Zetemata

Matthew 5

The chapter in full, then what it says, what the Greek or Hebrew decides, and where readers have disagreed.

Matthew 5 WEB
  1. 1 Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
  2. 2 He opened his mouth and taught them, saying,
  3. 3 "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
  4. 4 Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.
  5. 5 Blessed are the gentle, for they shall inherit the earth.
  6. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.
  7. 7 Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
  8. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.
  9. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.
  10. 10 Blessed are those who have been persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
  11. 11 "Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
  12. 12 Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
  13. 13 "You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
  14. 14 "You are the light of the world. A city located on a hill can't be hidden.
  15. 15 Neither do you light a lamp and put it under a measuring basket, but on a stand; and it shines to all who are in the house.
  16. 16 Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
  17. 17 "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.
  18. 18 For most certainly, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke shall in any way pass away from the law, until all things are accomplished.
  19. 19 Therefore, whoever shall break one of these least commandments and teach others to do so, shall be called least in the Kingdom of Heaven; but whoever shall do and teach them shall be called great in the Kingdom of Heaven.
  20. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, there is no way you will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
  21. 21 "You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;' and 'Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'
  22. 22 But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, 'You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
  23. 23 "If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you,
  24. 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
  25. 25 Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.
  26. 26 Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.
  27. 27 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall not commit adultery;'
  28. 28 but I tell you that everyone who gazes at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery with her already in his heart.
  29. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
  30. 30 If your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off, and throw it away from you. For it is more profitable for you that one of your members should perish, than for your whole body to be cast into Gehenna.
  31. 31 "It was also said, 'Whoever shall put away his wife, let him give her a writing of divorce,'
  32. 32 but I tell you that whoever puts away his wife, except for the cause of sexual immorality, makes her an adulteress; and whoever marries her when she is put away commits adultery.
  33. 33 "Again you have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,'
  34. 34 but I tell you, don't swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is the throne of God;
  35. 35 nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
  36. 36 Neither shall you swear by your head, for you can't make one hair white or black.
  37. 37 But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.' Whatever is more than these is of the evil one.
  38. 38 "You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.'
  39. 39 But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
  40. 40 If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.
  41. 41 Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two.
  42. 42 Give to him who asks you, and don't turn away him who desires to borrow from you.
  43. 43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
  44. 44 But I tell you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who mistreat you and persecute you,
  45. 45 that you may be children of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the just and the unjust.
  46. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?
  47. 47 If you only greet your friends, what more do you do than others? Don't even the tax collectors do the same?
  48. 48 Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5

What is happening

Matthew 5 opens the block of teaching known since the fourth century as the Sermon on the Mount (chapters 5–7). Jesus has just begun a Galilean ministry marked by healing and drawing crowds; seeing them, he "went up onto the mountain" and, once seated — the posture of a teacher with recognized authority, not a casual speaker — "his disciples came to him" (5:1). The sermon that follows is addressed primarily to disciples, in the hearing of the crowds (7:28 makes clear the crowds were listening too), and it functions as Matthew's programmatic statement of what life in the kingdom Jesus is announcing actually looks like. It is not a set of suggestions for improving society at large; it is instruction for people who have already decided to follow him, telling them what that following will cost and require.

The passage, walked through

The Beatitudes (5:3–12). Each line follows the same pattern: a condition named, then a divine reversal promised. "Blessed" (μακάριοι) does not mean "happy" in the emotional sense; it names a state of being rightly aligned with God's favor, regardless of felt experience. The list moves through the poor in spirit, the mourning, the "gentle" (πραεῖς — the same word used of Moses' meekness, not weakness but strength under restraint), those hungering for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, peacemakers, and finally the persecuted. The pattern culminates in direct address — "Blessed are you when people reproach you... for my sake" (5:11) — with the command "Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad" (5:12), because persecution for righteousness places disciples in the company of "the prophets who were before you." These are not eight paths to blessing among which one might choose; they describe one character, seen from eight angles.

