NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible | Page 116
Matthew 5:34 | 1709
5:21 a Ex 20:13; Dt 5:17
5:22 b 1Jn 3:15
c Mt 26:59 d Jas 3:6
5:27 e Ex 20:14;
Dt 5:18
5:28 f Pr 6:25
5:29 g Mt 18:6, 8, 9;
Mk 9:42‑47
5:31 h Dt 24:1‑4
5:32 i Lk 16:18
5:33 j Lev 19:12
k Nu 30:2; Dt 23:21;
Mt 23:16‑22
of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be c alled g
reat in the
kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the
Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.
Murder
5:25,26pp — Lk 12:58,59
21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, a a and
anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ 22 But I tell you that anyone who is an
gry with a brother or sister b , c will be subject to judgment. b Again, anyone who says to a
brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ d is answerable to the court. c And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will
be in danger of the fire of hell. d
23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and t here remember that your
brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar.
First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.
25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to c ourt. Do it while you
are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the j udge, and the
judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell
you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
Adultery
27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ e e 28 But I tell you
that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in
his heart. f 29 If your r ight eye causes you to stumble, g gouge it out and throw it away. It is
better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be t hrown into
hell. 30 And if your r ight hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and t hrow it away. It is better
for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.
Divorce
31 “It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of di
vorce.’ f h 32 But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality,
makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits
adultery. i
Oaths
33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your
oath, j but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ k 34 But I tell you, do not s wear an
a 21 Exodus 20:13 b 22
The Greek word for brother or sister (adelphos) refers here to a fellow disciple, whether man or
woman; also in verse 23. c 22 Some manuscripts brother or sister without cause d 22 An Aramaic term of contempt
e 27 Exodus 20:14 f 31 Deut. 24:1
5:20 teachers of the law. Scribes who became
lawyers because of their familiarity with the
law from copying Scripture. Together with
the Pharisees, they were among the most
law-abiding Jews of the day. Thus, to have a
“righteousness [that] surpasses” theirs can-
no t mean a more perfect obedience to the
OT. Instead it refers to doing God’s will, as
newly defined in Jesus, made possible by his
indwelling Spirit (cf. 10:20).
5:21 – 48 Six times Jesus contrasts traditional
interpretations of OT texts or themes with
his understanding of their meaning and ap-
plication. In five of the six antitheses, he also
prescribes proactive, positive action as an
antidote to what is prohibited. Presumably
similar action is implied in the remaining in-
stance (to prevent divorce) as well.
5:21 murder. The sixth commandment (Exod
20:13) prohibits the taking of another hu-
man life. The verb refers to all killing except
in war, capital punishment, or self-defense.
Jesus’ assertion internalizes the command
so that one who harbors rage or spews out
spiteful words is also guilty of sin and its
consequences (v. 22). The matter is so serious
that one should leave a worship service, if
necessary, to be “reconciled” (v. 24) to a fel-
low believer and “settle matters” (v. 25) out of
court if at all possible to avoid any chance of
conviction and imprisonment.
5:22 Raca. “Empty-headed” (an Aramaic
swear word). fool. Has overtones of immoral-
ity as well as stupidity. fire. See note on 8:12.
hell. Greek ge(h)enna; the Hinnom Valley near
Jerusalem was used for child sacrifice by fire
in OT times (2 Chr 28:3; Jer 7:31) and became a
natural metaphor for a place of eternal pun-
ishment.
5:26 penny. Quadrans, 1/64 of a day’s mini-
mum wage (a denarius), the smallest Roman
copper coin. Prisoners in Jesus’ world had
no opportunity to earn money in jail. Paying
a fine for which they had insufficient funds
would require that a benefactor from outside
provide the money.
5:27 adultery. Sexual infidelity to one’s
spouse violates the seventh commandment
(Exod 20:14), and adultery can even be com-
mitted in one’s “heart” (v. 28). The two are not
equally bad, but they are both sinful.
5:29 – 30 gouge it out . . . cut it off. Because un-
checked lust can lead to literal adultery, Jesus
counsels drastic action to remove sources of
temptation. These are classic examples of hy-
perbole, not meant to be taken literally. After
all, blind and injured people can still lust.
5:31 divorces. Deut 24:1, cited here, spawned
a debate between the two main Pharisaic
rabbis in Jesus’ day, Shammai and Hillel.
Shammai required divorce (and permitted
remarriage) only for sexual infidelity; Hillel
permitted divorce for “any good cause.” Typi-
cally, only men could initiate divorce. Jesus
is actually stricter than Shammai because he
only permits divorce and remarriage; he does
not require them, even for marital unfaithful-
ness (v. 32), as both Pharisaic positions did.
5:32 sexual immorality. Greek porneia, the
broadest term for sexual sin. It refers to sexual
relations with any other person besides one’s
monogamous heterosexual spouse. makes her
the victim of adultery. Greek moicheuthēnai, a
passive-voice form not used elsewhere in an
active sense. anyone who marries a divorced
woman. This exception from the previous
clause carries over, i.e., unless she was di-
vorced legitimately. See also 19:1 – 9.
5:33 oath. The OT reference here resembles
Lev 19:12. While the OT insisted that people
must fulfill their vows, Jesus says not to take