Matthew 7:5 (LSB)

Passage

You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:3 And why do you look at the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye?

Matthew 7:4 Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ and behold, the log is in your own eye?

Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.

Matthew 7:6 “Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

Matthew 7:7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "hypocrite", "first", "take", "clearly", "speck", and "brother". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "hypocrite" and "first", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "Or how can you say to your..." into verse 6's "Do not give what is holy to...", so "hypocrite" and "first" 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 "hypocrite" and "first" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.