Should be cast into hell ; Revised Version, go into hell ( εἰς γέενναν ἀπέλθῃ ), both word and order laying stress, not on the action of the Judge, but on thy departure, either from things of time and sense, or from his presence ( Matthew 25:46 ). read more
And if thy right hand offend thee - The right hand is selected for the same reason as the right eye, because it is one of the most important members of the human body. The idea is, that the dearest earthly objects are to be sacrificed rather than that we should commit sin; that the most rigid self-denial should be practiced, and that the most absolute self-government should be maintained at any sacrifice, rather than that we should suffer the mind to be polluted by unholy thoughts and impure... read more
Matthew 5:29-30. If thy right eye offend thee If any person or thing, as pleasant and as dear to thee as thy right eye, should be a stumbling-block in thy way, and an occasion of thy falling, or should be a means of insnaring thee, and leading thee into sin, pluck it out With inexorable resolution: that is, give up and part with the beloved object. For it is profitable for thee It will be to thine advantage, that one of thy members should perish To suffer an apparent temporary loss... read more
40. Legal obedience is not enough (Matthew 5:21-48; Luke 6:27-36; Luke 12:57-59)After his explanation concerning right and wrong attitudes to the law, Jesus gives a number of examples. He introduces these examples with statements such as ‘You have heard that it was said in the past’. This is not the same as ‘It is written’. Jesus is not quoting from the Old Testament but from the teachings of the scribes and Pharisees. He is not contradicting the law but the interpretations of the law that the... read more
thy right. See note on Matthew 5:29 . read more
And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.This is the same thought as that in Matthew 5:29, repeated in a different figure for the sake of emphasis. Remember that Christ is still speaking of adultery; and the only proper meaning that can attach to these two verses (Matthew 5:29-30) must relate to that subject. It seems plain enough that Christians... read more
Matthew 5:29-30. And if thy right eye offend thee, &c.— The word rendered offend thee, σκανδαλιζει, signifies to be a stumbling-block in a person's way, or the occasion of his fall; and so implies much more than merely to displease; a remark which deserves attending to, because the sense of many texts depends upon it. We may read, make thee offend, or insnare thee. We may just note, that the greatest part of Christ's auditors being people who lived by their daily labour, to these the loss... read more
30. And if thy right hand—the organ of action, to which the eye excites. offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee; for it is profitable, &c.—See on :-. The repetition, in identical terms, of such stern truths and awful lessons seems characteristic of our Lord's manner of teaching. Compare :-. read more
Righteousness and the Scriptures 5:17-48In His discussion of righteousness (character and conduct that conforms to the will of God), Jesus went back to the revelation of God’s will, namely, God’s Word, the Old Testament. read more
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The Pulpit Commentary - Matthew 5:29-30
Also in Matthew 18:8 , Matthew 18:9 ; the chief differences being The reason why our Lord did not mention the foot here may be either that that member is less immediately connected with sins of the flesh than the other two (cf. Wetstein, in loc ., "Averte oculum a vultu illecebroso: arce manum ab impudicis contrectationibus"), or, as seems more probable, that the eye and the hand represent the two sets of faculties receptive and active, and together express man's whole nature. The... read more