# you are like whitewashed tombs ... unclean

This is a simile that means the scribes and Pharisees may appear to be pure on the outside, but they are wicked on the inside. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-simile]])

# whitewashed tombs

"tombs that someone has painted white." The Jews would paint tombs white so that people would easily see them and avoid touching them. Touching a tomb would make a person ceremonially unclean. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/woe]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/scribe]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/pharisee]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/hypocrite]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/tomb]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/death]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/clean]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/righteous]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/hypocrite]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/iniquity]]