Matthew 7:23 (WEB)

Passage

Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

Matthew 7:22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’

Matthew 7:23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.’

Matthew 7:24 “Everyone therefore who hears these words of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man, who built his house on a rock.

Matthew 7:25 The rain came down, the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat on that house; and it didn’t fall, for it was founded on the rock.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "Many will tell me in that day..." into verse 24's "Everyone therefore who hears these words of...", so "tell" 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 "tell" and "never" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.