5:22
Here Jesus taught that a person’s inner attitudes are as important as his outer actions. He taught that we will also be judged for our inner attitudes.
5:22a
But I tell you: The clause But I tell you indicates that there is a contrast between what the people had heard from their religious leaders and what Jesus taught. The Israelites understood that someone who murders deserves punishment. No one had ever taught them that anger and insults also deserve punishment.
Here are some other possible ways to translate this phrase:
But now I tell you (Good News Translation)
-or-
But I say to you (English Standard Version)
-or-
But me, I tell you
-or-
But I myself assure you
I: The pronoun I is emphatic in Greek.
you: In the Greek text, the pronoun for you is plural. It refers to Jesus’ disciples and the crowd of people listening to him at this time.
anyone who is angry: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angry is the most common Greek word for “anger” in the New Testament. It refers to a feeling of displeasure, and it often makes someone want to fight against the person causing the feeling.
This word does not refer to extreme anger like the word “furious.” But it is more than simply being slightly “annoyed” with someone.
brother: In this context, the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as brother can refer to one of the following:
(a) fellow believer
(b) fellowman
If people in your area will think that the word brother refers only to a real brother, you may want to use a more general term. Also, if people in your area will think that the word brother refers only to a fellow believer, but anger against a non-believer is acceptable, you may want to use a more general term. For example:
someone (Contemporary English Version)
will be subject to judgment: In Greek, this clause is exactly the same as the clause in 5:21c. It is a passive. It is unlikely that a human court would judge someone for being angry. So here, this clause probably refers to God judging the angry person.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
• Use a passive form. For example:
will be judged (New Century Version)
-or-
will be judged ⌊and punished⌋
-or-
will be brought to trial (Good News Translation)
• Use an active form. For example:
⌊God⌋ will judge him
5:22b
Again: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Again is a conjunction that is often translated as “and” or “but.” In 5:22b, Jesus continued with a teaching that is similar to 5:22a. For this reason, some versions begin 5:22b with the conjunction “and.” Other English versions use no conjunction. You should connect 5:22b to 5:22a in a way that is natural in your language.
anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca’ is literally, “whoever might say to his brother ‘Raca.’” The word Raca is a transliterated Aramaic word that means “empty-headed person” or “stupid.” This term is an insult.
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
• Transliterate Raca, but show what it means in parentheses. For example:
whoever says to his brother ‘Raca’ (‘stupid’)
-or-
whoever calls his brother ‘Raca’ (‘idiot’)
• Use a word or phrase in your language that means “stupid” or “idiot.” It may be an idiom. For example:
if you call your brother ‘You good-for-nothing!’ (Good News Translation)
-or-
if you call your brother ‘hardheaded’
• Transliterate Raca, and include a footnote explaining what it means. Here is a sample footnote:
“Raca” is a word in the Aramaic language that means “empty-headed person” or “stupid.” It was an insult to call someone “Raca.”
• Use a general phrase that explains the meaning of Raca. For example:
whoever insults his brother (Revised Standard Version)
will be subject: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible translates here as will be subject are the same as in 5:21c and 5:22a. (Notice that this time, the words “to judgment” are not present.)
Here are some other ways to translate this clause:
will be judged (New Century Version)
-or-
will be brought before (Good News Translation)
to the Sanhedrin: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Sanhedrin refers to the Supreme Court of the Jews. This court was the highest authority for the Jews. There were seventy two men in the Sanhedrin. Each member was either a priest, an elder, or a teacher of the law. The high priest was the leader of the council.
Here are some other ways to translate this word:
the council called ‘the Sanhedrin’
-or-
the supreme court (Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
-or-
the group of judges/elders
5:22c
Verse 5:22c is similar to 5:22a and 22b in the sense that it also is dealing with anger.
But: There are two ways to interpret the way 5:22c is connected to 5:22a–b:
(1) It is another example of insulting a person. According to this interpretation, 5:22c should begin with and, or it should be a new sentence. For example:
And if you call someone a fool, you will be in danger of the fire of hell. (New Century Version)
-or-
Whoever calls another believer a fool will answer for it in hellfire. (God’s Word)
(Good News Translation, NET Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, Contemporary English Version, New Living Translation (2004), New Century Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
(2) It is a more severe way to insult someone, and the punishment is more severe. According to this interpretation, 5:22c should begin with but to show the contrast in the degree of punishment. For example:
but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. (King James Version)
(Probably New International Version, King James Version, Berean Standard Bible)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). The majority of commentators agree that Matthew did not intend to increase the degrees of anger and punishment from 5:22a to 5:22b to 5:22c.
fool: A fool is a stupid person; or one lacking in judgment and understanding. The word fool is an insult like “Raca.” Both expressions indicate that the person saying them despises his fellowman.
Here is another way to translate this word:
worthless fool (Good News Translation)
will be subject to: The Greek words that the Berean Standard Bible here translates as will be subject to are the same words as in 5:21c and 5:22a. You may want to translate them here in the same way as you did in those verses.
Here are some other ways to translate these words:
is worthy of
-or-
will go to
-or-
will be thrown in
the fire of hell: The phrase the fire of hell refers to the place of eternal punishment where God will send unbelievers following the final judgment. In that place, unbelievers will be punished with fire.
Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:
the hell of fire (English Standard Version)
-or-
the place where the dead are made to suffer in fire
-or-
the place where the dead are punished with fire
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