Matthew 7:23 (DBY)

Passage

and then will I avow unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, workers of lawlessness.

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:21 Not every one who says to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of the heavens, but he that does the will of my Father who is in the heavens.

Matthew 7:22 Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied through *thy* name, and through *thy* name cast out demons, and through *thy* name done many works of power?

Matthew 7:23 and then will I avow unto them, I never knew you. Depart from me, workers of lawlessness.

Matthew 7:24 Whoever therefore hears these my words and does them, I will liken him to a prudent man, who built his house upon the rock;

Matthew 7:25 and the rain came down, and the streams came, and the winds blew and fell upon that house, and it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "avow", "never", "knew", "depart", "workers", and "lawlessness". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "avow" and "never", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Many shall say to me in that..." into verse 24's "Whoever therefore hears these my words and...", so "avow" and "never" 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 "avow" and "never" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.