Matthew 7:15 (YLT)

Passage

`But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves.

Nearby Context

Matthew 7:13 `Go ye in through the strait gate, because wide <FI>is<Fi> the gate, and broad the way that is leading to the destruction, and many are those going in through it;

Matthew 7:14 how strait <FI>is<Fi> the gate, and compressed the way that is leading to the life, and few are those finding it!

Matthew 7:15 `But, take heed of the false prophets, who come unto you in sheep's clothing, and inwardly are ravening wolves.

Matthew 7:16 From their fruits ye shall know them; do <FI>men<Fi> gather from thorns grapes? or from thistles figs?

Matthew 7:17 so every good tree doth yield good fruits, but the bad tree doth yield evil fruits.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "how strait FI is Fi the gate..." into verse 16's "From their fruits ye shall know them...", so "sheep" and "take" 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 "take" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.