Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing...

Spoken to
audience

Sermon on Mount, law and fulfillment, visible and hidden, 

KJV

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

 

NIV

Matthew 7:15 Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves.

 

LISTENERS HEARD

Watch out against these fake luminaries!  Those who show up before you in coverings of sheep. Inwardly, however, they are rapacious wolves!

MY TAKE

Neither the easy to see nor the hard to see is a lie, but what is intentionally hidden is a lie.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

This verse is constructed of double meanings, most of which are lost in translation. As we have seen for the last several verses, the Greek has an economic meaning that is hidden in translation. The phrase "in sheep's clothing" also means "under cover of the herd" while "ravening wolves" also means a "hook for robbing." The image is someone trying to get close to you so that they can get their claws into you.

The Greek word translated as "beware/watch out" is a funny one because its primary meaning is to "hold to" and "cling to." It was more commonly used as  "devoted to" and "pay attention to. " Jesus  always uses it in the negative sense of "pay attention to" as we use "watch out."

The word translated as "wolves" and "ravening" both have a secondary meaning of a "hook" or "grappling hook."
 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "false prophets" is not shown in the English translation.
  • UW - Untranslated Word -- The word "false prophets" means "false luminaries." "Prophets" is the untranslated Greek word adopted into English.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "which" should be something more like "anyone who."
  • WV  - Wrong Voice - The verb is in the middle voice requiring the concept of "by/themselves" as its object.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "false prophets" is not shown in the English translation.
  • UW - Untranslated Word -- The word "false prophets" means "false luminaries." "Prophets" is the untranslated Greek word adopted into English.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "they" should be something more like "anyone who."
  • WV  - Wrong Voice - The verb is in the middle voice requiring the concept of "by/themselves" as its object.
EACH WORD of KJV

Beware  - The word translated as "beware" means"hold to," "offer," "turn toward," "attend to," "pay attention," and "be on your guard against. It is a funny word because it means both "hold toward" and "hold against." Its root is the Greek word meaning "have" and "hold." Jesus uses it only in the sense of a warning so "guard against." 

of -- The word translated as "from" means "from" in both location and when referring to a source. It also means "against" which is the sense here. In English, we use a different preposition,  saying "beware of," "watch out for," or "guard against."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

false prophets,  - (UW) "False prophets" a hybrid Greek word that means "lying interpreters of god's will" or "fake interpreters." This Greek word appears for the first time in the Septuagint, the Greek OT in Jeremiah.  -

which  - (WW) The "which" that appears in this verse is not the common Greek word that means "which" or "who," but a more complex that means "anyone who" and which is often translated in the NT as "whosoever." This phrase may indicate the start of a definition of the previous term. This word is plural.

come  -- (WV) The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Jesus usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas.  See this article for more. However, this word is in a form that makes it  the middle voice, so "comes for/by yourself."

to  - The Greek word translated as "to" indicates all types of relationship from "towards" to "in the presence of" to "against." So this phrase could mean "toward you" or "against you" or "like you." It is not the common Greek prepositions that are usually translated as "in" and "into."

you  - The word "you" is plural, indicating all of Christ's listeners.

in - The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "among," or "at."

sheep's  - The word translated as "sheep" means any domesticated animal and their herds. The appostrophe comes from its genitive form.

clothing,  - The word translated as "clothing" means "clothing" or "covering." Remember, clothing indicated social status in Christ's time much more than it does today.

but  - The Greek word translated as"but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.

inwardly  - "Inwardly" is a Greek adverb meaning "from within" and "inside." This word is only used by Jesus twice.

they   -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.

are -- The verb "are" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. -- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are." 

ravening  - The word translated as "ravening" means "robbing," "rapacious," "rapine," "robber," "peculator," "a type of wolf," "grappling-iron," and "meat hook."

wolves. -- The Greek word for "wolves" means wolves or jackals, but it is also the name for anything shaped like a hook. It is in the possessive modifying "midst," "competition," and "difference." The wolves are not a flock or a group, though many, but separated and in competition with a group.

