πάντα δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ποιοῦσι πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, πλατύνουσι γὰρ τὰ φυλακτήρια αὐτῶν καὶ μεγαλύνουσι τὰ κράσπεδα τῶν ἰματίων αὐτῶν,
Main Clause and Intentional Motivation: πάντα δὲ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν ποιοῦσι πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις
– πάντα: Accusative neuter plural of πᾶς—”all.”
– τὰ ἔργα: Accusative neuter plural of ἔργον, “deeds” or “works.”
– πάντα τὰ ἔργα: “all the deeds”—complete inclusion.
– αὐτῶν: Genitive plural pronoun—”of them,” modifying ἔργα.
– ποιοῦσι: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural of ποιέω, “they do.”
– δὲ: Mildly contrastive—”but,” continuing from v. 4.
– πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι: Preposition πρὸς + articular infinitive—”in order to be seen.”
– θεαθῆναι: Aorist passive infinitive of θεάομαι, “to be looked at,” “to be observed.”
– τοῖς ἀνθρώποις: Dative plural masculine—”by men,” indicating the audience of the display.
– Translation: “But all their works they do in order to be seen by men.”
Explanatory Examples with Coordinated Verbs: πλατύνουσι γὰρ τὰ φυλακτήρια αὐτῶν καὶ μεγαλύνουσι τὰ κράσπεδα τῶν ἰματίων αὐτῶν
– πλατύνουσι: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural of πλατύνω, “they widen,” “they broaden.”
– Describes an intentional exaggeration of religious symbols.
– τὰ φυλακτήρια: Accusative neuter plural of φυλακτήριον, “phylacteries”—small leather boxes containing Scripture, worn during prayer.
– αὐτῶν: Genitive plural pronoun—”of them.”
– Possessive modifier.
– καὶ μεγαλύνουσι: Present active indicative, 3rd person plural of μεγαλύνω, “they lengthen,” “they enlarge.”
– τὰ κράσπεδα: Accusative neuter plural of κράσπεδον, “tassels” or “fringes.”
– Refers to the edges of their garments (cf. Numbers 15:38).
– τῶν ἰματίων αὐτῶν: Genitive plural of ἱμάτιον, “garment”—”of their garments.”
– The two verbs provide illustrative amplification of the first clause: external religiosity exaggerated for visual impact.
External Piety and the Distortion of Devotion
The syntax of Matthew 23:5 exposes the self-glorifying motives of the scribes and Pharisees. The articular infinitive construction πρὸς τὸ θεαθῆναι shows the intended goal of their religious acts—not obedience to God, but visibility to humans. The passive form θεαθῆναι emphasizes that they are the object of human attention, not God’s.
The two explanatory verbs πλατύνουσι and μεγαλύνουσι describe visible actions rooted in pride:
– Phylacteries (φυλακτήρια) were meant as reminders of the Law, yet here they are exaggerated for effect.
– Tassels (κράσπεδα) were commanded for remembrance of God’s commandments, but here they become displays of status.
The present tense in all main verbs reflects repeated, characteristic behavior. The use of γὰρ introduces rationale: these actions prove that their deeds are meant to attract attention. What should signify humility instead signifies hypocrisy.
Through compact Greek syntax, Matthew records Jesus’ condemnation of superficial religiosity: law observance twisted into self-promotion, and sacred symbols turned into spiritual theater.
