who are not pursuing righteousness did attain to righteousness, and righteousness that `is' of faith, 31 and Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, at a law of righteousness did not arrive; 32 wherefore? because -- not by faith, but as by works of law; for they did stumble at the stone of stumbling,
• Matt 3:10 : 10 and now also, the axe unto the root of the trees is laid, every tree therefore not bearing good fruit is hewn down, and to fire is cast.
• Matt 7:21 : 21 `Not every one who is saying to me Lord, lord, shall come into the reign of the heavens; but he who is doing the will of my Father who is in the heavens.
• Matt 18:5 : 5 `And he who may receive one such child in my name, doth receive me,
• Matt 23:2-5 : 2 saying, `On the seat of Moses sat down the scribes and the Pharisees; 3 all, then, as much as they may say to you to observe, observe and do, but according to their works do not, for they say, and do not; 4 for they bind together burdens heavy and grievous to be borne, and lay upon the shoulders of men, but with their finger they will not move them. 5 `And all their works they do to be seen by men, and they make broad their phylacteries, and enlarge the fringes of their garments,
• Matt 23:23-28 : 23 `Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye give tithe of the mint, and the dill, and the cumin, and did neglect the weightier things of the Law -- the judgment, and the kindness, and the faith; these it behoved `you' to do, and those not to neglect. 24 `Blind guides! who are straining out the gnat, and the camel are swallowing. 25 `Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye make clean the outside of the cup and the plate, and within they are full of rapine and incontinence. 26 `Blind Pharisee! cleanse first the inside of the cup and the plate, that the outside of them also may become clean. 27 `Wo to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye are like to whitewashed sepulchres, which outwardly indeed do appear beautiful, and within are full of bones of dead men, and of all uncleanness; 28 so also ye outwardly indeed do appear to men righteous, and within ye are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
• Mark 10:15 : 15 verily I say to you, whoever may not receive the reign of God, as a child -- he may not enter into it;'
• Mark 10:25 : 25 It is easier for a camel through the eye of the needle to enter, than for a rich man to enter into the reign of God.'
• Luke 11:39-40 : 39 And the Lord said unto him, `Now do ye, the Pharisees, the outside of the cup and of the plate make clean, but your inward part is full of rapine and wickedness; 40 unthinking! did not He who made the outside also the inside make?
• Luke 11:44 : 44 `Wo to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because ye are as the unseen tombs, and the men walking above have not known.'
• Luke 12:1 : 1 At which time the myriads of the multitude having been gathered together, so as to tread upon one another, he began to say unto his disciples, first, `Take heed to yourselves of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy;
• Rev 21:27 : 27 and there may not at all enter into it any thing defiling and doing abomination, and a lie, but -- those written in the scroll of the life of the Lamb.
• Luke 20:46-47 : 46 `Take heed of the scribes, who are wishing to walk in long robes, and are loving salutations in the markets, and first seats in the synagogues, and first couches in the suppers, 47 who devour the houses of the widows, and for a pretence make long prayers, these shall receive more abundant judgment.'