MAT 12:37 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) because you’ll be either be convicted, or be declared guiltless, by the things that you yourself have said.”

Key: khaki:verbs, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

UST In fact, God will declare that you are either innocent or guilty based on what you have said.”

BLB For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

AICNT for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

OEB For it is by your words that you will be acquitted, and by your words that you will be condemned.’

WEBBE For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”

LSV for from your words you will be declared righteous, and from your words you will be declared unrighteous.”

FBV For what you say will either vindicate you or condemn you.”

TCNT For by yoʋr words yoʋ will be justified, and by yoʋr words yoʋ will be condemned.”

T4T Based on the words that you have spoken, God will either declare that you are righteous based on the words that you have spoken, or else he will condemn you.”

LEB For by your words you will be vindicated, and by your words you will be condemned.”

BBE For by your words will your righteousness be seen, and by your words you will be judged.

Moff for by your words you will be acquitted,
⇔ and by your words you will be condemned."

Wymth For each of you by his words shall be justified, or by his words shall be condemned."

ASV For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

DRA For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

YLT for from thy words thou shalt be declared righteous, and from thy words thou shalt be declared unrighteous.'

Drby for by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

RV For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
(For by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be justified, and by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be condemned. )

SLT For by thy words shalt thou be justified, and by thy words shalt thou be condemned.

Wbstr For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.

KJB-1769 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
(For by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be justified, and by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be condemned. )

KJB-1611 For by thy wordes thou shalt bee iustified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps For of thy wordes, thou shalt be iustified: and of thy wordes, thou shalt be condemned.
(For of thy/your words, thou/you shalt/shall be justified: and of thy/your words, thou/you shalt/shall be condemned.)

Gnva For by thy wordes thou shalt be iustified, and by thy wordes thou shalt be condemned.
(For by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be justified, and by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be condemned. )

Cvdl Out of thy wordes thou shalt be iustified, & out of thy wordes thou shalt be codemned.
(Out of thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be justified, and out of thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be codemned.)

TNT For by thy wordes thou shalt be iustifyed: and by thy wordes thou shalt be condemned.
(For by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be justifyed: and by thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be condemned. )

Wycl for of thi wordis thou schalt be iustified, and of thi wordis thou shalt be dampned.
(for of thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be justified, and of thy/your words thou/you shalt/shall be dampened.)

Luth Aus deinen Worten wirst du gerechtfertiget werden und aus deinen Worten wirst du verdammt werden.
(Out_of your(s) words will you(sg) just/fairfertiget become and out_of your(s) words will you(sg) damned become.)

ClVg Ex verbis enim tuis justificaberis et ex verbis tuis condemnaberis.[fn]
(From with_words because yours justificaberis and from with_words yours condemnaberis. )

12.37 Ex verbis. Mors et vita in manibus linguæ.

12.37 From with_words. Mors and life in/into/on hands tongues/languages.

UGNT ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ.
(ek gar tōn logōn sou dikaiōthaʸsaʸ, kai ek tōn logōn sou katadikasthaʸsaʸ.)

SBL-GNT ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ.
(ek gar tōn logōn sou dikaiōthaʸsaʸ, kai ek tōn logōn sou katadikasthaʸsaʸ.)

RP-GNT Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ.
(Ek gar tōn logōn sou dikaiōthaʸsaʸ, kai ek tōn logōn sou katadikasthaʸsaʸ.)

TC-GNT Ἐκ γὰρ τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ.
(Ek gar tōn logōn sou dikaiōthaʸsaʸ, kai ek tōn logōn sou katadikasthaʸsaʸ. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 12:33–37: Your words show whether you are good or bad

In this section, Jesus continued to respond to the Pharisees’ accusation that he cast out evil spirits by the power of Satan. First, he said that the Pharisees needed to be consistent in their beliefs about him. Then he warned them that God would judge them for the words that they said.

Here are some other possible headings for this section:

A tree is known by its fruit

A tree and its fruit

People know you by your words (NCV)

Paragraph 12:33–37

This paragraph begins a new section. In this paragraph Jesus continued speaking. In some languages, it may be natural to make it explicit that Jesus continued speaking. For example:

Jesus continued and said,

12:37

Before you begin translating this verse, think about the most natural way to translate it in your language. This verse has two parallel parts:

^aby your words you will be aquitted

^bby your words you will be condemned

In some languages, it will be natural to combine these two parts. For example:

The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you. (NLT)

they will be told that they are either innocent or guilty because of the things they have said. (CEV)

12:37a

For by your words you will be acquitted,

That is true because you will be declared innocent based on your words,
God will judge and declare a person not guilty because of the words he has spoken,
God will use your words to judge you either innocent

This clause continues to refer to what will happen on the day of judgment.

