Matthew 23:19 — ExegesisTAB

The verse opens with the vocative adjective typhloi {τυφλοί | typhloí} “blind,” functioning as a sharp direct address to the hearers. The interrogative ti {τί | tí} introduces a question that is logically connected to the prior statement by the postpositive conjunction gar {γὰρ | gár} “for,” indicating explanation or justification. The neuter comparative meizōn {μείζων | meízōn} “greater” stands predicatively and conceptually takes as its comparison the two neuter substantives to doron {τὸ δῶρον | tó dô-ron} “the gift” and to thysiastērion {τὸ θυσιαστήριον | tó thys-i-as-tḗ-ri-on} “the altar.” The conjunction e {ἢ | ḗ} sets these two options in contrast within a single interrogative clause, producing a rhetorical alternative meant to expose faulty valuation. The article–noun–article–participle–article–noun chain around thysiastērion and hagiazōn {ἁγιάζον | ha-gi-á-zon} “sanctifying” is a characteristic Greek way of forming an attributive participial phrase: “the altar, the one sanctifying the gift.” The final to doron {τὸ δῶρον | tó dô-ron} is the object of the participle, making the altar the agent that confers holiness on the gift. In English, the participial phrase is best rendered as a relative clause, “the altar that sanctifies the gift,” preserving both the attributive relation and the focus on the altar as the true source of consecration in the comparison.