New King James Version
Matthew 5:22
22But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire.
Matthew 5:22 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
- New International Version (NIV)But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, 'You fool!' will be liable to the hell of fire.
- New Living Translation (NLT)But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell.
Context of Matthew 5:22
20For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 21“You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’ But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of hell fire. 23Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.
Read all of Matthew 5Matthew 5:22 word by word
ἐγὼ δὲ λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ 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.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Butδέde · thenG1161
- Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
- sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- unto youσύsu · youG4771
- Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
- whosoeverπᾶςpas · allG3956
- is angryὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- is angryὀργίζωorgizō · to angerG3710
- withἀδελφόςadelphos · brotherG80
- hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- without a causeεἰκῇeikē · in vainG1500
- shall beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- in dangerἔνοχοςenochos · liable forG1777
- of the judgmentκρίσιςkrisis · judgmentG2920
- whosoeverὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- ·ἄνan · ifG302
- shall sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
- Racaῥακάrhaka · foolG4469
- of the councilσυνέδριονsunedrion · councilG4892
- Thou foolμωρόςmōros · foolishG3474
- ofεἰςeis · towardG1519
- hellγέενναgeenna · hell: GehennaG1067
- fireπῦρpur · fireG4442
Cross-references for Matthew 5:22
- Matthew 5:28But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
- Matthew 3:17And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”
- Matthew 17:5While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and suddenly a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”
- Deuteronomy 18:18I will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them all that I command Him.
- Acts 3:20and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before,
- Acts 7:37“This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’
- Hebrews 5:9And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him,
- Hebrews 12:25See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,
- Genesis 4:5but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
- Genesis 37:4But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.
- 1 Samuel 17:27And the people answered him in this manner, saying, “So shall it be done for the man who kills him.”
- 1 Samuel 18:8Then Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him; and he said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands. Now what more can he have but the kingdom?”
- 1 Samuel 20:30Then Saul’s anger was aroused against Jonathan, and he said to him, “You son of a perverse, rebellious woman! Do I not know that you have chosen the son of Jesse to your own shame and to the shame of your mother’s nakedness?
- 1 Samuel 22:12And Saul said, “Hear now, son of Ahitub!” He answered, “Here I am, my lord.”
- 1 Kings 21:4So Ahab went into his house sullen and displeased because of the word which Naboth the Jezreelite had spoken to him; for he had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my fathers.” And he lay down on his bed, and turned away his face, and would eat no food.
- 2 Chronicles 16:10Then Asa was angry with the seer, and put him in prison, for he was enraged at him because of this. And Asa oppressed some of the people at that time.
Commentaries on Matthew 5:22
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 22Whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause - ̔ - , who is vainly incensed. "This translation is literal; and the very objectionable phrase, without a cause, is left out, being more properly translated by that above." What our Lord seems here to prohibit, is not merely that miserable facility which some have of being angry at every trifle, continually taking offense against their best friends; but that anger which leads a man to commit outrages…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 22But I say unto you - Jesus being God as well as man John 1:1, John 1:14, and therefore, being the original giver of the law, had a right to expound it or change it as he pleased. Compare Matthew 12:6, Matthew 12:8. He therefore spoke here and elsewhere as having authority, and not as the scribes. It may be added here that no mere man ever spake as Jesus did, when explaining or enforcing the law. He did it as having a right to do it; and he that has a…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 21-26Verses 21-26 The Jewish teachers had taught, that nothing except actual murder was forbidden by the sixth commandment. Thus they explained away its spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full meaning of this commandment; according to which we must be judged hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. All rash anger is heart murder. By our brother, here, we are to understand any person, though ever so much below us, for we are all made of one blood…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 22Judgment … Sanhedrin … hell: The second and third punishments are more severe than usual in the time of Jesus. This emphasizes the surpassing righteousness of Jesus and his followers (see Matthew 5:20). They did not accept unresolved conflicts or treating other people as unimportant. anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’: The Aramaic term reqa’ (transliterated as raca) means something like "empty head." This probably means the same thing as cursing…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2222. But I say unto you--Mark the authoritative tone in which--as Himself the Lawgiver and Judge--Christ now gives the true sense, and explains the deep reach, of the commandment. That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca! shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, Thou fool! shall be in danger of hell-fire--It is unreasonable to deny, as…Read the comment
Topics related to Matthew 5:22
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Matthew 5
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
New King James Version — © 1982 Thomas Nelson, Inc
Commentaries