For: Verse 12:37 explains what Jesus said in 12:36. The Greek introduces this explanation with a conjunction that the BSB translates as For.

Here are some other ways to introduce this explanation:

Let me explain further

That is true because

Some English versions do not introduce this explanation with a conjunction. In some languages, a conjunction will not be necessary here either.

by your words you will be acquitted: This clause means that your words will determine whether God declares you innocent. In other words, on judgment day, God will examine your words and declare you either innocent or guilty. If you have spoken good words, God will declare you “not guilty.”

This clause is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:

Use a passive verb. For example:
By your words you will be declared innocent (GW)
A person will be declared innocent because of the words that he has said
Use an active verb. For example:
God will judge you and declare you innocent because of the words you have said
God will use the words that a person has said to judge him innocent

your words you: In 12:36, Jesus spoke of “men”/people. Here in 12:37 he switched and used the singular pronouns your and you. But 12:37 still has a general application to all people. The pronoun you was not meant for only a single person in the crowd listening to Jesus. In some languages, it will be more natural to continue to use “people” or the singular “a person” here in 12:37. For example:

God will judge and declare a person innocent based on his words.

12:37b

and by your words you will be condemned.”

and/or you will be judged as evil/sinful based on your words.”
or God/he will judge and declare a person guilty because of the words he has spoken.”
or guilty.”

and: Each person will be declared either innocent or guilty. It may be more natural in some languages to use “or” instead of and here. For example:

or by your words you will be declared guilty (GW)

by your words you will be condemned: This clause is parallel to the clause in 12:37a. It means that your words will determine whether God declares you guilty. In other words, on judgment day, God will examine your words and declare you either innocent or guilty. If you have spoken careless words, God will declare you “guilty.”

This clause is passive. Here are some other ways to translate it:

Use a passive verb. For example:

by your words you will be declared guilty (GW)

a person will be declared guilty because of the words that he has said

Use an active verb. For example:

God will judge you and declare you guilty because of the words you have said

God will use the words that a person has said to judge/declare him guilty

condemned: In this context, the Greek word that the BSB translates as condemned means “declared guilty.”

Here are some other ways to translate condemned:

declare…guilty (GNT)

judged as evil/sinful

This word also occurs in 12:7c.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-words-phrases

γὰρ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐκ Γάρ τῶν λόγων σοῦ δικαιωθήσῃ καί ἐκ τῶν λόγων σοῦ καταδικασθήσῃ)

Here, the word For introduces a further explanation of what Jesus said in the previous verse about the day of judgment. If it would be helpful in your language, you could use a word or phrase that introduces a further explanation, or you could leave For untranslated. Alternate translation: [Indeed,]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / parallelism

ἐκ & τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ, καὶ ἐκ τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ

by & the words by & (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐκ Γάρ τῶν λόγων σοῦ δικαιωθήσῃ καί ἐκ τῶν λόγων σοῦ καταδικασθήσῃ)

These two clauses use the same form to give two options. The second provides a contrasting alternative to the first. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could combine parts of the two clauses together to form a natural contrast in your language. Alternate translation: [by your words you will be justified or condemned] or [by your words either you will be justified or you will be condemned]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / youcrowd

τῶν λόγων σου δικαιωθήσῃ & τῶν λόγων σου καταδικασθήσῃ

the words the words (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἐκ Γάρ τῶν λόγων σοῦ δικαιωθήσῃ καί ἐκ τῶν λόγων σοῦ καταδικασθήσῃ)

Even though Jesus is speaking to many people, he is addressing an individual situation, so your and you are singular throughout this verse. But if the singular form would not be natural in your language for someone who was speaking to a group of people, you could use the plural forms of you and your in your translation.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

δικαιωθήσῃ & καταδικασθήσῃ

˱you˲_˓will_be_being˒_justified & ˱you˲_˓will_be_being˒_convicted

If your language does not use this passive form, you could express the idea in active form or in another way that is natural in your language. If you need to say who does the action, it is clear from the context that it is God. Alternate translation: [God will justify you … God will condemn you]

Parallel MAT 12:37

Section 12:33–37: Your words show whether you are good or bad

Paragraph 12:33–37

12:37

12:37a

12:37b