Judge not, that ye be not judged.
What does Matthew 7:1 mean?
We must judge ourselves, and judge of our own acts, but not make our word a law to everybody. We must not judge rashly, nor pass judgment upon our brother without any ground.
Key themes
Read with
Keep this verse inside Matthew 7:1-5 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on Matthew 7:1
- This command refers to rash, censorious, and unjust judgment. See Romans 2:1 . Luke Luk 6:37 explains it in the sense of "condemning." Christ does not condemn judging as a magistrate, for that, when according to justice, is lawful and necessary. Nor does he condemn our "forming an opinion" of the conduct of others, for it is impossible "not" to form an opinion of conduct that we know to be evil. But what he refers to is a habit of forming a judgment hastily, harshly, and without an allowance for every palliating circumstance, and a habit of "expressing" such an opinion harshly and unnecessarily when formed.
Key words
- that ye be not judged
-
that ye be not judged. (u) Pirke Abot, c. 2. sect. 4. Mt 7:1-12. Miscellaneous Supplementary Counsels.
- Judge
-
Good is the advice given by the famous Hillell (u), who lived a little before Christ's time; "Do not judge thy neighbour, (says he,) until thou comest into his place.
Context in Matthew 7
Show chapter context
Matthew 7 belongs to the early movement of the book, especially the section often described as birth and preparation. Matthew presents Jesus as Davidic Messiah, new Moses, teacher of the kingdom, suffering Son of Man, and risen Lord who commissions the nations. Read this chapter with the wider themes of fulfillment, kingdom of heaven, and discipleship in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
Explore by topic
Bible verses about justice and mercy
Key texts on public righteousness, neighbor-love, social ethics, compassion, and the prophetic refusal to separate worship from justice.
Passages on the nature of truth, honesty, deception, the word of God as truth, and Jesus' claim to be the truth.
Who quoted Matthew 7:1?
Find out who used Matthew 7:1 in their speeches and writings. Which famous people quoted Matthew 7:1?
Jimmy Carter used Matthew 7:1 in Remarks in a Question and Answer Session with the AFL-CIO Union Leadership in Portland, Oregon.
Jimmy Carter used Matthew 7:1 in Miami, Florida Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at a Town Meeting..
APP: Miami, Florida Remarks and a Question-and-Answer Session at a Town Meeting. »
Quotes found on Wikiquote (match for «judge not»):
Abraham Lincoln · American Civil War · Ammon Hennacy · Antonin Scalia · Appearance · April 14 · Bob Marley · Charity · Danish proverbs · December 24 · Dolly Parton · Dutch proverbs · Edmund Burke · Eliphas Levi · February 12 · Francis Quarles · German proverbs · Harry S. Truman · Italian proverbs · James Branch Cabell · January 19 · John Dalberg-Acton, 1st Baron Acton · Judgment · Judicial interpretation · Letitia Elizabeth Landon · Mahavatar Babaji · Maya · Metallica · Nancy Kress · Nicolaus Copernicus · Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. · On Liberty · Othello · Perfection · Preaching · Richard Francis Burton · Sam Keen · Sermon on the Mount · Slavery · Soldiers · Spanish proverbs · The Outer Limits (1995 TV series) · Thomas à Kempis · Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri · William Tyndale