Matius 5:21-22

Anger and Murder

5:21 “You have heard that it was said to an older generation, ¹  ‘Do not murder,’ ²  and ‘whoever murders will be subjected to judgment.’ 5:22 But I say to you that anyone who is angry with a brother ³  will be subjected to judgment. And whoever insults ⁴  a brother will be brought before ⁵  the council, ⁶  and whoever says ‘Fool’ ⁷  will be sent ⁸  to fiery hell. ⁹ 

Matius 5:27-28

Adultery

5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ ¹⁰  5:28 But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

Matius 5:31-34

Divorce

5:31 “It was said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife must give her a legal document.’ ¹¹  5:32 But I say to you that everyone who divorces his wife, except for immorality, makes her commit adultery, and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

Oaths

5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to an older generation, ¹²  ‘Do not break an oath, but fulfill your vows to the Lord.’ ¹³  5:34 But I say to you, do not take oaths at all – not by heaven, because it is the throne of God,

Matius 5:38-39

Retaliation

5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ ¹⁴  5:39 But I say to you, do not resist the evildoer. ¹⁵  But whoever strikes you on the ¹⁶  right cheek, turn the other to him as well.

Matius 5:43-44

Love for Enemies

5:43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor’ ¹⁷  and ‘hate your enemy.’ 5:44 But I say to you, love your enemy and ¹⁸  pray for those who persecute you,

[5:21]  ¹ tn Grk “to the ancient ones.”

[5:21]  ² sn A quotation from Exod 20:13; Deut 5:17.

[5:22]  ³ tc The majority of mss read the word εἰκῇ (eikh, “without cause”) here after “brother.” This insertion has support from א² D L W Θ 0233 Ë^1,13 33 Ï it sy co Ir^lat Or^mss Cyp Cyr. Thus the Western, Caesarean, and Byzantine texttypes all include the word, while the best Alexandrian and some other witnesses (Ì⁶⁴ א* B 1424^mg pc aur vg Or Hier^mss) lack it. The ms evidence favors its exclusion, though there is a remote possibility that εἰκῇ could have been accidentally omitted from these witnesses by way of homoioarcton (the next word, ἔνοχος [enocos, “guilty”], begins with the same letter). An intentional change would likely arise from the desire to qualify “angry,” especially in light of the absolute tone of Jesus’ words. While “without cause” makes good practical sense in this context, and must surely be a true interpretation of Jesus’ meaning (cf. Mark 3:5), it does not commend itself as original.

[5:22]  ⁴ tn Grk “whoever says to his brother ‘Raca,’” an Aramaic word of contempt or abuse meaning “fool” or “empty head.”

[5:22]  ⁵ tn Grk “subjected,” “guilty,” “liable.”

[5:22]  ⁶ tn Grk “the Sanhedrin.”

[5:22]  ⁷ tn The meaning of the term μωρός (mwros) is somewhat disputed. Most take it to mean, following the Syriac versions, “you fool,” although some have argued that it represents a transliteration into Greek of the Hebrew term מוֹרֵה (moreh) “rebel” (Deut 21:18, 20; cf. BDAG 663 s.v. μωρός c).

[5:22]  ⁸ tn Grk “subjected,” “guilty,” “liable.”

[5:22]  ⁹ tn Grk “the Gehenna of fire.”

[5:22]  sn The word translated hell is “Gehenna” (γέεννα, geenna), a Greek transliteration of the Hebrew words ge hinnom (“Valley of Hinnom”). This was the valley along the south side of Jerusalem. In OT times it was used for human sacrifices to the pagan god Molech (cf. Jer 7:31; 19:5-6; 32:35), and it came to be used as a place where human excrement and rubbish were disposed of and burned. In the intertestamental period, it came to be used symbolically as the place of divine punishment (cf. 1 En. 27:2, 90:26; 4 Ezra 7:36).

[5:27]  ¹⁰ sn A quotation from Exod 20:14; Deut 5:17.

[5:31]  ¹¹ sn A quotation from Deut 24:1.

[5:33]  ¹² tn Grk “the ancient ones.”

[5:33]  ¹³ sn A quotation from Lev 19:12.

[5:38]  ¹⁴ sn A quotation from Exod 21:24; Lev 24:20.

[5:39]  ¹⁵ tn The articular πονηρός (ponhro", “the evildoer”) cannot be translated simply as “evil” for then the command would be “do not resist evil.” Every instance of this construction in Matthew is most likely personified, referring either to an evildoer (13:49) or, more often, “the evil one” (as in 5:37; 6:13; 13:19, 38).

[5:39]  ¹⁶ tc ‡ Many mss (B D K L Δ Θ Ë¹³ 565 579 700 1424 pm) have σου (sou) here (“your right cheek”), but many others lack the pronoun (א W ˹ 33 892 1241 pm). The pronoun was probably added by way of clarification. NA²⁷ has σου in brackets, indicating doubt as to its authenticity.

[5:43]  ¹⁷ sn A quotation from Lev 19:18.

[5:44]  ¹⁸ tc Most mss ([D] L [W] Θ Ë¹³ 33 Ï lat) read “bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you,” before “those who persecute you.” But this is surely a motivated reading, importing the longer form of this aphorism from Luke 6:27-28. The shorter text is found in א B ˹ pc sa, as well as several fathers and versional witnesses.