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Today's Verse Analysis

The Sermon on the Mount, invisible and visible, worthy and worthless

Spoken to
audience
KJV Verse

Matthew 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

NIV Verse:

Matthew 7:17 Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit.

What His Listeners Heard:

In this way, every valuable tree produces fine fruit. However, the diseased tree produces worthless fruit.

Lost In Translation:

This verse is a great example of how two different Greek words are mistranslated as the same English word. The "good" tree and "good" fruit are described by two different Greek words translated as "good." The "bad" tree and the "bad" fruit have two different Greek words translated as "bad." When Jesus uses four different words perhaps English translations should reflect that. Interestingly, this particular mistranslation goes back to the Latin Vulgate.

In Jesus's words, there was a difference between the defects of the tree and the defects of the fruit. There is also a clear economic meaning to this verse that is lost in translation. The most common word translated in the Bible as "good" applies to the tree, but it means "beneficial" and "valuable." The most common word translated in the Bible "evil" applies to the "fruit,"  but it means "worthless" and "worth less." The less common word for the "good" applies to the fruit and means "fine" more in the sense of "good." The word translated as "corrupt/bad" that applies to the tree has more of a sense of "diseased" and "worn-out." The Greek word that more clearly means "evil" or "bad" is not used in this verse. See this article of more information on the words for "good" and "evil".

This verse is also a good and useful example of why the Greek verb usually translated as "to do" is often better translated by its primary meaning of "make" and "produce." The sense is often very economic. Of course, you cannot see this because it is translated as "brings forth" and "bears" here.

KJV w/Translation Issues :

Even so(WW) every good(CW) tree bringeth(WW) forth good(CW) fruit; but a(WW) corrupt tree bringeth(WW) forth evil(WW) fruit.

KJV List (See full page for word-by-word analysis):
For analysis of each word of original Greek and biblical verses, click here.

Constantly Updated

My analysis standards and methods are constantly improving. New information on each verse is provided as articles are updated. It requires approximately two years for me to work through updating each of Jesus's verses.

What Jesus's Listeners Heard

The everyday meanings of the Greek words Jesus used were different than the definitions they have been given over time in biblical translation. The word translations here are based upon documents of his time such as the Greek Septuagint, not ideas unknown in his time.

About this Site

See what Jesus said in Greek and see how his words are changed in English translation. My goal is to translate Jesus's words as they were heard when he taught, not the way they are interpreted today. The work here resurrects the humor and cleverness of Jesus's words lost in translation.

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Do Your Own Research

Each article provides detailed information on all the Greek words in each verse with links simplifying your own research. It compares the Greek to popular translations to show where words are confused, changed, left out, and added. This site offers research available nowhere else, such as how often Jesus uses a specific Greek word and links to a list of every verse in which he uses a given word.