Salt and light (5:13–16). "You are the salt of the earth" and "the light of the world" are stated as fact, not aspiration — the disciples already are these things by virtue of belonging to Jesus. The warning is that salt which has "lost its flavor" (μωρανθῇ, literally "become foolish/insipid") is useless, fit only to be discarded. The point of the light is public: "let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father" (5:16) — visible obedience, not for self-display, but so that credit lands on God.

Fulfillment, not abolition (5:17–20). Jesus states plainly: "I didn't come to destroy [the Law], but to fulfill" (5:17). The claim that "not even one smallest letter or one tiny pen stroke" — iota and keraia, the smallest mark in Hebrew script — will "pass away from the law" is a statement of the Law's abiding authority, not its irrelevance. Verse 20 then raises the bar rather than lowering it: righteousness must "exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees." What follows in the rest of the chapter shows what that excess looks like — not less obedience, but obedience that goes to the root.

Six antitheses (5:21–48). Six times Jesus says, "You have heard that it was said... but I tell you," addressing not the Law's wording but its full intent, tracing commandments back to the heart-condition that produces the outward act.

  • Murder (5:21–26): anger and contempt ("Raca," "You fool") are shown to lie on the same continuum as murder, and reconciliation with a brother is placed even above cultic worship — "leave your gift there before the altar... first be reconciled" (5:23–24).
  • Adultery (5:27–30): lust is named as adultery "in his heart" (5:28); the call to gouge out an eye or cut off a hand is hyperbole pressing the seriousness of the point, not a literal instruction — the tradition has almost universally read it that way.
  • Divorce (5:31–32): tightens the permission given in Deuteronomy 24, restricting legitimate cause to "sexual immorality" (πορνείας) — a phrase whose precise scope has occupied interpreters ever since.
  • Oaths (5:33–37): rather than regulating which oaths bind, Jesus removes the category — "don't swear at all" — because a person whose word is reliable needs no oath to back it: "let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No' be 'No.'"
  • Retaliation (5:38–42): the lex talionis, a principle of judicial proportion, is set aside for personal conduct — "don't resist him who is evil" — replaced with instructions (turning the other cheek, giving the cloak also, going the extra mile) that refuse to answer evil in its own currency.
  • Enemies (5:43–48): the command to "love your enemies" and "pray for those who mistreat you" is grounded not in strategy but in imitation of the Father, "who makes his sun to rise on the evil and the good." The chapter closes on the command that summarizes the whole: "you shall be perfect [τέλειος — complete, whole], just as your Father in heaven is perfect" (5:48).

Where readers have disagreed

The largest fault line runs through 5:17–20. Some read "fulfill" as meaning Jesus completes and thereby supersedes the ceremonial and civil law while the moral law continues in force — a reading with deep roots in Reformed and Lutheran tradition. Others (much of the historic Catholic and Orthodox reading, and some strands of dispensationalism from the opposite direction) hold that the whole Law finds its intended shape and depth in Christ's teaching, without a clean line dividing "moral" from "ceremonial." The chapter itself does not resolve the mechanism; it insists on continuity and escalation, and leaves the categorizing to later systematic work.

The eye-gouging and hand-cutting of 5:29–30 have occasionally been taken with wooden literalism (Origen reports the practice, disapprovingly, in his own day), but the overwhelming reading recognizes hyperbole consistent with rabbinic idiom, driving home how seriously sin's root must be dealt with, not prescribing self-mutilation.

The divorce clause's "except for the cause of sexual immorality" has generated centuries of debate over what exactly qualifies and what pastoral space, if any, remains for remarriage — a dispute this chapter states rather than settles; the fuller discussion belongs with 19:1–12 and 1 Corinthians 7.

"Don't resist him who is evil" (5:39) has been read by some (notably in the historic peace-church tradition) as categorically forbidding any use of force, personal or civic, and by others as addressing personal retaliation specifically, leaving room for just governance and self-defense elsewhere addressed in scripture (e.g., Romans 13). The text itself is about personal injury and insult, illustrated by a slap, a lawsuit, and a conscription — not a treatise on statecraft.

