Matthew 5:21-37
21 Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, οὐ φονεύσεις· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν φονεύσῃ, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει.
22 Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῇ ἔνοχος ἔσται τῇ κρίσει· ὃς δ᾿ ἂν εἴπῃ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ῥακά, ἔνοχος ἔσται τῷ συνεδρίῳ· ὃς δ’ ἂν εἴπῃ μωρέ, ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός.
23 Ἐὰν οὖν προσφέρῃς τὸ δῶρόν σου ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον κἀκεῖ μνησθῇς ὅτι ὁ ἀδελφός σου ἔχει τι κατὰ σοῦ,
24 ἄφες ἐκεῖ τὸ δῶρόν σου ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου, καὶ ὕπαγε πρῶτον διαλλάγηθι τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, καὶ τότε ἐλθὼν πρόσφερε τὸ δῶρόν σου.
25 Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν τῷ ἀντιδίκῳ σου ταχὺ ἕωςὅτου εἶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, μήποτέ σε παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καὶ ὁ κριτής σε παραδῷ τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ, καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν βληθήσῃ·
26 ἀμὴν λέγω σοι, οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως οὗ ἀποδῷς τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην.
27 Ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις.
28 Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ βλέπων γυναῖκα πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ.
29 Εἰ δὲ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου ὁ δεξιὸς σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔξελε αὐτὸν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ· συμφέρει γάρ σοι ἵνα ἀπόληται ἓν τῶν μελῶν σου καὶ μὴ ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου βληθῇ εἰς γέενναν.
30 Καὶ εἰ ἡ δεξιά σου χεὶρ σκανδαλίζει σε, ἔκκοψον αὐτὴν καὶ βάλε ἀπὸ σοῦ· συμφέρει γάρ σοι ἵνα ἀπόληται ἓν τῶν μελῶν σου καὶ μὴ ὅλον τὸ σῶμά σου βληθῇ εἰς γέενναν.
31 Ἐρρέθη δέ· ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, δότω αὐτῇ ἀποστάσιον.
32 Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι ὃς ἂν ἀπολύσῃ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχᾶσθαι, καὶ ὃς ἐὰν ἀπολελυμένην γαμήσῃ, μοιχᾶται.
33 Πάλιν ἠκούσατε ὅτι ἐρρέθη τοῖς ἀρχαίοις, οὐκ ἐπιορκήσεις, ἀποδώσεις δὲ τῷ Κυρίῳ τοὺς ὅρκους σου.
34 Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν μὴ ὀμόσαι ὅλως· μήτε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, ὅτι θρόνος ἐστὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ·
35 μήτε ἐν τῇ γῇ, ὅτι ὑποπόδιόν ἐστι τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ· μήτε εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα, ὅτι πόλις ἐστὶ τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως·
36 μήτε ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ σου ὀμόσῃς, ὅτι οὐ δύνασαι μίαν τρίχα λευκὴν ἢ μέλαιναν ποιῆσαι.
37 Ἔστω δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ· τὸ δὲ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν.
Comments
[21] οὐ φονεύσεις: φονεύω (cl. Greek), ‘I kill, murder’. In cl. Greek the future of the 2nd pers. sg. or pl. can be used in a command, bordering on the volitive future: ‘It is my will that you shall not kill.’ See also the future οὐ μοιχεύσεις (v. 27).
[22] Ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν: the inclusion of the personal pronoun Ἐγὼ, indeed at the beginning of the verse, is highly emphatic. δὲ contrasts Christ’s statement to the command introduced by the impersonal ἐρρέθη, ‘it was said’, in v. 21. Cf. the same emphasis in vv. 28 and 34.
ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῇ: ὀργιζόμενος < ὀργίζομαι, c. dat., ‘I grow angry’.
εἰκῇ: adverbial dative, ‘at random, arbitrarily’, i.e. ‘for no reason, without just cause’.
ῥακά: sg. masc. in Aramaic for ‘contemptible, an object of contempt, fool, empty fellow’. See J. Payne Smith, A compendious Syriac dictionary, p. 549, s.v. (https://cal.huc.edu/showjps.php?jpspage=549).
