23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law 1 and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth 2 of mint, dill, and cumin, 3 yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You 4 should have done these things without neglecting the others. 23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel! 5
1 tn Or “scribes.” See the note on the phrase “experts in the law” in 2:4.
2 tn Or “you tithe mint.”
3 sn Cumin (alternately spelled cummin) was an aromatic herb native to the Mediterranean region. Its seeds were used for seasoning.
4 tc ‡ Many witnesses (B C K L W Δ 0102 33 565 892 pm) have δέ (de, “but”) after ταῦτα (tauta, “these things”), while many others lack it (א D Γ Θ Ë1,13 579 700 1241 1424 pm). Since asyndeton was relatively rare in Koine Greek, the conjunction may be an intentional alteration, and is thus omitted from the present translation. NA27 includes the word in brackets, indicating doubts as to its authenticity.
5 tn Grk “Blind guides who strain out a gnat yet who swallow a camel!”