Matthew 7:27

New Testament Gospel ASV (1901)

What does Matthew 7:27 say?

The American Standard Version records this verse as: “and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.” Read the surrounding verses and the named sources below before drawing broader conclusions.

The verse

and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.
Matthew 7:27 — American Standard Version

Context — Matthew 7

American Standard Version (1901) — public domain. Click any verse for its study page.
27and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and smote upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall thereof.

What do historical commentaries say?

John Gill's Exposition
John Gill (1697–1771) · Exposition of the Old and New Testament · 18th-century historical commentary
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, etc.] Such builders, and such a building, cannot stand against the violent rain of Satan’s temptations, the floods of the world’s persecutions, the stream and rapid torrent of their own heart’s lusts, nor the blowing winds of heresy and false doctrine, and much less the storms of divine wrath and vengeance. They are in a most dangerous condition; they cannot support themselves; they must fall, and great will be their fall; their destruction is inevitable, their ruin is irrecoverable. The Jews make use of some similes, which are pretty much like these of Christ’s. “R. Eliezer ben Azariah used to say f486, he whose wisdom is greater than his works,…”
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Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house--struck against that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it--terrible the ruin! How lively must this imagery have been to an audience accustomed to the fierceness of an Eastern tempest, and the suddenness and completeness with which it sweeps everything unsteady before it! Effect of the Sermon on the Mount (Mat 7:28-29).”
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Barnes' Notes
Albert Barnes (1798–1870) · Notes on the Whole Bible · 19th-century historical commentary
“Jesus closes the sermon on the mount by a beautiful comparison, illustrating the benefit of attending to his words. It was not sufficient to “hear” them; they must be “obeyed.” He compares the man who should hear and obey him to a man who built his house on a rock. Palestine was to a considerable extent a land of hills and mountains. Like other countries of that description, it was subject to sudden and violent rains. The Jordan, the principal stream, was annually swollen to a great extent, and became rapid and furious in its course. The streams which ran among the hills, whose channels might have been dry during some months of the year, became suddenly swollen with the rain, and would pour…”
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Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge
R. A. Torrey and contributors · The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge · Cross-reference reference work
“Mat 12:43-45, Mat 13:19-22; Eze 13:10-16; Co1 3:13; Heb 10:26-31; Pe2 2:20-22 Matthew 7:28”
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Related study paths

Sources and verification