And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness.
They come unto thee as the people cometh - i:e., in crowds, as disciples flock to their teacher.
They sit before thee - on lower seats at thy feet, according to the Jewish custom of pupils (Deuteronomy 33:3; 2 Kings 4:38; Luke 10:39; Acts 22:3).
As my people - though they are not.
And they hear thy words, but they will not do them - as "he that received the seed into stony places ... he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it: yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while; for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended" (Matthew 13:20-21; James 1:22-24, "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was").
For with their mouth they show much love - literally, make loves; i:e., act the part of lovers: profess love to the Lord (Matthew 7:21). Gesenius translates х `ªgaabiym (H5690)], according to the Arabic idiom, 'they do the delights (of God)' - i:e., all that is agreeable to God. The Vulgate translates, 'they turn thy words into a song of their mouths.' The Hebrew expresses fond loves, such as those of a doting lover, or a song of loves, such as youths sing to their lovers. With their mouths they express all the fond devotion of lovers singing to the object of their affection a song of love.
But their heart goeth after their covetousness - the grand rival, to the love of God; therefore called "idolatry," and therefore associated with impure carnal love, as both alike transfer the heart's affection from the Creator to the creature (Matthew 13:22; Ephesians 5:5; 1 Timothy 6:10, "The love of money is the (a) root of all evil; which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith").