Matthew 7:3 (DBY)

Passage

But why lookest thou on the mote that is in the eye of thy brother, but observest not the beam that is in thine eye?

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:1 Judge not, that ye may not be judged;

Matthew 7:2 for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged; and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you.

Matthew 7:3 But why lookest thou on the mote that is in the eye of thy brother, but observest not the beam that is in thine eye?

Matthew 7:4 Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Allow [me], I will cast out the mote from thine eye; and behold, the beam is in thine eye?

Matthew 7:5 Hypocrite, cast out first the beam out of thine eye, and then thou wilt see clearly to cast out the mote out of the eye of thy brother.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "lookest", "thou", "mote", "brother", "observest", "beam", and "thine". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "lookest" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 2's "for with what judgment ye judge ye..." into verse 4's "Or how wilt thou say to thy...", so "lookest" and "thou" 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 "lookest" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.