Matthew 12:31 · Bible study
Matthew 12:31 Commentary: The Blasphemy Against the Holy Spirit
Greek · 10 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
What is the unforgivable sin? This study examines Jesus' warning in its original context and the meaning of blasphemy against the Spirit.
Research Summary
- Meaning: The sin is knowingly attributing the Spirit’s works to Satan, as the Pharisees did.
- Key words: βλασφημία (blasphemia, evil speaking), πνεῦμα (pneuma, Spirit), ἄφεσις (aphesis, forgiveness).
- Main debate: Whether this sin can be committed today or is limited to the Pharisees’ context.
- Theological theme: The Holy Spirit’s role in testifying to Christ; the danger of final impenitence.
- Best use: A sobering call to respond to the Spirit’s witness without hardening the heart.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
WEB World English Bible 2000
Therefore I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven men.
KJV King James Version 1769
Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
Therefore I say unto you, Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men; but the blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
Because of this I say to you, all sin and evil speaking shall be forgiven to men, but the evil speaking of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
For this reason I say unto you, Every sin and injurious speaking shall be forgiven to men, but speaking injuriously of the Spirit shall not be forgiven to men.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
Therefore I say to you: Every sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven men, but the blasphemy of the Spirit shall not be forgiven.
Translations in other languages (10 available)
Por tanto os digo: Todo pecado y blasfemia será perdonado á los hombres: mas la blasfemia contra el Espíritu no será perdonada á los hombres.
Por isso eu vos digo: todo pecado e blasfêmia serão perdoados aos seres humanos; mas a blasfêmia contra o Espírito não será perdoada.
C’ est pourquoi je vous dis: Tout péché et tout blasphème sera pardonné aux hommes, mais le blasphème contre l’ Esprit ne sera point pardonné.
Darum sage ich euch: Alle Sünde und Lästerung wird den Menschen vergeben; aber die Lästerung wider den Geist wird den Menschen nicht vergeben.
Daarom zeg Ik u: Alle zonde en lastering zal den mensen vergeven worden; maar de lastering tegen den Geest zal den mensen niet vergeven worden.
Perciò io vi dico: Ogni peccato e bestemmia sarà perdonata agli uomini; ma la bestemmia contro lo Spirito non sarà perdonata.
Dlatego powiadam wam: Wszelki grzech i bluźnierstwo ludziom odpuszczone będzie; ale bluźnierstwo przeciwko Duchowi Świętemu nie będzie odpuszczone ludziom.
Посему говорю вам: всякий грех и хула простятся человекам, а хула на Духа не простится человекам;
所以 我告訴 你們：「人一切的 罪 和 褻瀆的話 都可得赦免，惟獨 褻瀆 聖靈， 總不 得赦免。
So I say to you, Every sin and every evil word against God will have forgiveness; but for evil words against the Spirit there will be no forgiveness.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 12:31
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across Protestant traditions agree on the identity of this sin. Adam Clarke, John Wesley, Albert Barnes, and John Gill all point to the same conclusion: the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit is the malicious ascription of Christ’s miracles, wrought by the Spirit, to the power of Satan. The immediate context supplies the proof: when the Pharisees declared Jesus cast out demons by Beelzebul (v.24), they knowingly reversed the evidence. Mark’s parallel makes it explicit: “because they said, He has an unclean spirit” (Mark 3:30). Calvin adds that this was not a mere slip of the tongue but a willful, atrocious crime against the Spirit’s testimony. The consensus is firm: the sin is not a random word or a passing doubt but a hardened, public refusal to acknowledge God’s work, done with sufficient light to know better.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Contextual blasphemy: The Pharisees’ specific accusation (Matthew 12:24; Mark 3:30) defines the sin as attributing the Spirit’s works to Satan.
- Final impenitence: Some church fathers and later traditions relate it to a settled state of unrepentant resistance to the Spirit (Hebrews 6:4-6; Acts 7:51).
