Matthew 7:15

Young's Literal Translation (1862/1898)

`But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Προσέχετε δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδοπροφητῶν, οἵτινες ἔρχονται πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν ἐνδύμασιν προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δέ εἰσιν λύκοι ἅρπαγες.

Transliteration

Prosechete de apo tōn pseudoprophētōn, who erchontai pros hymas en endymasin probatōn, esōthen de eisin lykoi harpages.

Grammar Details

• *Prosechete*: present active imperative, 2nd person plural - beware/pay attention to
• *de*: postpositive conjunction - but/and/now
• *apo*: preposition with genitive - from
• *tōn pseudoprophētōn*: genitive plural masculine - the false prophets
• *hoitines*: relative pronoun, nominative plural masculine - who/whoever
• *erchontai*: present middle indicative, 3rd person plural - come/are coming
• *pros*: preposition with accusative - to/toward
• *hymas*: accusative plural - you
• *en*: preposition with dative - in/with
• *endymasin*: dative plural neuter - garments/clothing
• *probatōn*: genitive plural neuter - of sheep
• *esōthen*: adverb - from within/inside
• *eisin*: present active indicative, 3rd person plural - are
• *lykoi*: nominative plural masculine - wolves
• *harpages*: nominative plural masculine - ravenous/rapacious

Word Meanings

• *prosechete*: beware/pay attention to/be on guard against
• *pseudoprophētōn*: false prophets/pretenders to divine inspiration
• *erchontai*: come/approach/arrive
• *endymasin*: garments/clothing/outer wear
• *probatōn*: sheep [symbol of innocence/harmlessness]
• *esōthen*: within/inside/inwardly
• *lykoi*: wolves [symbol of danger/destruction]
• *harpages*: ravenous/rapacious/predatory/greedy