EACH WORD of NIV

Watch out- The word translated as "beware" means"hold to," "offer," "turn toward," "attend to," "pay attention," and "be on your guard against. Its root is the Greek word meaning "have" and "hold." It works somewhat like our phrase "hold fast." The word "guard" might  It is a command to the group of listeners.

for -- The word translated as "for" means "from" in both location and when referring to a source. It also means "against" which is the sense here. In English, we use a different preposition,  saying "beware of," "watch out for," or "guard against."

missing "the"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, "the." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

false prophets,  - (UW) "False prophets" a hybrid Greek word that means "lying interpreters of god's will" or "fake interpreters." This Greek word appears for the first time in the Septuagint, the Greek OT in Jeremiah.  -

They - (WW) The "they" that appears in this verse is not the common Greek word that means "which" or "who," but a more complex that means "anyone who" and which is often translated in the NT as "whosoever." This phrase may indicate the start of a definition of the previous term. This word is plural.

come  -- (WV) The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Jesus usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas.  See this article for more. However, this word is in a form that makes it  the middle voice, so "comes for/by yourself."

MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "false prophets" is not shown in the English translation.

UW - Untranslated Word -- The word "false prophets" means "false luminaries." "Prophets" is the untranslated Greek word adopted into English.

WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "which" should be something more like "anyone who."

WV  - Wrong Voice - The verb is in the middle voice requiring the concept of "by/themselves" as its object.

to  - The Greek word translated as "to" indicates all types of relationship from "towards" to "in the presence of" to "against." So this phrase could mean "toward you" or "against you" or "like you." It is not the common Greek prepositions that are usually translated as "in" and "into."

you  - The word "you" is plural, indicating all of Christ's listeners.

in - The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "among," or "at."

sheep's  - The word translated as "sheep" means any domesticated animal and their herds. The apostrophe comes from its genitive form.

clothing,  - The word translated as "clothing" means "clothing" or "covering." Remember, clothing indicated social status in Christ's time much more than it does today.

but  - The Greek word translated as"but" joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better.

inwardly  - "Inwardly" is a Greek adverb meaning "from within" and "inside." This word is only used by Jesus twice.

they   -- This is from the third-person, plural form of the verb.

are -- The verb "are" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. -- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are." 

ferocious - The word translated as "ferocious" means "robbing," "rapacious," "rapine," "robber," "peculator," "a type of wolf," "grappling-iron," and "meat hook."

wolves. -- The Greek word for "wolves" means wolves or jackals, but it is also the name for anything shaped like a hook. It is in the possessive modifying "midst," "competition," and "difference." The wolves are not a flock or a group, though many, but separated and in competition with a group.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Προσέχετε [9 verses](2nd pl pres imperat act) "Beware" is the Greek prosecho, which means "hold to," "to offer," "turn to or toward," "to turn your mind toward," "to be on one's guard against," "to take heed," "to pay attention," "to devote oneself to," "to attach oneself," "to continue," "to hold fast to [a thing]," "to have in addition," or "pay court to." It is from the root of the Greek word "to have" or "to hold" with a prefix that means "toward," "for," "against," "before."

ἀπὸ (prep) "Of" is from apo, a preposition of separation which means "from" or "away from" from when referring to place or motion, "from" or "after" when referring to time, "from" as an origin or cause.

τῶν (article)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). --

ψευδοπροφητῶν, [5 verses] (noun pl masc gen) "False prophets" is from pseudoprophētēs which means a "false" or "lying" prophet, which means "one who speaks for a god and interprets his will," "interpreter," "keepers of the oracle," "the highest level of priesthood in Egypt," and "herald." In the Septuagint, this word is used to translated the Hebrew nabiy' (נָבִיא), which is the same word translated as "prophet." It seems to have been used to separate Israel's true prophets from those the Septuagint translators saw as pretenders.

