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Today's Verse Analysis

Matthew 15:5 But you say, Whoever shall says [to his] father

Debate with Pharisees about tradition

Spoken to
The Pharisees

Matthew 15:5 ὑμεῖς δὲ λέγετε Ὃς ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ πατρὶ ἢ τῇ μητρί Δῶρον ὃ ἐὰν ἐξ ἐμοῦ ὠφεληθῇς,

KJV Verse

Matthew 15:5 But ye say, Whosoever shall say to his father or his mother,It is a gift, by whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me;

NIV Verse:

Matthew 15:5 But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is ‘devoted to God,’

What His Listeners Heard:

You yourselves, however, tell whoever, when he says to this father or that mother, "This is an offering this when you should be helped  by me."

Lost In Translation:

Most translations make this verse into a statement just about telling parents that the support that they might have gotten was given as a gift to God, but it is a little more than that. It is really an accusation against his accusers that they teach people to give money to them (offerings go to the religious officials not directly to God) to "help" their parents. What is hidden is that the "gift" is specifically an offering to God.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

But ye (MW) say, Whosoever (MW) shall(CW) say(CW) to his(WW) father or his(WW) mother, It is a gift, (MW) by(IW) whatsoever(WF) thou mightest be profited(CW) by me;

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.