Woe unto you, ye blind guides, which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing; but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple, he is a debtor!
Woe unto you, ye blind guides. Striking expression this of the ruinous effects of erroneous teaching. Our Lord, here and in some following verses, condemns the subtle distinctions they made as to the sanctity of oaths, distinctions invented only to promote their own avaricious purposes.
Which say, Whosoever shall swear by the temple, it is nothing (he has incurred no debt), but whosoever shall swear by the gold of the temple (meaning not the gold that adorned the temple itself, but the Corban, set apart for sacred uses (see the note at Matthew 15:5 )), he is a debtor! - that is, it is no longer his own, even though the necessities of a parent might require it. We know who the successors of these men are.