First Remove the Beam: The Greek Grammar of Moral Clarity in Matthew 7:5

ὑποκριτά, ἔκβαλε πρῶτον τὴν δοκὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σοῦ, καὶ τότε διαβλέψεις ἐκβαλεῖν τὸ κάρφος ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. (Matthew 7:5)

When Syntax Exposes the Soul

In Matthew 7:5, Jesus delivers a thunderous rebuke, not by shouting, but by weaving together imperatives, adverbs, and infinitives into a razor-sharp call for self-examination. The verse is both syntactically rich and spiritually piercing. i>It addresses the hypocrisy of judging others while ignoring one’s own faults — and it does so with a masterclass in Koine Greek grammar.

Let us explore this verse’s grammatical features:

• Vocative case with biting personal address
• Aorist imperative expressing urgent personal responsibility
• Temporal sequencing with adverbs
• A future indicative followed by a complementary infinitive
• Repetition of identical grammatical structures for contrast

1. Vocative Rebuke: ὑποκριτά

The word ὑποκριτά (“hypocrite!”) is in the vocative singular masculine — a direct address derived from ὑποκριτής (“pretender, actor”).

Grammatically, this vocative:

• Conveys personal confrontation
• Interrupts the flow of narrative for moral attention
• Sets a tone of divine indictment: “You — yes, you — are being addressed”

i>Jesus is not speaking theoretically but piercing directly into the life of the hearer.

2. The Aorist Imperative: ἔκβαλε

The imperative verb ἔκβαλε comes from ἐκβάλλω (“to cast out, remove”), and appears in the:

• Aorist active imperative, 2nd person singular

The aorist imperative expresses:

• A command to act once and decisively
• A sense of urgency and finality

i>It is not “start working on removing the beam,” but “get it out now.”

This verb governs the noun τὴν δοκὸν (“the beam”), in the accusative singular feminine, symbolizing a major personal flaw or sin. The grammatical structure pairs well with the moral image: i>something massive and obstructive needs to be violently expelled from one’s own vision.

3. Temporal Sequence: πρῶτον and τότε

Two key adverbs structure the ethical order of this teaching:

• πρῶτον = “first”
• τότε = “then”

These temporal adverbs mark the necessary progression:

1. πρῶτον – self-purification
2. τότε – ability to assist others

i>This grammatical flow enforces a spiritual law: no clarity for others without first removing self-blindness.

4. Future + Infinitive: διαβλέψεις ἐκβαλεῖν

The phrase καὶ τότε διαβλέψεις ἐκβαλεῖν is a sophisticated grammatical construction.

• διαβλέψεις: Future active indicative, 2nd person singular, from διαβλέπω — “to see clearly”
• ἐκβαλεῖν: Aorist active infinitive, from ἐκβάλλω — “to remove”

Together, they form a fut+infinitive pair that can be translated:

“Then you will see clearly to remove the speck…”

The future verb promises clarity, but only after the previous command is obeyed. The infinitive expresses the goal or result of that clarity: i>the ability to act rightly toward others.

Semantic Insight

i>This pairing reminds us that divine clarity is not automatic — it is granted after repentance, and its purpose is not to condemn, but to restore.

5. Contrast and Parallelism: δοκὸν vs. κάρφος

Jesus builds a memorable contrast between:

• τὴν δοκὸν – “the beam”: a large, glaring issue
• τὸ κάρφος – “the speck”: a small particle of dust

Both are:

• Accusative neuter singular nouns
• Governed by the same verb ἐκβάλλω
• Positioned in similar prepositional phrases:
  • ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σοῦ – “from your eye”
  • ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου – “from the eye of your brother”

i>This parallel syntax reinforces the absurdity: a man blinded by a beam tries to remove a speck from another’s eye.

The grammar creates rhetorical irony through structural repetition: the hypocrite is guilty of the same action — but without moral qualification.

Table of Grammatical Insights

Let the Grammar Judge You First

Matthew 7:5 isn’t simply a lesson on moral hypocrisy — i>it is a grammatical parable. Its structure shows us:

• Who is being spoken to (vocative)
• What must happen first (imperative + πρῶτον)
• What only then becomes possible (future + infinitive)
• How our correction of others must mirror our repentance

In this verse, clarity is conditional. i>Before we are fit to remove a speck, we must obey a command. The Greek doesn’t just describe spiritual sight — i>it gives us the order of seeing clearly.

And it all begins with this imperative: ἔκβαλε.