What is clear: The sin is a deliberate, knowing, and malicious rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony to Jesus, persisting without repentance.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Definition of the sin | All commentators agree that in Matthew 12 the sin is the Pharisees’ malicious claim that Jesus performed exorcisms by Beelzebul. | Some (e.g., Wesley, Clarke) restrict the sin to this specific historical act; others (e.g., Gill, Poole) extend the principle to any final, knowing rejection of the Spirit’s testimony. |
| Whether Christians can commit it | All agree that the sin involves extreme hardness of heart against the Spirit. | Catholic teaching often identifies it with final impenitence; many Protestant traditions teach that one who fears having committed it likely has not. Some Reformed churches see it as only possible before conversion, while others warn of apostasy. |
| Application today | All emphasize the passage as a warning against treating the Spirit’s work with contempt. | Some focus on the historical context and caution against applying it to everyday doubts; others see a perennial reality: those who persistently reject the Spirit’s testimony unto death will not be forgiven. |
Historical & Cultural Context
The scene opens with a dramatic exorcism: Jesus heals a man who was both blind and mute by casting out a demon. The crowds marvel and ask whether this could be the Son of David. But the Pharisees, in response, accuse Jesus of using the power of Beelzebul, the prince of demons (v.24). This accusation forms the immediate backdrop for verse 31. Jesus refutes them with logic: a kingdom divided cannot stand, and if Satan were casting out Satan, his kingdom would collapse. He then turns the charge back on them: if he casts out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has already arrived among them (v.28). The phrase “Therefore I tell you” links directly to this argument. The Pharisees’ charge is not an honest mistake. It is a knowing, public declaration that the Holy Spirit’s work belongs to the devil. In Jewish thought, blasphemy against God was a capital offense, but Jesus sharpens it: some sins against him, the Son of Man, may be forgiven through repentance, but a sin that claims the Spirit is of Satan cuts off the very witness that leads to repentance. The “strong man” parable (v.29) reinforces that Jesus is plundering Satan’s house; the Pharisees, in opposing him, are siding with the enemy (v.30). This is why the sin is so severe: it is a willful alignment with darkness against the light of the Spirit.
Textual Notes
The consulted sources note no significant textual variants for this verse. The Greek text of Matthew 12:31 is stable across the major manuscript traditions. The only minor variation is the presence or absence of the article before “Spirit” in some later manuscripts, but this does not affect the interpretation.
Reception History
From the early church onward, this verse has generated both theological debate and pastoral anxiety. Augustine described the sin as “a certain blasphemy” (quoddam dictum), not spoken ignorantly. The Reformers, including Calvin and Luther, emphasized the contextual malice of the Pharisees against clear evidence. In the Wesleyan tradition, Clarke and Wesley worked to reassure troubled consciences, insisting that no one who fears having committed this sin has actually done so. The Catholic Catechism links it to final impenitence, a refusal to accept God’s mercy even at the end. Across traditions, the verse has been read not as a trap for the anxious but as a warning against knowingly and persistently rejecting the Spirit’s testimony to Christ.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The setting: Jesus demonstrates the Spirit’s power; the Pharisees slander its source.
- The sin: Knowingly attributing the Spirit’s work to the devil, a direct assault on divine testimony.
- The stakes: This sin is unforgivable not because God is unwilling but because it hardens the heart to the only remedy.
Five-point outline
- Context of opposition: The Pharisees are confronted with unmistakable evidence of God’s kingdom.
- The clear definition from Mark 3:30: “because they said, He has an unclean spirit.”
- Contrast with sins against the Son of Man: Jesus himself can be misunderstood; the Spirit’s testimony cannot be dismissed without consequence.
- The heart condition: Malice, not ignorance. They knew better and spoke anyway.
- Warning for today: This sin is not accidentally committed. It is a settled, persistent rejection of the Spirit’s witness to Christ.
Illustration hooks
- A witness in court who knows the defendant is innocent but lies to destroy him, the sin is not the lie but the intent to kill the truth.
- A person who refuses to admit a life-saving medicine works because they hate the physician, the rejection is personal, not rational.
- Someone who publicly slanders a charity’s work because they want to discredit the founder, the motive is malice, not confusion.
Questions your congregation is asking
- “Have I committed the unpardonable sin?”
- “What if I said something against the Holy Spirit in anger years ago?”