μωρέ: voc., μωρὸς, ‘dull, stupid’ (LSJ, s.v.). μ. is the equivalent of ῥακά.
ἔνοχος ἔσται εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρός: ἔνοχος, a juridical/legal term, means ‘liable’. Here, with a prep., a usage less frequent in cl. Greek (LSJ, s.v. II.3): εἰς τὴν γέενναν… = ‘with respect to the hell…’
[25] Ἴσθι εὐνοῶν: lit., ‘be (imper. 2nd pers. sg.) favouring (pres. part. active)’. This is a koine imperative, emphasising the notion of continuity (cf. R. Browning, Medieval and modern Greek, Cambridge, 1983, p. 38).
μήποτέ σε παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ καὶ ὁ κριτής σε παραδῷ τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ, καὶ εἰς φυλακὴν βληθήσῃ: the negative μήποτε (‘lest ever’) introduces three clauses of fear in the subj. (παραδῷ… παραδῷ… βληθήσῃ) expressing (pre)caution. σε παραδῷ ὁ ἀντίδικος τῷ κριτῇ and κριτής σε παραδῷ τῷ ὑπηρέτῃ is a chiasmus (AB- ba or crosswise pattern); and the movement from trial to arrest to imprisonment suggests a gradual climaxing.
[28] τὸ ἐπιθυμῆσαι αὐτὴν ἤδη ἐμοίχευσεν αὐτὴν: ἐπιθυμῶ (‘Ι desire’), c. acc. pers. is post-classical and probably koine (and is certainly modern Greek).
*Although the ancient Greek gods sometimes could see into the minds of mortals, the Greeks did not hold that a mortal could sin simply by entertaining lustful or other ‘sinful’ thoughts.
ἐμοίχευσεν (‘has committed adultery’), aor. μοιχεύω c. acc. pers. = ‘commit adultery with a woman’ (cl. Greek).
[30] ἔκκοψον αὐτὴν: ‘cut it off’, aor. imper., 2nd pers. of ἐκκόπτω, ‘hew away, prune away, cut away’. ‘The metaphor in ἐκκόπτειν may be from surgery…or from pruning or cutting trees; it is common in [ancient Greek] philosophical texts of the “extirpation of vices and passions”’; see R. Hunter & D. Russell, eds, Plutarch, How to study poetry, Cambridge, 2011, p. 120 ad 21c.
[32] παρεκτὸς λόγου πορνείας, ποιεῖ αὐτὴν μοιχᾶσθαι: παρεκτὸς, preposition, ‘except for’. πορνεία = ‘prostitution’ (of a woman or man in cl. Greek); ‘fornication, adultery’ (in NT koine); see Montanari, s.v.
μοιχᾶσθαι: pass., ‘commit adultery’ (of a man or woman).
[37] Ἔστω δὲ ὁ λόγος ὑμῶν ναὶ ναί, οὒ οὔ: the first ναὶ and the first οὒ stand in apposition to λόγος; the meaning is ‘Let your word “yes” be “yes”, and your word “no” be “no”.’
Matthew 5:21-37
5:21 “You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not murder’; and ‘whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.’
5:22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment; and if you insult a brother or sister, you will be liable to the council; and if you say, ‘You fool,’ you will be liable to the hell of fire.
5:23 So when you are offering your gift at the altar, if you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,
5:24 leave your gift there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.
5:25 Come to terms quickly with your accuser while you are on the way to court with him, or your accuser may hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the guard, and you will be thrown into prison.
5:26 Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny.
5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’
5:28 But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
5:29 If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.
5:30 And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away; it is better for you to lose one of your members than for your whole body to go into hell.
5:31 “It was also said, ‘Whoever divorces his wife, let him give her a certificate of divorce.’
5:32 But I say to you that anyone who divorces his wife, except on the ground of unchastity, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
5:33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but carry out the vows you have made to the Lord.’
5:34 But I say to you, Do not swear at all, either by heaven, for it is the throne of God,
5:35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool, or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King.
5:36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.
5:37 Let your word be ‘Yes, Yes’ or ‘No, No’; anything more than this comes from the evil one.
Insights into Biblical Greek Grammar and Syntax 