Matthew 5:21 - Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

Matthew 5:21

19 ^aWhoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20 For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds ^athe righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven.

Murder Begins in the Heart

21 “You have heard that it was said to those¹ of old, ^a‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’

22 But I say to you that ^awhoever is angry with his brother¹ without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ^b‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says,³ ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of⁴ hell fire.

23 Therefore ^aif you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you,

24 ^aleave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

25 ^aAgree with your adversary quickly, ^bwhile you are on the way with him, lest your adversary deliver you to the judge, the judge hand you over to the officer, and you be thrown into prison.

26 Assuredly, I say to you, you will by no means get out of there till you have paid the last penny.

Adultery in the Heart

27 “You have heard that it was said¹ to those of old, ^a‘You shall not commit adultery.’

28 But I say to you that whoever ^alooks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29 ^aIf your right eye causes you to¹ sin, ^bpluck it out and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

30 And if your right hand causes you to¹ sin, cut it off and cast it from you; for it is more profitable for you that one of your members perish, than for your whole body to be cast into hell.

Marriage Is Sacred and Binding

31 “Furthermore it has been said, ^a‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’

32 But I say to you that ^awhoever divorces his wife for any reason except¹ sexual immorality causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is divorced commits adultery.

Jesus Forbids Oaths

33 “Again you have heard that ^ait was said to those of old, ^b‘You shall not swear falsely, but ^cshall perform your oaths to the Lord.’

34 But I say to you, ^ado not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is ^bGod’s throne;

35 nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of ^athe great King.

36 Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.

37 ^aBut let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

Go the Second Mile

38 “You have heard that it was said, ^a‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’

39 ^aBut I tell you not to resist an evil person. ^bBut whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40 If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.

41 And whoever ^acompels you to go one mile, go with him two.

42 Give to him who asks you, and ^afrom him who wants to borrow from you do not turn away.

Love Your Enemies

43 “You have heard that it was said, ^a‘You shall love your neighbor ^band hate your enemy.’

44 But I say to you, ^alove your enemies, bless those who curse you, ^bdo good to those who hate you, and pray ^cfor those who spitefully use you and persecute you,

45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for ^aHe makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

46 ^aFor if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

Commentaries:

Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown

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Matthew 5:21

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time—or, as in the Margin, "to them of old time." Which of these translations is the right one has been much controverted. Either of them is grammatically defensible, though the latter—"to the ancients"—is more consistent with New Testament usage (see the Greek of Romans 9:12, Romans 9:26; Revelation 6:11; Revelation 9:4); and most critics decide in favor of it. But it is not a question of Greek only. Nearly all who would translate "to the ancients" take the speaker of the words quoted to be Moses in the law; "the ancients" to be the people to whom Moses gave the law; and the intention of our Lord here to be to contrast His own teaching, more or less, with that of Moses; either as opposed to it—as some go the length of affirming—or at least as modifying, enlarging, elevating it. But who can reasonably imagine such a thing, just after the most solemn and emphatic proclamation of the perpetuity of the law, and the honor and glory in which it was to be held under the new economy? To us it seems as plain as possible that our Lord's one object is to contrast the traditional perversions of the law with the true sense of it as expounded by Himself. A few of those who assent to this still think that "to the ancients" is the only legitimate translation of the words; understanding that our Lord is reporting what had been said to the ancients, not by Moses, but by the perverters of his law. We do not object to this; but we incline to think (with BEZA, and after him with FRITZSCHE, OLSHAUSEN, STIER, and BLOOMFIELD) that "by the ancients" must have been what our Lord meant here, referring to the corrupt teachers rather than the perverted people.

Thou shall not kill:—that is, This being all that the law requires, whosoever has imbrued his hands in his brother's blood, but he only, is guilty of a breach of this commandment.

and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment—liable to the judgment; that is, of the sentence of those inferior courts of judicature which were established in all the principal towns, in compliance with Deuteronomy 16:16. Thus was this commandment reduced, from a holy law of the heart-searching God, to a mere criminal statute, taking cognizance only of outward actions, such as that which we read in Exodus 21:12; Leviticus 24:17.

Other Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown entries containing Matthew 5:21:

Ezekiel 39:29
Matthew 5:20
Matthew 5:28

<< Matthew 5:20

Matthew 5:22 >>

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