οἵτινες (pron pl masc nom) "Which" is hostis, which means "that," "anyone who," "anything which," "whosoever," "whichsoever" and "anybody whatsoever."

ἔρχονται (3rd pl pres ind mp) "Come" is from erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out," "to come," "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place. The English phrase "show up" captures many of its meanings.

πρὸς (prep) "To" is from pros, which means "on the side of," "in the direction of," "from (place)," "towards" "for," "before," "in the presence of," "in the eyes of," "in the name of," "by reason of," "before (supplication)," "proceeding from (for effects)," "dependent on," "derivable from," "agreeable,""becoming," "like," "at the point of," "in addition to," "against," and "before."

ὑμᾶς (pron 2nd pl acc) "You" is from humas , which is the plural form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you."

ἐν (prep) "In" is from en, which means "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," and "with."

ἐνδύμασι [6 verses] (noun pl neut dat) "Clothing" is from endyma, which means "garment," and "covering."

προβάτων (noun pl neut gen ) "Sheep" is from probaton, which means any domesticated four-footed animal, "sheep," "cattle," "herds," and "flocks.

ἔσωθεν [9 verses](adv) "Inwardly" is esothen, which means "from within," "inside," "within," and "inward."

δέ (partic) "But" is from de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").

εἰσιν (verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "They are" is from eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," and "is possible." It can also mean "must" with a dative.

λύκοι [3 verses](noun pl masc nom ) "Wolves" is lykos, which means "wolf," and "jackal." Its secondary meaning is "anything shaped like a hook," "a meat hook," and "the bit of a horse." As an adjective in various phrases, it was used to means "vain," "treacherous," and "inescapable."

ἅρπαγες. [2 verses](noun pl masc nom ) "Ravening" is harpax, which means "robbing," "rapacious," "rapine," "robber," "peculator," "a type of wolf," "grappling-iron," and "meat hook."

Wordplay

 "In sheep's clothing" also means "under cover of the herd." 

"Ravening wolves" also means a "hook for thieves." Both the Greek word for "wolves" and "ravening" also mean a "hook." 

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings

“That is not the law!” Simeon proclaimed, haranguing us. “This child of a man is speaking nonsense! Another fake luminary! A fake like his cousin, Joahnen! Both are fake luminaries! Hold fast to the law. Hold out  from these fake luminaries! Hold out from these fake luminaries!”
He gestured to the other Distinguished to stand and join him in this chant.
“Hold out from these fake luminaries!” they all repeated in unison, turning toward us. “Hold out from these fake luminaries!”
They coaxed others in the crowd to join them, focusing on their hire troublemakers among us, but only a few chimed in, and they did it reluctantly.
But then they got support from an unexpected quarter.  
“Hold out from these fake luminaries!” the Nazarene shouted, joining the chant and taking a place beside Simeon, his voice rising above all of theirs.
We were at first confused and then amused.
He was turning their attack against them! He was against fake luminaries, but who were the real fakes?
We began to laugh. Some applauded.  Some stood.
“Hold out from these fake luminaries!” many in the crowd joined in.
Now, the Distinguished were confused. They halted their chant as we continued it. Simeon looked at the Nazarene with some wonder and perhaps respect. He returned to his place with the other Distinguished as they sat down in defeat.
As they sat, the Nazarene held up his hands for quiet, gesturing for everyone to sit down. We quieted down.
“Who are the real fakes?” the Mule shouted.
“All those,” the Teacher explained, smiling happily, “who show up before you in clothing of sheep.”
Demas claimed the Nazarene nodded toward the Distinguished as he said this, but none of the rest of us saw this.  What we saw was his taking off his rob and throwing it over his head. He crouched down. He began to baa like a sheep. He pulled up some weeds with his hand and began nibbling on it.  
We laughed.
“Inwardly, however, ” the Teacher explained lightly, from beneath his robe, rising slowly. Suddenly, he threw off his robe and lunged toward the crowd. “They are wolves!” he roared threateningly, raking the air with his hand. “Clawing!”

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