What it asks of a reader

The chapter does not offer a moral code that can be kept by careful management of outward behavior. It relocates the standard to the heart — anger judged as murder, lust as adultery — and then sets the goal at "perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect." No one reading honestly can claim to have arrived. Basil the Great's observation about possessions sharpens this point without softening it: "The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked" (Homily VI.7) — a reading of "excess" as belonging, in a real sense, to someone else, which is exactly the kind of reversal this chapter demands throughout: mercy, purity, peacemaking, enemy-love, none of them optional refinements but the visible shape of belonging to the kingdom Jesus announces. The chapter asks whether a reader is willing to be measured by that shape, knowing in advance that the measure cannot be met by effort alone — which is why the sermon that begins with blessing on those who know their spiritual poverty ends with a standard only grace can answer.

The verses this turns on

Matthew 5:1 WEB
Seeing the multitudes, he went up onto the mountain. When he had sat down, his disciples came to him.
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

Ἰδὼν δὲ τοὺς ὄχλους ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος· καὶ καθίσαντος αὐτοῦ προσῆλθαν αὐτῷ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ·

  • Ἰδὼν ὁράω verb · aorist active participle, nominative singular masculine G3708
  • δὲ δέ conjunction G1161
  • τοὺς ὁ article · accusative plural masculine G3588
  • ὄχλους ὄχλος noun · accusative plural masculine G3793
  • ἀνέβη ἀναβαίνω verb · aorist active indicative, 3rd person singular G305
  • εἰς εἰς preposition G1519
  • τὸ ὁ article · accusative singular neuter G3588
  • ὄρος· ὄρος noun · accusative singular neuter G3735
  • καὶ καί conjunction G2532
  • καθίσαντος καθίζω verb · aorist active participle, genitive singular masculine G2523
  • αὐτοῦ αὐτός personal pronoun · genitive singular masculine G846
  • προσῆλθαν προσέρχομαι verb · aorist active indicative, 3rd person plural G4334

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. Mark 3:13 He went up into the mountain and called to himself those whom he wanted, and they went to him.
  2. Matthew 15:29 Jesus departed from there and came near to the sea of Galilee; and he went up on the mountain and sat there.
  3. Mark 4:1 Again he began to teach by the seaside. A great multitude was gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat in the sea and sat down. All the multitude were on the land by the sea.
  4. John 6:2 A great multitude followed him, because they saw his signs which he did on those who were sick.
  5. Mark 3:20 The multitude came together again, so that they could not so much as eat bread.
Matthew 5:3 WEB
"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.

  • Μακάριοι μακάριος adjective · nominative plural masculine G3107
  • οἱ ὁ article · nominative plural masculine G3588
  • πτωχοὶ πτωχός adjective · nominative plural masculine G4434
  • τῷ ὁ article · dative singular neuter G3588
  • πνεύματι, πνεῦμα noun · dative singular neuter G4151
  • ὅτι ὅτι conjunction G3754
  • αὐτῶν αὐτός personal pronoun · genitive plural masculine G846
  • ἐστιν εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 3rd person singular G1510
  • ἡ ὁ article · nominative singular feminine G3588
  • βασιλεία βασιλεία noun · nominative singular feminine G932
  • τῶν ὁ article · genitive plural masculine G3588
  • οὐρανῶν. οὐρανός noun · genitive plural masculine G3772

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. Isaiah 66:2 For my hand has made all these things, and so all these things came to be," says Yahweh: "but I will look to this man, even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.
  2. Proverbs 29:23 A man's pride brings him low, but one of lowly spirit gains honor.
  3. Psalm 34:18 Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
  4. Proverbs 16:19 It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor, than to divide the plunder with the proud.
  5. Luke 18:14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."
Matthew 5:11 WEB
"Blessed are you when people reproach you, persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσιν καὶ εἴπωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν καθ’ ὑμῶν ψευδόμενοι ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ.

