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In the meantime, a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling one another. Jesus began to speak first to His disciples: “Beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.
Berean Standard Bible · CC0
Greek — tap a word ↓
En hois tou ochlou tōn myriadōn episynachtheisōn hōste katapatein allēlous ērxato legein prōton pros autou tous mathētas Prosechete heautois apo tēs zymēs tōn Pharisaiōn hētis estin hypokrisis
Word by word27 · parsed
√ ἐν — "in," at, (up-)on, by, etcPreposition
√ ὅς — the relatively (sometimes demonstrative) pronoun, who, which, what, thatPersonal / Relative PronounDative Neuter Plural
hos: which (dative neuter plural) “In which [things]”: the scene is still the aftermath of 11:37 to 54.
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Singular
√ ὄχλος — a throng (as borne along)NounGenitive Masculine Singular
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Plural
√ μυριάς — a ten-thousandNounGenitive Feminine Plural
myrias: ten thousand A rare noun (7 vv). Here it is hyperbole for a vast throng; Revelation 9:16 uses it for countless hosts.
√ ἐπισυνάγω — to collect upon the same placeVerbAorist Participle PassiveGenitive Feminine Plural
episynagō: gather together upon one place (aorist passive participle) Seven verses use it. At Luke 13:34 Jesus uses the same verb for His wish to gather Jerusalem’s children as a hen gathers her brood. Here the crowd gathers itself to Him unasked.
√ ὥστε — so too, iConjunction
√ καταπατέω — to trample downVerbPresent Infinitive Active
katapateō: trample down (present infinitive) Cambridge reads it as “trod one another down.” It is a rare verb (5 vv), used elsewhere of savourless salt (Matthew 5:13), of pearls before swine (Matthew 7:6), of seed on the path (Luke 8:5), and of trampling the Son of God (Hebrews 10:29). Here the sense is physical crush. ⚙ Still, the picture of a crowd so eager it tramples its own members sits beside a warning against a religion that is all show.
√ ἀλλήλων — one anotherPersonal / Reciprocal PronounAccusative Masculine Plural
√ ἄρχομαι — to commence (in order of time)VerbAorist Indicative Middle3rd Person Singular
archomai: begin (aorist middle) Lukan idiom for opening a discourse. Cambridge hears a “specially solemn and important” address.
√ λέγω — properly, to "lay" forth, iVerbPresent Infinitive Active
√ πρῶτον — firstly (in time, place, order, or importance)AdverbSuperlative
prōton: first, above all It may mark the audience (disciples first, crowds later, 12:54, as JFB notes) or the priority (above all beware). Both are grammatical.
√ πρός — a preposition of directionPreposition
√ αὐτός — the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative G1438 (ἑαυτοῦ)) of the third person , and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other personsPersonal / Possessive PronounGenitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleAccusative Masculine Plural
√ μαθητής — a learner, iNounAccusative Masculine Plural
√ προσέχω — (figuratively) to hold the mind (3563 implied) towards, iVerbPresent Imperative Active2nd Person Plural
prosechō: hold the mind toward (present imperative) A present imperative: keep paying attention, as a standing habit. Luke uses this verb for guarding oneself (17:3; 21:34). In Acts 20:28 Paul gives elders the same charge to watch over themselves. Alertness to oneself comes before alertness to others.
√ ἑαυτοῦ — him- (her-, it-, them-, also (in conjunction with the personal pronoun of the other persons) my-, thy-, our-, your-) self (selves), etcReflexive PronounDative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
heautou: yourselves (reflexive) Unrendered by BSB. It makes the disciples, not the Pharisees, the first object of scrutiny.
√ ἀπό — "off," iPreposition
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Feminine Singular
√ ζύμη — ferment (as if boiling up)NounGenitive Feminine Singular
zymē: leaven, ferment Leaven is unseen, works slowly and spreads through the whole lump. It was banned from Passover bread (Exodus 12:15), and Paul uses it for corruption that spreads (1 Corinthians 5:6 to 8; Galatians 5:9). Matthew 16:12 identifies the Pharisees’ leaven as their teaching. Luke names it as hypocrisy, the life behind the teaching. Barnes and Gill build their whole exposition on how leaven works.
√ ὁ — the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in English idiom)ArticleGenitive Masculine Plural
√ Φαρισαῖος — a separatist, iNounGenitive Masculine Plural
Pharisaios: separatist The party Jesus has just denounced in 11:39 to 44. Pulpit warns against condemning them “with a condemnation more sweeping than the Master's.”
√ ὅστις — which some, iPersonal / Relative PronounNominative Feminine Singular
√ εἰμί — I exist (used only when emphatic)VerbPresent Indicative Active3rd Person Singular
√ ὑπόκρισις — acting under a feigned part, iNounNominative Feminine Singular
hypokrisis: acting under a feigned part The word comes from the Greek stage: playing a role behind a mask. It occurs in only 6 NT verses (Matthew 23:28; Mark 12:15; Luke 12:1; Galatians 2:13; 1 Timothy 4:2; 1 Peter 2:1). Matthew 23:28 is the exact diagnosis: outwardly righteous, inwardly full of hypocrisy. Galatians 2:13 shows it reaching Peter and Barnabas, which proves the warning to disciples was not idle. Ellicott and Pulpit both stress that the most dangerous hypocrisy is the kind that does not know itself.