But I say to you is best understood as a contrast to the last clause of verse 21 (“whoever kills shall be liable to judgment”) rather than to the entire command. What is significant and unprecedented is the phrase But I say, in which I stands in an emphatic position, thus placing the authority of Jesus parallel with the hidden name of God in the phrase “it was said to the men of old.”
Good News Translation has shown this emphasis on the first person I with “now” in the phrase “But now I tell you.” Translators can also say “But what I tell you is….”
As the RSV footnote indicates, every one who is angry is found in some manuscripts in the expanded form “… angry without cause.” The UBS Greek text reflects the opinion that “without cause” was added by scribes in order to soften Jesus’ remark (so TC-GNT). Apparently none of the modern standard translations include it in their text, though several of them provide a footnote, indicating the alternative possibility (for example, Revised Standard Version, Good News Translation, New English Bible).
Every one can be “any person who” or “whoever.”
The frequent usage of brother throughout this passage in particular and throughout the Sermon as a whole suggests that the ethical concern is not about general rules for human behavior; in this context the concern may be for disciples in their relations to one another. Certainly, the use of brother for people not physically related was distinctively Christian.
Many languages use brother to mean a close friend, associate, or fellow member of some group. In these cases “brother” will be understood correctly. In languages where the word is understood only to refer to a blood brother, or where it means one’s fellow men in general, then a better translation may be “fellow disciple” or “fellow believer” (but not “fellow Christian”!).
Shall be liable to judgment translates the same expression used in verse 21 (see comments there). Several scholars affirm without hesitation that in each instance the reference is to God’s final judgment, “for carrying out a death sentence according to the Law of Moses is the same as executing God’s final judgment. The Pentateuch did not think in terms of a judgment after death, and God’s judgment can only be performed in this world.” The confusion arose “when the continuation was added with its mention of the Council (the Sanhedrin or supreme judicial body in Palestine),” at which time the meaning of the first judgment was restricted to that of the local authority.
Some scholars see an ascending scale of sins: anger, the accusation “Raca,” and the accusation “you fool.” However, it is difficult to see how judgment can refer to human courts, since human courts judge a person according to one’s deeds, not one’s attitude. Although this conclusion may nullify the possibility of discovering here a neatly marked-out ascending scale of sins and their corresponding punishments, it does seem to be the most valid interpretation in light of what the text itself says.
For these reasons, then, judgment here should probably be translated “be brought before God for judgment,” “God will judge him,” or “will be a person to come before God and be judged.”
Insults: the term Raca (see RSV footnote) is generally assumed to be of Aramaic origin, with the root meaning “empty.” Several scholars indicate that it may have meant something like “good-for-nothing” (so Good News Translation) or “fool.” Some translations have followed the Revised Standard Version fairly closely when translating insults, and said “whoever says insults (or, bad things) to his brother” or “whoever calls his brother bad names.” Others have chosen to use direct speech as Good News Translation does, and say something like “whoever calls his brother, ‘You worthless person’ or ‘You no-good.’ ” This can also be in indirect speech, as in “whoever calls his brother a worthless person (or, a no-good).” Most languages have an insulting expression from their language which they can use. The important consideration is to be sure a term with a strong emotive force is used.
The council was the supreme judicial body of the Jews. In cultures where it is the elders who judge violations of tradition or religion, this can be translated as “the elders of the Jews” or “the Council of our elders.” Other translations may say “the highest court of our people” or “the most senior judges in our land.” Thus be liable to the council means “will be taken to be judged by the council” or “they will carry that person before our senior elders so they can judge him.”
Fool (Good News Translation “worthless fool”), in addition to the usual meaning of “senseless,” would probably have suggested “religious impiety” as well. Several scholars interpret it to mean “one who rebels against God.” Fool is used in the Old Testament primarily of the godless (Psa 14.1; 94.8; Isa 32.6; Deut 32.6; Jer 5.21).
In translation, both “Raca” and fool should be given the component of “foolishness,” with the second term somewhat stronger, possibly implying impiety as well. Elsewhere in the Gospel of Matthew, the word is used in 7.26; 23.17, 19; 25.2, 3, 8. No other Gospel writer uses it, though it is found four times in 1 Corinthians (1.25, 27; 3.18; 4.10), and once each in 2 Timothy (2.23) and Titus (3.9). Fool has sometimes been translated as “godless,” “you don’t know God at all,” or “you are a wicked fool.”
The hell of fire (Good News Translation “the fire of hell”) is literally “the Gehenna of fire” (see RSV footnote). Gehenna was the name of a valley southwest of Jerusalem, where human sacrifices had once been offered and where garbage from the city was constantly burning. Later this picture was combined with the idea of God’s judgment, and so the notion of a fiery hell developed. Most commentators assume that the reference is to hell, and a number of translations make this information explicit. However, some few interpreters dogmatically deny that Gehenna was equated with hell in New Testament times. Therefore Anchor Bible has “merits a fiery death.” See comments on “hell” in verse 29.
The person who is liable to the hell of fire can be said to be a person “who will be sent to hell (or, the fires of hell).”
Hell is sometimes an unknown concept. There are contexts where “the place of the dead” is a good translation, but not here. “The place of torture (or, punishment)” would be better, or possibly “the place of torture of the dead.” Here, then, translations can have “the place of fiery punishment.”
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Stine, Philip C. A Handbook on the Gospel of Matthew. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1988. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .