Matthew 7:15 (DRB)

Passage

Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:13 Enter ye in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way that leadeth to destruction, and many there are who go in thereat.

Matthew 7:14 How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!

Matthew 7:15 Beware of false prophets, who come to you in the clothing of sheep, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Matthew 7:16 By their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?

Matthew 7:17 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit, and the evil tree bringeth forth evil fruit.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sheep", "beware", "false", "prophets", "come", "clothing", "inwardly", and "ravening". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sheep" and "beware", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "How narrow is the gate and strait..." into verse 16's "By their fruits you shall know them...", so "sheep" and "beware" 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 "sheep" and "beware" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.