Referenced Verses

• 1 John 4:1 : 1 Beloved, every spirit believe not, but prove the spirits, if of God they are, because many false prophets have gone forth to the world;
• 2 Pet 2:1-3 : 1 And there did come also false prophets among the people, as also among you there shall be false teachers, who shall bring in besides destructive sects, and the Master who bought them denying, bringing to themselves quick destruction, 2 and many shall follow out their destructive ways, because of whom the way of the truth shall be evil spoken of, 3 and in covetousness, with moulded words, of you they shall make merchandise, whose judgment of old is not idle, and their destruction doth not slumber.
• Matt 24:11 : 11 `And many false prophets shall arise, and shall lead many astray;
• Col 2:8 : 8 See that no one shall be carrying you away as spoil through the philosophy and vain deceit, according to the deliverance of men, according to the rudiments of the world, and not according to Christ,
• Deut 13:1-3 : 1 `When there ariseth in your midst a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he hath given unto thee a sign or wonder, 2 and the sign and the wonder hath come which he hath spoken of unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods (which thou hast not known), and serve them, 3 thou dost not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of the dream, for Jehovah your God is trying you, to know whether ye are loving Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul;
• Acts 20:29-31 : 29 for I have known this, that there shall enter in, after my departing, grievous wolves unto you, not sparing the flock, 30 and of your own selves there shall arise men, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 `Therefore, watch, remembering that three years, night and day, I did not cease with tears warning each one;
• Mark 13:22-23 : 22 for there shall rise false Christs and false prophets, and they shall give signs and wonders, to seduce, if possible, also the chosen; 23 and ye, take heed; lo, I have foretold you all things.
• Luke 6:26 : 26 `Wo to you when all men shall speak well of you -- for according to these things were their fathers doing to false prophets.
• 2 Cor 11:13-15 : 13 for those such `are' false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ, 14 and no wonder -- for even the Adversary doth transform himself into a messenger of light; 15 no great thing, then, if also his ministrants do transform themselves as ministrants of righteousness -- whose end shall be according to their works.
• Mic 3:5-7 : 5 Thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets Who are causing My people to err, Who are biting with their teeth, And have cried `Peace,' And he who doth not give unto their mouth, They have sanctified against him war. 6 Therefore a night ye have without vision, And darkness ye have without divination, And gone in hath the sun on the prophets, And black over them hath been the day. 7 And ashamed have been the seers, And confounded have been the diviners, And covered their lip have all of them, For their is no answer, O God.
• Mic 3:11 : 11 Her heads for a bribe do judge, And her priests for hire do teach, And her prophets for silver divine, And on Jehovah they lean, saying, `Is not Jehovah in our midst? Evil doth not come in upon us.'
• 2 Pet 3:17 : 17 Ye, then, beloved, knowing before, take heed, lest, together with the error of the impious being led away, ye may fall from your own stedfastness,
• Jude 1:4 : 4 for there did come in unobserved certain men, long ago having been written beforehand to this judgment, impious, the grace of our God perverting to lasciviousness, and our only Master, God, and Lord -- Jesus Christ -- denying,
• Rev 19:20 : 20 and the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet who did the signs before him, in which he led astray those who did receive the mark of the beast, and those who did bow before his image; living they were cast -- the two -- to the lake of the fire, that is burning with brimstone;
• Ezek 22:27 : 27 Its princes in its midst `are' as wolves, Tearing prey, to shed blood, to destroy souls, For the sake of gaining dishonest gain.
• Ezek 22:25 : 25 A conspiracy of its prophets `is' in its midst, as a roaring lion tearing prey; The soul they have devoured, Wealth and glory they have taken, Its widows have multiplied in its midst.
• Isa 9:15-16 : 15 Elder, and accepted of face, he `is' the head, Prophet, teacher of falsehood, he `is' the tail. 16 And the eulogists of this people are causing to err, And its eulogised ones are consumed.
• Jer 14:14-16 : 14 And Jehovah saith unto me: Falsehood the prophets are prophesying in My name, I did not send them, nor command them, Nor have I spoken unto them: A false vision, and divination, and vanity, And the deceit of their own heart, they are prophesying to you. 15 Therefore, thus said Jehovah concerning the prophets who are prophesying in My name, and I have not sent them, and they are saying, Sword and famine is not in this land: By sword and by famine are these prophets consumed. 16 And the people to whom they are prophesying, Are cast into out-places of Jerusalem, Because of the famine, and of the sword, And they have none burying them, Them, their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, And I have poured out upon them this evil.
• Jer 23:13-16 : 13 And in prophets of Samaria I have seen folly, They have prophesied by Baal, And cause my people -- Israel -- to err. 14 And in prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing, Committing adultery, and walking falsely, Yea, they strengthened the hands of evil doers, So that they have not turned back Each from his wickedness, They have been to me -- all of them -- as Sodom, And its inhabitants as Gomorrah. 15 Therefore, thus said Jehovah of Hosts, concerning the prophets: Lo, I am causing them to eat wormwood, And have caused them to drink water of gall, For, from prophets of Jerusalem Hath profanity gone forth to all the land. 16 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts: Ye do not hearken unto the words Of the prophets who are prophesying to you, They are making you vain things, A vision of their own heart they speak, Not from the mouth of Jehovah.
• Jer 28:15-17 : 15 And Jeremiah the prophet saith unto Hananiah the prophet, `Hear, I pray thee, O Hananiah; Jehovah hath not sent thee, and thou hast caused this people to trust on falsehood. 16 Therefore thus said Jehovah, Lo, I am casting thee from off the face of the ground; this year thou diest, for apostacy thou hast spoken concerning Jehovah.' 17 And Hananiah the prophet dieth in that year, in the seventh month.
• Jer 29:21 : 21 Thus said Jehovah of Hosts, God of Israel, concerning Ahab son of Kolaiah, and concerning Zedekiah son of Maaseiah, who are prophesying to you in My name falsehood: Lo, I am giving them into the hand of Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon, and he hath smitten them before your eyes,
• Jer 29:32 : 32 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, Lo, I am seeing after Shemaiah the Nehelamite, and after his seed, he hath none dwelling in the midst of this people, nor doth he look on the good that I am doing to My people -- an affirmation of Jehovah -- for apostacy he hath spoken against Jehovah.'
