Matthew 7:12 (ASV)

Passage

All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:10 or if he shall ask for a fish, will give him a serpent?

Matthew 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

Matthew 7:12 All things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them: for this is the law and the prophets.

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in by the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many are they that enter in thereby.

Matthew 7:14 For narrow is the gate, and straitened the way, that leadeth unto life, and few are they that find it.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "all things", "therefore", "whatsoever", "should", "even", and "prophets". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "all things" and "therefore", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "If ye then being evil know how..." into verse 13's "Enter ye in by the narrow gate...", so "all things" and "therefore" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "all things" and "therefore" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.