  • μακάριοί μακάριος adjective · nominative plural masculine G3107
  • ἐστε εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 2nd person plural G1510
  • ὅταν ὅταν conjunction G3752
  • ὀνειδίσωσιν ὀνειδίζω verb · aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person plural G3679
  • ὑμᾶς σύ personal pronoun G4771
  • καὶ καί conjunction G2532
  • διώξωσιν διώκω verb · aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person plural G1377
  • καὶ καί conjunction G2532
  • εἴπωσιν λέγω verb · aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person plural G3004
  • πᾶν πᾶς adjective · accusative singular neuter G3956
  • πονηρὸν πονηρός adjective · accusative singular neuter G4190
  • καθ’ κατά preposition G2596

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. 1 Peter 4:14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests on you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified.
  2. Luke 21:17 You will be hated by all men for my name's sake.
  3. Mark 13:13 You will be hated by all men for my name's sake, but he who endures to the end will be saved.
  4. Matthew 24:9 "Then they will deliver you up to oppression and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake.
  5. Luke 6:22 Blessed are you when men hate you, and when they exclude and mock you, and throw out your name as evil, for the Son of Man's sake.
Matthew 5:12 WEB
Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

χαίρετε καὶ ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ὅτι ὁ μισθὸς ὑμῶν πολὺς ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· οὕτως γὰρ ἐδίωξαν τοὺς προφήτας τοὺς πρὸ ὑμῶν.

  • χαίρετε χαίρω verb · present active imperative, 2nd person plural G5463
  • καὶ καί conjunction G2532
  • ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, ἀγαλλιάω verb · present middle or passive deponent imperative, 2nd person plural G21
  • ὅτι ὅτι conjunction G3754
  • ὁ ὁ article · nominative singular masculine G3588
  • μισθὸς μισθός noun · nominative singular masculine G3408
  • ὑμῶν σύ personal pronoun G4771
  • πολὺς πολύς adjective · nominative singular masculine G4183
  • ἐν ἐν preposition G1722
  • τοῖς ὁ article · dative plural masculine G3588
  • οὐρανοῖς· οὐρανός noun · dative plural masculine G3772
  • οὕτως οὕτω adverb G3779

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. Luke 6:23 Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, for behold, your reward is great in heaven, for their fathers did the same thing to the prophets.
  2. James 1:2 Count it all joy, my brothers, when you fall into various temptations,
  3. Colossians 3:24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.
  4. 1 Peter 4:13 But because you are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice, that at the revelation of his glory you also may rejoice with exceeding joy.
  5. Colossians 1:24 Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the assembly,
Matthew 5:13 WEB
"You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt has lost its flavor, with what will it be salted? It is then good for nothing, but to be cast out and trodden under the feet of men.
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

Ὑμεῖς ἐστε τὸ ἅλας τῆς γῆς· ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἅλας μωρανθῇ, ἐν τίνι ἁλισθήσεται; εἰς οὐδὲν ἰσχύει ἔτι εἰ μὴ βληθὲν ἔξω καταπατεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων.

  • Ὑμεῖς σύ personal pronoun G4771
  • ἐστε εἰμί verb · present active indicative, 2nd person plural G1510
  • τὸ ὁ article · nominative singular neuter G3588
  • ἅλας ἅλας noun · nominative singular neuter G217
  • τῆς ὁ article · genitive singular feminine G3588
  • γῆς· γῆ noun · genitive singular feminine G1093
  • ἐὰν ἐάν conditional G1437
  • δὲ δέ conjunction G1161
  • τὸ ὁ article · nominative singular neuter G3588
  • ἅλας ἅλας noun · nominative singular neuter G217
  • μωρανθῇ, μωραίνω verb · aorist passive subjunctive, 3rd person singular G3471
  • ἐν ἐν preposition G1722

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. Colossians 4:6 Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
  2. Luke 14:34 "Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless, with what do you season it?
  3. Mark 9:49 For everyone will be salted with fire, and every sacrifice will be seasoned with salt.
  4. Leviticus 2:13 Every offering of your meal offering you shall season with salt. You shall not allow the salt of the covenant of your God to be lacking from your meal offering. With all your offerings you shall offer salt.
  5. Hebrews 6:4 For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit,
Matthew 5:16 WEB
Even so, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

οὕτως λαμψάτω τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα καὶ δοξάσωσιν τὸν πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς.

