24 He said to them, "Take heed what you hear. With whatever measure you measure, it will be measured to you, and more will be given to you who hear.
*Minor differences ignored. Grouped by changes, with first version listed as example.
Take heed what ye hear - Or, consider well what you hear. Make a good improvement of it.
With what measure ye mete - You shall be treated according to the use you make of your opportunities of learning. If you consider it well, and make a good improvement of what you hear, you shall be well rewarded. If not, your reward shall be small. This is a proverbial expression. See it explained in the notes at Matthew 7:1-2.
Mete - Measure. With what measure ye measure.
Unto you that hear - To you who are "attentive," and who improve what you hear.
And unto you that hear shall more be given - This clause is wanting in DG, Coptic, and four copies of the Itala; and in others, where it is extant, it is variously written. Griesbach has left it out of the text, and supposes it to be a gloss, Whosoever hath, to him shall be given.
(3) And he said unto them, Take heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and unto you that hear shall more be given.
(3) The more liberally that we share such gifts as God has given us with our brethren, the more bountiful God will be toward us.
And he said unto them,.... At the same time, though he had said what follows at another time, still continuing his discourse with his disciples:
take heed what you hear: diligently attend to it, seek to understand it, and lay it up in your minds and memories, that it may be of use to you in time to come, and you may be useful in communicating it to others:
with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured unto you; a common proverb among the Jews, used on various occasions, and to different purposes; See Gill on Matthew 7:2. Here it seems to intimate, that if the disciples carefully hearkened to what they heard from Christ, and studiously laboured to understand it, and faithfully dispensed it to others, in return, a larger measure, and greater degree of spiritual knowledge, would be bestowed upon them: for it follows, and
unto you that hear, shall more be given; that is, that hear so as to understand, keep, and make a good use of what they hear, more shall be communicated to them; they shall have an increase of knowledge in the doctrines of grace, and mysteries of the Gospel.
And he saith unto them, Take heed what ye hear--In Luke (Luke 8:18) it is, "Take heed how ye hear." The one implies the other, but both precepts are very weighty.
with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you--See on Matthew 7:2.
and unto you that hear--that is, thankfully, teachably, profitably.
shall more be given.
Take heed what you hear. Luke 8:18 says, "How you hear." Both admonitions are very important. Our ears should be deaf to evil counsel. We should hear attentively, earnestly and devoutly the word of the Lord.
Take heed what ye hear - That is, attend to what you hear, that it may have its due influence upon you. With what measure you mete - That is, according to the improvement you make of what you have heard, still farther assistance shall be given. And to you that hear - That is, with improvement.
*More commentary available at chapter level.