- “Does this mean a believer can lose salvation if they resist the Spirit?”
Leading a Discussion
This passage has troubled many sincere believers. It is not meant to induce fear but to warn against a stubborn, knowing rejection of the Holy Spirit’s testimony about Jesus. The sin here is specific, and the grace of God is wider than we often realize.
Discussion questions
- Read Matthew 12:22-31. What event prompted Jesus’ statement about blasphemy against the Spirit?
- Look at verse 24. What exactly did the Pharisees say about Jesus’ power?
- How does Jesus refute their accusation in verses 25-28? What logic does he use?
- Based on the context, what does it mean to blaspheme the Holy Spirit?
- Why does Jesus say that words against the Son of Man can be forgiven, but words against the Spirit cannot?
- How does this passage challenge your view of the Holy Spirit’s role in the Church today?
- In what ways might people today resist or reject the Spirit’s testimony without realizing it?
- How can this passage lead us to thankfulness for the Spirit’s patient witness?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Isaiah 1:18 | “Come now, and let’s reason together,” says Yahweh: “Though your sins are as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool. |
| Isaiah 55:7 | Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts. Let him return to Yahweh, and he will have mercy on him, to our God, for he will freely pardon. |
| Ezekiel 33:11 | Tell them, ‘“As I live,” says the Lord Yahweh, “I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why will you die, house of Israel?”’ |
| Matthew 12:32 | Whoever speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven him, either in this age, or in that which is to come. |
| Mark 3:28 | “Most certainly I tell you, all sins of the descendants of man will be forgiven, including their blasphemies with which they may blaspheme; |
| Mark 3:30 | —because they said, “He has an unclean spirit.” |
| Luke 12:10 | Everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but those who blaspheme against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. |
| Acts 7:51 | “You stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Spirit! As your fathers did, so you do. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
9 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke defines the unpardonable sin narrowly as deliberately attributing Christ's miracles to the devil while knowing they come from God. He insists that no one who believes in Jesus's divine mission can commit this sin, so sincere Christians should not be troubled by fear of having done so.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes stresses that the unforgivable sin was a specific, deliberate act: accusing Jesus of casting out demons by Satan's power, thereby directly insulting the Holy Spirit at work in Him. He draws a clear line between offenses against Christ's humble humanity, which could be pardoned, and this blasphemous attack on His divine nature, which cannot be forgiven in this age or the next.
Calvin's Commentaries Reformed 1564
Calvin insists the unforgivable sin is not mere impenitence or hardened obstinacy, since Jesus says it remains unforgiven in this life. The greater guilt does not come from the Spirit's superior majesty, because Christ fully shares that majesty. Instead, this sin is a deliberate, knowing contempt for the Spirit's work, rooted in a wicked heart.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Blaspheming against the Holy Ghost d 31 . Wherefore ] The conclusion of the whole is —you are on Satan’s side, and knowingly on Satan ’s side, in this decisive struggle between the two kingdoms, and this is blasphemy against the Holy Ghost—an unpardonable sin.
Geneva Bible Notes Reformed 1599
Wherefore I say vnto you, euery sinne and blasphemie shalbe forgiuen vnto men: but the blasphemie against the holy Ghost shall not be forgiuen vnto men.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill stresses that the unforgivable sin is not any ignorant denial or ordinary sin, but a deliberate, malicious attribution of the Holy Spirit's work to the devil, done against one's own conscience to diminish God's glory. The Pharisees knew Christ's miracles were from God yet insulted the Spirit by calling them diabolical.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB emphasizes that Jesus' sweeping promise of forgiveness for every sin, even aggravated
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry stresses that the unpardonable sin is not a mere slip of the tongue but a deliberate, malicious assault on the Spirit's work, attributing it to Satan. He distinguishes this settled hatred from sins against the Son of Man, which remain forgivable because they stem from ignorance or weakness.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley cuts through centuries of debate by insisting the blasphemy against the Spirit is remarkably straightforward. It simply means attributing the miracles Christ performed by the Holy Spirit's power to the devil instead. All the confusion surrounding this topic, he argues, comes from overlooking this obvious point.