“Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?”
The full verse · Matthew 23:33 · KJV
Ye , ye of , can the of ?
Asked by
Jesus: the Son of God and promised Messiah, teaching in the temple during His last days in Jerusalem (Matthew 23:1; Matthew 24:1)
Asked to
Scribes: experts in the law of Moses who copied, taught, and interpreted it, who built the tombs of the prophets their fathers had killed (Matthew 23:29-31); Pharisees: a Jewish religious party known for strict keeping of the law and tradition, addressed with the scribes in the final woe (Matthew 23:29)
The Scene
In the last of His woes, Jesus tells the scribes and Pharisees that by building the tombs of the prophets they witness that they are "the children of them which killed the prophets," and says, "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers" (Matthew 23:29-32).
Why It Was Asked
The purpose behind the questionThis question is a solemn warning, not a request for information. The scribes and Pharisees honored dead prophets while opposing the living Christ. Barnes says Jesus called them serpents because they pretended to be devoted to God while "being secretly evil," like the serpent in Genesis 3:1-5. He adds that if they "persevered in this course, it was impossible to escape the damnation that should come on the guilty." Gill describes their "inward poison, and venomous nature," and says this is a judgment that "impenitent unbelieving sinners cannot escape." The question presses on them the certainty of judgment for those who will not turn.
The Response
What Scripture recordsNo reply is recorded. Jesus answers His own question by declaring what will come: they will kill and persecute the messengers He sends, so that on them comes "all the righteous blood shed upon the earth" (Matthew 23:34-35). "All these things shall come upon this generation" (Matthew 23:36). Then His tone turns to grief: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem... how often would I have gathered thy children together... and ye would not!" (Matthew 23:37).
Historical Context
The world behind the words"Generation of vipers" (gennemata echidnon) means "offspring of vipers," poisonous snakes. John the Baptist used the same words to the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 3:7), and Jesus used them before (Matthew 12:34). "Damnation" translates krisis, judgment or sentence, which is why the ESV says "sentenced."
"Hell" is geenna, Gehenna. Thayer's lexicon traces the name to the Valley of Hinnom by Jerusalem, a place once linked with child sacrifice to the idol Moloch, and explains that the name was carried over to the place where the wicked are punished after death. Barnes says the phrase "refers, beyond all question, to future punishment."
The Bigger Picture
Where this fits in God's storyHere Jesus speaks as the Judge, in what Barnes calls "the sternest language that Jesus ever used to wicked people." Yet the same speech ends in a lament over Jerusalem: "how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings" (Matthew 23:37). Barnes explains, "Would have protected and saved."
God's justice and God's longing to save stand side by side in this chapter. The judgment is real because the sin is real, and the invitation was real too. What closed the door was "ye would not" (Matthew 23:37).
Look Closer
Why did Jesus call them "serpents" and a "generation of vipers"?
Carry the question into prayer and conversation.
Lord Jesus, You warned and You longed to gather; where am I honoring You outwardly while resisting You inwardly, and how will You gather me close?
A prayer to carry into the day.
- The scribes honored past prophets while rejecting the One in front of them. Why is it easier to admire faithful people from the past than to listen to God's voice now?
- Jesus' warning ends in grief over people who "would not." How does knowing He longs to gather people change the way you hear His warnings?
For you, a small group, a friend, or the dinner table.
Jesus' warnings are real, and they come from love. He spoke this strongly because judgment was coming and these leaders would not turn. When Scripture warns you, take it seriously, and remember that the One who warns is the One who longs to gather you under His wings (Matthew 23:37).
Watch out for honoring God in public while resisting Him in private. That gap is what Jesus exposed in this chapter.
This question does not give us license to speak this way to others. Barnes notes that these words "by no means" authorize ministers "to use such language to sinners now," because "Christ knew that this was true of them." We do not see hearts as He does. Our part is to warn with humility.
Built from the biblical text and checked against trusted commentaries and lexicons. References & Sources
Keep questioning
“Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gold, or the temple that sanctifieth the gold?”
“Ye fools and blind: for whether is greater, the gift, or the altar that sanctifieth the gift?”
“O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things?”