Matthew 7:20

By seeing what plants produce, you know what kind of plants they are. Similarly, when you see what the people who come to you do, you will know if they are false prophets.”

Translation for Translators

In The King James Version

Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

In Context

19And all the trees that do not produce good fruit are chopped down and burned in a fire {people chop them down and burn them in a fire} to get rid of them. Similarly, those who falsely claim to be prophets will be thrown { God will throw false prophets} into the fires of hell.

21“ Even though many people habitually call me ‘Lord’, pretending that they have my authority, some of them will not go to heaven where God rules, because they do not do what he desires. Only those people who do what my Father, who is in heaven, desires will go there.

Read all of Matthew 7

Cross References

Acts 5:38So now I say this to you: Do not harm these men! Release them! I say this because if this is just something that humans have planned, they will not be able to do it. They will fail, like Theudas and Judas did

Matthew Henry on Matthew 7:16-21

The Sermon on the Mount. 15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? 17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. 18 A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. 19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 20… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Matthew 7:20