Discovery BoxMatthew 5:21-28
Context5:21 “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 5:23 So then, if you bring your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 5:24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother and then come and present your gift. 5:25 Reach agreement 10 quickly with your accuser while on the way to court, 11 or he 12 may hand you over to the judge, and the judge hand you over to the warden, and you will be thrown into prison. 5:26 I tell you the truth, 13 you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny! 14
5:27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’ 15 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.
Exodus 20:12-17
Context20:12 “Honor 16 your father and your mother, that you may live a long time 17 in the land 18 the Lord your God is giving to you.
20:13 “You shall not murder. 19
20:14 “You shall not commit adultery. 20
20:15 “You shall not steal. 21
20:16 “You shall not give 22 false testimony 23 against your neighbor.
20:17 “You shall not covet 24 your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that belongs to your neighbor.” 25
Deuteronomy 5:16-21
Context5:16 Honor 26 your father and your mother just as the Lord your God has commanded you to do, so that your days may be extended and that it may go well with you in the land that he 27 is about to give you. 5:17 You must not murder. 28 5:18 You must not commit adultery. 5:19 You must not steal. 5:20 You must not offer false testimony against another. 29 5:21 You must not desire 30 another man’s 31 wife, nor should you crave his 32 house, his field, his male and female servants, his ox, his donkey, or anything else he owns.” 33
Mark 10:19
Context10:19 You know the commandments: ‘Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.’” 34
Luke 18:20
Context18:20 You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother.’” 35
Romans 13:8-10
Context13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another, for the one who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law. 13:9 For the commandments, 36 “Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not covet,” 37 (and if there is any other commandment) are summed up in this, “Love your neighbor as yourself.” 38 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
[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
[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.”
[5:25] 10 tn Grk “Make friends.”
[5:25] 11 tn The words “to court” are not in the Greek text but are implied.
[5:25] 12 tn Grk “the accuser.”
[5:26] 13 tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”
[5:26] 14 tn Here the English word “penny” is used as opposed to the parallel in Luke 12:59 where “cent” appears since the Greek word there is different and refers to a different but similar coin.
[5:27] 15 sn A quotation from Exod 20:14; Deut 5:17.
[20:12] 16 tn The verb כַּבֵּד (kabbed) is a Piel imperative; it calls for people to give their parents the respect and honor that is appropriate for them. It could be paraphrased to say, give them the weight of authority that they deserve. Next to God, parents were to be highly valued, cared for, and respected.
[20:12] 17 tn Heb “that your days may be long.”
[20:12] 18 sn The promise here is national rather than individual, although it is certainly true that the blessing of life was promised for anyone who was obedient to God’s commands (Deut 4:1, 8:1, etc.). But as W. C. Kaiser (“Exodus,” EBC 2:424) summarizes, the land that was promised was the land of Canaan, and the duration of Israel in the land was to be based on morality and the fear of God as expressed in the home (Deut 4:26, 33, 40; 32:46-47). The captivity was in part caused by a breakdown in this area (Ezek 22:7, 15). Malachi would announce at the end of his book that Elijah would come at the end of the age to turn the hearts of the children and the parents toward each other again.
[20:13] 19 tn The verb רָצַח (ratsakh) refers to the premeditated or accidental taking of the life of another human being; it includes any unauthorized killing (it is used for the punishment of a murderer, but that would not be included in the prohibition). This commandment teaches the sanctity of all human life. See J. H. Yoder, “Exodus 20,13: ‘Thou Shalt Not Kill’,” Int 34 (1980): 394-99; and A. Phillips, “Another Look at Murder,” JJS 28 (1977): 105-26.
[20:14] 20 sn This is a sin against the marriage of a fellow citizen – it destroys the home. The Law distinguished between adultery (which had a death penalty) and sexual contact with a young woman (which carried a monetary fine and usually marriage if the father was willing). So it distinguished fornication and adultery. Both were sins, but the significance of each was different. In the ancient world this sin is often referred to as “the great sin.”
[20:15] 21 sn This law protected the property of the Israelite citizen. See D. Little, “Exodus 20,15: ‘Thou Shalt Not Steal’,” Int 34 (1980): 399-405.
[20:16] 22 tn Heb “answer” as in a court of law.
[20:16] 23 tn The expression עֵד שָׁקֶר (’ed shaqer) means “a lying witness” (B. S. Childs, Exodus [OTL], 388). In this verse the noun is an adverbial accusative, “you will not answer as a lying witness.” The prohibition is against perjury. While the precise reference would be to legal proceedings, the law probably had a broader application to lying about other people in general (see Lev 5:1; Hos 4:2).
[20:17] 24 tn The verb חָמַד (khamad) focuses not on an external act but on an internal mental activity behind the act, the motivation for it. The word can be used in a very good sense (Ps 19:10; 68:16), but it has a bad connotation in contexts where the object desired is off limits. This command is aimed at curtailing the greedy desire for something belonging to a neighbor, a desire that leads to the taking of it or the attempt to take it. It was used in the story of the Garden of Eden for the tree that was desired.
[20:17] 25 sn See further G. Wittenburg, “The Tenth Commandment in the Old Testament,” Journal for Theology in South Africa 21 (1978): 3-17: and E. W. Nicholson, “The Decalogue as the Direct Address of God,” VT 27 (1977): 422-33.
[5:16] 26 tn The imperative here means, literally, “regard as heavy” (כַּבֵּד, kabbed). The meaning is that great importance must be ascribed to parents by their children.
[5:16] 27 tn Heb “the
[5:17] 28 tn Traditionally “kill” (so KJV, ASV, RSV, NAB). The verb here (רָצַח, ratsakh) is generic for homicide but in the OT both killing in war and capital punishment were permitted and even commanded (Deut 13:5, 9; 20:13, 16-17), so the technical meaning here is “murder.”
[5:20] 29 tn Heb “your neighbor.” Clearly this is intended generically, however, and not to be limited only to those persons who live nearby (frequently the way “neighbor” is understood in contemporary contexts). So also in v. 20.
[5:21] 30 tn The Hebrew verb used here (חָמַד, khamad) is different from the one translated “crave” (אָוַה, ’avah) in the next line. The former has sexual overtones (“lust” or the like; cf. Song of Sol 2:3) whereas the latter has more the idea of a desire or craving for material things.
[5:21] 31 tn Heb “your neighbor’s.” See note on the term “fellow man” in v. 19.
[5:21] 32 tn Heb “your neighbor’s.” The pronoun is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
[5:21] 33 tn Heb “or anything that is your neighbor’s.”
[10:19] 34 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16; Deut 5:16-20, except for do not defraud, which is an allusion to Deut 24:14.
[18:20] 35 sn A quotation from Exod 20:12-16 and Deut 5:16-20. Jesus cited the parts of the ten commandments that relate to how others should be treated.
[13:9] 36 tn Grk “For the…” (with the word “commandments” supplied for clarity). The Greek article (“the”) is used here as a substantiver to introduce the commands that are quoted from the second half of the Decalogue (ExSyn 238).
[13:9] 37 sn A quotation from Exod 20:13-15, 17; Deut 5:17-19, 21.