  • οὕτως οὕτω adverb G3779
  • λαμψάτω λάμπω verb · aorist active imperative, 3rd person singular G2989
  • τὸ ὁ article · nominative singular neuter G3588
  • φῶς φῶς noun · nominative singular neuter G5457
  • ὑμῶν σύ personal pronoun G4771
  • ἔμπροσθεν ἔμπροσθεν preposition G1715
  • τῶν ὁ article · genitive plural masculine G3588
  • ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος noun · genitive plural masculine G444
  • ὅπως ὅπως adverb G3704
  • ἴδωσιν ὁράω verb · aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person plural G3708
  • ὑμῶν σύ personal pronoun G4771
  • τὰ ὁ article · accusative plural neuter G3588

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. 1 Peter 2:12 having good behavior among the nations, so in that of which they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good works and glorify God in the day of visitation.
  2. Titus 2:7 In all things show yourself an example of good works. In your teaching, show integrity, seriousness, incorruptibility,
  3. John 15:8 "In this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; and so you will be my disciples.
  4. 1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from him and announce to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
  5. Philippians 2:15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without defect in the middle of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you are seen as lights in the world,
Matthew 5:17 WEB
"Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill.
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον ἢ τοὺς προφήτας· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι ἀλλὰ πληρῶσαι·

  • Μὴ μή particle · nominative G3361
  • νομίσητε νομίζω verb · aorist active subjunctive, 2nd person plural G3543
  • ὅτι ὅτι conjunction G3754
  • ἦλθον ἔρχομαι verb · aorist active indicative, 1st person singular G2064
  • καταλῦσαι καταλύω verb · aorist active infinitive G2647
  • τὸν ὁ article · accusative singular masculine G3588
  • νόμον νόμος noun · accusative singular masculine G3551
  • ἢ ἤ particle G2228
  • τοὺς ὁ article · accusative plural masculine G3588
  • προφήτας· προφήτης noun · accusative plural masculine G4396
  • οὐκ οὐ particle · nominative G3756
  • ἦλθον ἔρχομαι verb · aorist active indicative, 1st person singular G2064

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. Romans 10:4 For Christ is the fulfillment of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
  2. Luke 16:17 But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one tiny stroke of a pen in the law to fall.
  3. Galatians 4:4 But when the fullness of the time came, God sent out his Son, born to a woman, born under the law,
  4. Romans 3:31 Do we then nullify the law through faith? May it never be! No, we establish the law.
  5. Romans 8:4 that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us who don't walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
Matthew 5:21 WEB
"You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, 'You shall not murder;' and 'Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.'
discussed above
Greek Nestle 1904

Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις Οὐ φονεύσεις· ὃς δ’ ἂν φονεύσῃ, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει.

  • Ἠκούσατε ἀκούω verb · aorist active indicative, 2nd person plural G191
  • ὅτι ὅτι conjunction G3754
  • ἐρρέθη εἶπον verb · aorist passive indicative, 3rd person singular G2046
  • τοῖς ὁ article · dative plural masculine G3588
  • ἀρχαίοις ἀρχαῖος adjective · dative plural masculine G744
  • Οὐ οὐ particle · nominative G3756
  • φονεύσεις· φονεύω verb · future active indicative, 2nd person singular G5407
  • ὃς ὅς relative pronoun · nominative singular masculine G3739
  • δ’ δέ conjunction G1161
  • ἂν ἄν particle G302
  • φονεύσῃ, φονεύω verb · aorist active subjunctive, 3rd person singular G5407
  • ἔνοχος ἔνοχος adjective · nominative singular masculine G1777

Punctuation is editorial — the manuscripts carry none.

See also 5
  1. Deuteronomy 5:17 "You shall not murder.
  2. Exodus 20:13 "You shall not murder.
  3. Numbers 35:30 "'Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain based on the testimony of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify alone against any person so that he dies.
  4. Exodus 21:12 "One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
  5. Numbers 35:16 "'But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death.

From the interpretive tradition

The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked.
Basil the Great Homily VI.7 father · eastern public domain
He said not: Thou shalt not be tempested, thou shalt not be travailed, thou shalt not be afflicted; but He said: Thou shalt not be overcome.
Julian of Norwich Revelations, ch. 68 mystic · medieval public domain

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