That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

MATTHEW 23:35KJV
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Matthew 23:35 (KJV)

What does Matthew 23:35 mean?

Matthew 23:35 says that all the guilt for the deaths of righteous people—from Abel to Zechariah—will come upon the people Jesus is addressing. Jesus is warning the religious leaders that they share in the responsibility for the long history of violence against God’s messengers.

Jesus is speaking to the scribes and Pharisees in Jerusalem, confronting them for their hypocrisy and rejection of God’s prophets. By mentioning Abel (from Genesis) and Zechariah (a prophet killed in the temple area), Jesus is covering the whole span of Israel’s history, showing that the leaders’ opposition to God’s messengers is nothing new but part of a tragic pattern.

The Greek behind Matthew 23:35

  • δίκαιος (dikaios, G1342): This word means "righteous" or "just." Jesus is emphasizing that the people killed were innocent and faithful to God, highlighting the seriousness of the crime.
  • ἔκχεον (ekcheō, G1632): Translated as "shed," this word often refers to the violent spilling of blood. It underlines the deliberate and violent nature of these deaths.
  • Ἀβὲλ (Abel, G6) and Ζαχαρίας (Zacharias, G2197): By naming Abel and Zechariah, Jesus is referencing the first and one of the last righteous people killed in the Hebrew Scriptures, making his accusation all-encompassing.
  • μεταξὺ τοῦ ναοῦ καὶ τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου (between the temple and the altar): This phrase points to a specific, sacred location, showing the shocking nature of Zechariah’s murder—right in God’s house.

Why Matthew 23:35 matters

  • Matthew 23:35 clarifies that Jesus sees the religious leaders as part of a long-standing pattern of rejecting and even killing those who speak for God, not just as isolated wrongdoers.
  • The verse ties the leaders’ current attitudes to the entire history of Israel, making their responsibility for these acts much weightier.
  • By referencing both Abel and Zechariah, Jesus shows that God remembers every act of injustice, from the very beginning to the end of the Scriptures known to his audience.

Where else these words appear

“Abel” Greek G6 · used in 4 verses

  • Luke 11:51 From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
  • Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.
  • Hebrews 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

“between” Greek G3342 · used in 9 verses

  • Matthew 18:15 Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
  • Luke 16:26 And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
  • Acts 13:42 And when the Jews were gone out of the synagogue, the Gentiles besought that these words might be preached to them the next sabbath.

“slew” Greek G5407 · used in 10 verses

  • Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
  • Mark 10:19 Thou knowest the commandments, Do not commit adultery, Do not kill, Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Defraud not, Honour thy father and mother.
  • James 2:11 For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

“Zacharias” Greek G2197 · used in 11 verses

  • Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth.
  • Luke 1:18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
  • Luke 1:59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.