Matthew 22:34 (DRB)

Passage

But the Pharisees, hearing that he had silenced the Sadducees, came together.

Nearby Context

Matthew 22:32 I am the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.

Matthew 22:33 And the multitudes hearing it were in admiration at his doctrine.

Matthew 22:34 But the Pharisees, hearing that he had silenced the Sadducees, came together.

Matthew 22:35 And one of them, a doctor of the law, asked him, tempting him:

Matthew 22:36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "pharisees", "hearing", "silenced", "sadducees", "came", and "together". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "pharisees" and "hearing", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 33's "And the multitudes hearing it were in..." into verse 35's "And one of them a doctor of...", so "pharisees" and "hearing" 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 "pharisees" and "hearing" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.