SEV Biblia, Chapter 7:16
Por sus frutos los conoceris. ¿Se cogen uvas de los espinos, o higos de los abrojos?
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 7:16
Verse 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits.] Fruits, in the Scripture and Jewish phraseology, are taken for works of any kind. "A man's works," says one, "are the tongue of his heart, and tell honestly whether he is inwardly corrupt or pure." By these works you may distinguish (epignwsesqe) these ravenous wolves from true pastors. The judgment formed of a man by his general conduct is a safe one: if the judgment be not favourable to the person, that is his fault, as you have your opinion of him from his works, i.e. the confession of his own heart.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 16. Ye shall know them by their fruits , etc.] By fruits are meant, not so much their external works in life and conversation; for a false prophet may so behave, as not to be discovered thereby. So the Pharisees were outwardly righteous before men; and false teachers among Christians may have the form of godliness, and keep it up, though they are strangers to, and even deny the power of it: but their doctrines are here meant, and the effects of them. When doctrines are contrary to the perfections of God, repugnant to the Scriptures of truth, tend to depreciate the person and offices, blood, righteousness, and sacrifice of Christ, to lessen the glory of Gods grace, to exalt the creature, and to fill mens minds with notions of the purity, self-sufficiency, and ability of human nature; when they are calculated to feed the pride and vanity of men, to get money, and gain applause, to serve their own interests, and gratify mens lusts and passions, they may be easily discerned who they are, and from whence they come. The Jews have a proverb pretty much like this f482 , [ydy hypjqm yxwb , a gourd is known by its branches. The gloss upon it is, it is, as if it was said, from the time it buds forth, and goes out of the branch, it is known whether it is good or not; i.e. the goodness of the gourd is known by the fruit its branches bear. So a good preacher is known by the good doctrine he brings, and a bad one, by his unsound doctrine. Christ is not speaking of these false prophets, as men, or as private professors of religion, but as prophets, or teachers. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Grapes and figs were common fruit; there was great plenty of them in Judea; we often read of the gathering of them. It is a matter in dispute with the doctors f483 , if a man intends ybn[ jqwlw ynat jqll , to gather figs, and he gathers grapes, black ones, and he gathers white ones, white ones, and he gathers black ones, whether he is guilty of a sin offering or not.
One says he is, another says he is not. These words of Christ put me in mind of another passage, which seems to speak of grapes of thorns f484 ; he that marries his daughter to a scholar, it is like to grapes of the vine, with grapes of the vine, a thing beautiful and acceptable; but he that marries his daughter to a plebeian, it is like to grapes of the vine, hnsh ybn[b , with grapes of the thorn, a thing ugly, and unacceptable.
Though ybn[ , in the last sentence, must be taken for berries which grow on some thorn bushes, and not what are properly grapes; for grapes do not grow upon, and are not to be gathered from thorns, and bramble bushes.
The meaning of our Lord is, that from the false doctrines of men comes no good fruit of faith, holiness, joy, peace, and comfort. Their doctrines are like thorns, which prick and pierce, give pain and uneasiness; and, like thistles, choke, and are unprofitable, afford no solid food and nourishment; yea, their words eat as do a canker, are contrary to vital religion and powerful godliness. This sense I prefer; because, on the one hand, it is possible for a false teacher to do works, which may be externally good; though indeed no good works, properly speaking, can be performed by an unregenerate man, because he has neither good principles to act from, nor good ends in view: and, on the other hand, a man who is destitute of the grace of God, and lives ill, may yet have right notions of the Gospel, though he has no experimental knowledge and relish of it; but where false doctrines are imbibed, and propagated, no good fruit can follow upon it.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 15-20 - Nothing so much prevents men from entering the strait gate, an becoming true followers of Christ, as the carnal, soothing, flatterin doctrines of those who oppose the truth. They may be known by the drif and effects of their doctrines. Some part of their temper and conduc is contrary to the mind of Christ. Those opinions come not from God that lead to sin.
Greek Textus Receptus
απο 575 PREP των 3588 T-GPM καρπων 2590 N-GPM αυτων 846 P-GPM επιγνωσεσθε 1921 5695 V-FDI-2P αυτους 846 P-APM μητι 3385 PRT-I συλλεγουσιν 4816 5719 V-PAI-3P απο 575 PREP ακανθων 173 N-GPF σταφυλην 4718 N-ASF η 2228 PRT απο 575 PREP τριβολων 5146 N-GPM συκα 4810 N-APN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
16. Ye shall know (epignwsesqe). The compound verb indicates full knowledge. Character is satisfactorily tested by its fruits.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
7:16 {By their fruits ye shall know them} (apo twn karpwn autwn epignwsesqe). From their fruits you will recognize them." The verb "know " (ginwskw) has epi added, fully know. The illustrations from the trees and vines have many parallels in ancient writers.