• Ezek 13:16 : 16 The prophets of Israel who are prophesying concerning Jerusalem, And who are seeing for her a vision of peace, And there is no peace, An affirmation of the Lord Jehovah.
• Zeph 3:3-4 : 3 Her heads in her midst `are' roaring lions, Her judges `are' evening wolves, They have not gnawn the bone in the morning. 4 Her prophets unstable -- men of treachery, Her priests have polluted the sanctuary, They have violated the law.
• Zech 13:4 : 4 And it hath come to pass, in that day, Ashamed are the prophets, each of his vision, in his prophesying, And they put not on a hairy robe to deceive.
• Matt 10:17 : 17 And, take ye heed of men, for they will give you up to sanhedrims, and in their synagogues they will scourge you,
• Matt 16:6 : 6 and Jesus said to them, `Beware, and take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees;'
• Matt 16:11 : 11 how do ye not understand that I did not speak to you of bread -- to take heed of the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees?'
• Matt 24:4-5 : 4 And Jesus answering said to them, `Take heed that no one may lead you astray, 5 for many shall come in my name, saying, I am the Christ, and they shall lead many astray,
• Gal 2:4 : 4 and `that' because of the false brethren brought in unawares, who did come in privily to spy out our liberty that we have in Christ Jesus, that us they might bring under bondage,
• Eph 4:14 : 14 that we may no more be babes, tossed and borne about by every wind of the teaching, in the sleight of men, in craftiness, unto the artifice of leading astray,
• Eph 5:6 : 6 Let no one deceive you with vain words, for because of these things cometh the anger of God upon the sons of the disobedience,
• Phil 3:2 : 2 look to the dogs, look to the evil-workers, look to the concision;
• 1 Tim 4:1-3 : 1 And the Spirit expressly speaketh, that in latter times shall certain fall away from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and teachings of demons, 2 in hypocrisy speaking lies, being seared in their own conscience, 3 forbidding to marry -- to abstain from meats that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those believing and acknowledging the truth,
• 2 Tim 3:5-9 : 5 having a form of piety, and its power having denied; and from these be turning away, 6 for of these there are those coming into the houses and leading captive the silly women, laden with sins, led away with desires manifold, 7 always learning, and never to a knowledge of truth able to come, 8 and, even as Jannes and Jambres stood against Moses, so also these do stand against the truth, men corrupted in mind, disapproved concerning the faith; 9 but they shall not advance any further, for their folly shall be manifest to all, as theirs also did become.
• 2 Tim 3:13 : 13 and evil men and impostors shall advance to the worse, leading astray and being led astray.
• 2 Tim 4:3 : 3 for there shall be a season when the sound teaching they will not suffer, but according to their own desires to themselves they shall heap up teachers -- itching in the hearing,
• Luke 12:15 : 15 And he said unto them, `Observe, and beware of the covetousness, because not in the abundance of one's goods is his life.'
• John 10:12 : 12 and the hireling, and not being a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, doth behold the wolf coming, and doth leave the sheep, and doth flee; and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep;
• Rom 16:17-18 : 17 And I call upon you, brethren, to mark those who the divisions and the stumbling-blocks, contrary to the teaching that ye did learn, are causing, and turn ye away from them; 18 for such our Lord Jesus Christ do not serve, but their own belly; and through the good word and fair speech they deceive the hearts of the harmless,
• Matt 24:24-25 : 24 for there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and they shall give great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, also the chosen. 25 Lo, I did tell you beforehand.
• Mark 12:38-40 : 38 and he was saying to them in his teaching, `Beware of the scribes, who will in long robes to walk, and love salutations in the market-places, 39 and first seats in the synagogues, and first couches in suppers, 40 who are devouring the widows' houses, and for a pretense are making long prayers; these shall receive more abundant judgment.'
• Rev 13:11-17 : 11 And I saw another beast coming up out of the land, and it had two horns, like a lamb, and it was speaking as a dragon, 12 and all the authority of the first beast doth it do before it, and it maketh the land and those dwelling in it that they shall bow before the first beast, whose deadly stroke was healed, 13 and it doth great signs, that fire also it may make to come down from the heaven to the earth before men, 14 and it leadeth astray those dwelling on the land, because of the signs that were given it to do before the beast, saying to those dwelling upon the land to make an image to the beast that hath the stroke of the sword and did live, 15 and there was given to it to give a spirit to the image of the beast, that also the image of the beast may speak, and `that' it may cause as many as shall not bow before the image of the beast, that they may be killed. 16 And it maketh all, the small, and the great, and the rich, and the poor, and the freemen, and the servants, that it may give to them a mark upon their right hand or upon their foreheads, 17 and that no one may be able to buy, or to sell, except he who is having the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
• Rev 16:13 : 13 and I saw `come' out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits like frogs --
• Rev 17:6 : 6 And I saw the woman drunken from the blood of the saints, and from the blood of the witnesses of Jesus, and I did wonder -- having seen her -- with great wonder;
• Acts 13:40 : 40 see, therefore, it may not come upon you that hath been spoken in the prophets:
• 2 Pet 2:18-19 : 18 for overswellings of vanity speaking, they do entice in desires of the flesh -- lasciviousnesses, those who had truly escaped from those conducting themselves in error, 19 liberty to them promising, themselves being servants of the corruption, for by whom any one hath been overcome, to this one also he hath been brought to servitude,
• Acts 13:6 : 6 and having gone through the island unto Paphos, they found a certain magian, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name `is' Bar-Jesus;
• Ezek 13:22 : 22 Because of paining the heart of the righteous with falsehood, And I have not pained it, And strengthening the hands of the wicked, So as not to turn back from his evil way, To keep him alive,
• Isa 56:10-11 : 10 Blind `are' his watchmen -- all of them, They have not known, All of them `are' dumb dogs, they are not able to bark, Dozing, lying down, loving to slumber. 11 And the dogs `are' strong of desire, They have not known sufficiency, And they `are' shepherds! They have not known understanding, All of them to their own way they did turn, Each to his dishonest gain from his quarter: