Matthew 5:21-26 · Bible study
Matthew 5:21-26 Commentary: Anger, Murder, and Reconciliation
Greek · 11 what the commentators say
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus deepens the sixth commandment, showing that anger and insults break God's law as surely as murder does, and reconciliation comes first.
Research Summary
- Meaning: Jesus intensifies the sixth commandment, showing that anger and contempt are as serious as murder, and that reconciliation must come before worship.
- Key words: orgizomenos (settled state of anger), rhaka (Aramaic insult), mōre (“fool”, implying moral worthlessness), geenna (Valley of Hinnom, symbol of final judgment).
- Main debate: Whether Jesus corrects the law itself or the Pharisaic tradition that limited “murder” to the outward act.
- Theological theme: True righteousness is internal and relational; worship is invalid where conflict remains unresolved.
- Best use: Teaching on the heart of the law, the priority of reconciliation, and the seriousness of angry words; a powerful Lenten or preparatory passage for Communion.
Translation Comparison
BSB Berean Standard Bible 2020
21You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
22But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to his brother, ‘Raca,’ will be subject to the Sanhedrin. But anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to the fire of hell.
23So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you,
24leave your gift there before the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift.
25Reconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
26Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.
WEB World English Bible 2000
21“You have heard that it was said to the ancient ones, ‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
22But I tell you that everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause will be in danger of the judgment. Whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca!’ will be in danger of the council. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna.
23“If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything 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.
25Agree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.
26Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there until you have paid the last penny.
KJV King James Version 1769
21Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22But 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.
23Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee;
24Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.
ASV American Standard Version 1901
21Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:
22but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire.
23If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee,
24leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.
YLT Young's Literal Translation 1898
21`Ye heard that it was said to the ancients: Thou shalt not kill, and whoever may kill shall be in danger of the judgment;
22but I--I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.
23`If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,
24leave there thy gift before the altar, and go--first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.
25`Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly, while thou art in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver thee to the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and to prison thou mayest be cast,
26verily I say to thee, thou mayest not come forth thence till that thou mayest pay the last farthing.
Darby Darby Bible 1890
21Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; but whosoever shall kill shall be subject to the judgment.
22But I say unto you, that every one that is lightly angry with his brother shall be subject to the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be subject to [be called before] the sanhedrim; but whosoever shall say, Fool, shall be subject to the penalty of the hell of fire.
23If therefore thou shouldest offer thy gift at the altar, and there shouldest remember that thy brother has something against thee,
24leave there thy gift before the altar, and first go, be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
25Make friends with thine adverse party quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him; lest some time the adverse party deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26Verily I say to thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence till thou hast paid the last farthing.
Douay-Rheims Douay-Rheims Bible 1899
21You have heard that it was said to them of old: Thou shalt not kill. And whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment.
22But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
23If therefore thou offer thy gift at the altar, and there thou remember that thy brother hath anything against thee;
24Leave there thy offering before the altar, and go first to be reconciled to thy brother, and then coming thou shalt offer thy gift.
25Be at agreement with thy adversary betimes, whilst thou art in the way with him: lest perhaps the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
26Amen I say to thee, thou shalt not go out from thence till thou repay the last farthing.
Verse in Context
Original Language (Koine Greek)
New Testament · Koine Greek · Matthew 5:21
Source: STEPBible TAGNT/TEHB (CC-BY 4.0). Click or tap a morphology code to see the full parsing.
Scholars' Consensus
Commentators across traditions agree that Jesus is not correcting the law of Moses itself but the narrow interpretation of the scribes and Pharisees, who limited the sixth commandment to the outward act of murder. Calvin argues that Christ's reply "is not opposed to the command of Moses … but to the interpretation usually put upon it by the scribes." Barnes and Wesley concur: the scribes taught that only the actual killing was punishable, so Jesus restores the commandment's full spiritual reach.
At the center of the passage is the emphatic "But I say to you", an authoritative formula, as Gill notes, "well suits with Christ, the great teacher and master in Israel." The Greek present participle orgizomenos ("being angry") describes a settled state, not a flash of temper. The phrase "without a cause" (εἰκῇ, eikē) appears in some manuscripts but is omitted in the most ancient ones, including Codex Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. The Cambridge Bible calls it an insertion "by a copyist desirous of softening the expression." Whether anger is ever justified, Jesus declares that the kind that leads to contempt, calling a brother Rhaka (Aramaic for "empty one") or Mōre ("fool"), makes a person liable to the highest judgment, the fire of Gehenna.
The second half of the passage (vv.23, 26) drives home the practical demand: reconciliation with a brother takes priority over worship at the altar. Matthew Henry writes, "God will not accept of any act of religious worship from us, while any enmity rests in our heart." The judicial imagery of the adversary, judge, officer and prison reinforces the urgency of making things right before the final verdict.
How settled is the interpretation?
Interpretive difficulty: Medium
Main views:
- Jesus corrects Jewish tradition, not the law: Calvin, Gill, and most Reformed commentaries argue from v.21 that the phrase “it was said to the ancients” refers to the oral tradition of the scribes, not Moses, and that Jesus restores the original intent of the law.
- Jesus supersedes the old law with a higher righteousness: Some readers (including some early Christian writers and modern pastoral commentators) emphasize the radical “But I say to you” as a new, kingdom-level ethic that surpasses the old commandment.
- Jesus forbids all anger (apart from the inserted “without a cause”): Based on the earliest manuscripts, which omit “without a cause,” this view holds that any anger that breaks fellowship makes a person liable to judgment, though it allows that not all anger is sinful (e.g., righteous anger at injustice) as a separate category.
What is clear: Jesus teaches that the sixth commandment reaches beyond the act of murder to the anger, contempt, and verbal abuse that precede it, and that reconciled relationships are essential to acceptable worship.
What Scholars Agree and Debate
| Topic | Agreed | Debated |
|---|---|---|
| Does Jesus correct the law or the misinterpretation? | All major traditions agree that Jesus upholds the authority of the commandment and does not abolish it. | Reformed and most evangelical commentators (Calvin, Gill, JFB) emphasize that Jesus corrects the scribal tradition, not Moses; some interpretive traditions (e.g., those emphasizing the radical newness of the kingdom) read the “But I say to you” as a supersession of the old law. |
| The meaning of Gehenna / hell fire | Christians agree that Gehenna symbolizes divine judgment for sin. | Some traditions interpret it as a literal place of eternal conscious torment; others (including some Orthodox voices) see it as a symbol of God’s refining or annihilating judgment; both appeal to Jesus' use of this vivid, local image. |
| The “without a cause” clause in verse 22 | The most ancient manuscripts omit the phrase, so textual criticism shows it was likely added later. | Many conservative commentators argue the phrase reflects Jesus’ original meaning (e.g., allowing righteous anger), while others hold that its absence in the oldest witnesses suggests that Jesus forbade all anger of this kind. |
| Reconciliation before worship | All Christians affirm that conflict with a brother affects one’s worship; reconciliation is a Christian duty. | Catholic teaching (following this passage) holds that one must be reconciled before receiving the Eucharist; while Protestant traditions generally see it as a moral prerequisite, they differ on whether it must be completed before the service or as a general disposition. |
Historical & Cultural Context
Jesus speaks to a people steeped in the law and its oral interpretation. By the first century, Jewish legal tradition had developed a detailed system of courts: the local "judgment" (κρίσις, krisis) of twenty-three men could sentence a criminal to death by stoning or strangling; the high council, the Sanhedrin (συνέδριον, sunedrion), handled the most serious cases. Vincent's Word Studies notes that the word "Gehenna" (γέεννα) derives from the Hebrew Ge-Hinnom, the Valley of Hinnom south of Jerusalem. Originally the site of child sacrifice to Molech under Ahaz, King Josiah desecrated it, and after that it became the city's refuse dump, where fire burned continuously and corpses of criminals were cast. Jesus uses this notorious place as a vivid symbol of divine judgment.
The reference to "offering your gift at the altar" calls to mind the Temple in Jerusalem, where worshipers brought animal or grain offerings to the priests. A person in a state of unresolved conflict would approach the altar thinking the external act of sacrifice could secure God's favor. Gill points out that Jewish teachers themselves required restitution before bringing a trespass offering. Jesus radicalizes that principle: even the memory of a brother's grievance demands immediate action, before the ritual continues.
The legal scene in verses 25, 26 mirrors actual Roman practice. The antidikos ("adversary") is a plaintiff in a lawsuit; the hypēretēs ("officer") is the court orderly, originally a rower on a galley, then any subordinate official who executes sentences. Clarke calls it a "perfect law term." The debtor who cannot pay the last kodrantēs (a small Roman coin worth about 3/8 of a cent) remains imprisoned indefinitely, a warning against delaying reconciliation. The imagery of prison as a consequence fits the larger theme: unresolved anger escalates toward final judgment.
Textual Notes
The main textual issue in this passage is the phrase “without a cause” (εἰκῇ, eikē) in verse 22. It appears in some Byzantine manuscripts and the King James tradition, but it is absent in the earliest and best witnesses, Codex Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and the original hand of Codex Bezae. The Cambridge Bible notes that it “has probably been inserted by a copyist desirous of softening the expression.” Most modern critical editions (Nestle-Aland, UBS) omit it. The rest of the passage is stable across the manuscript tradition; the consulted sources note no other significant variants.
Reception History
From the early church, this passage was used in catechesis on the commandments to teach that anger was a violation of the sixth commandment. Clement of Alexandria and John Chrysostom both used it to argue that internal sins are as real as external ones. In medieval theology, the passage informed the doctrine of mortal and venial sin: angry words could be venial, but contemptuous insults might be mortal. During the Reformation, Calvin and others stressed that Jesus was exposing Pharisaic hypocrisy, not correcting the law. In Catholic tradition, verse 24 became a key proof-text for the necessity of reconciliation before receiving the Eucharist, influencing the practice of the Penitential Rite before Mass. Protestant homiletics have often applied the passage to the priority of interpersonal peace over religious observance. More recently, it has been used in peacemaking ministries and restorative justice movements to ground conflict resolution in Jesus' own teaching.
Preaching This Verse
Three-point outline
- The commandment goes deeper than you thought. The sixth commandment forbids murder; Jesus forbids the anger that leads to it. The inner disposition matters to God as much as the outward action.
- Words can kill. Insults like “Raca” and “Fool” are not trivial. They carry the same spirit as murder and bring the offender under judgment, human court, Sanhedrin, or the fire of Gehenna.
- Worship waits for reconciliation. No gift at the altar is acceptable while a brother holds a grievance against you. The active pursuit of peace is a prerequisite for true worship.
Five-point outline
- The standard: “You shall not murder” (v.21). Jesus affirms the law but exposes how the tradition hollowed it out by focusing only on the overt act.
- The escalation: anger, insult, contempt (v.22). Each level, angry without cause, calling someone “Raca,” calling someone “Fool”, corresponds to an increasingly severe judgment, from local court to the fire of Gehenna.
- The interruption: your gift can wait (vv.23, 24). Worship is not an escape from relationships. If you remember a broken relationship, stop the offering and go be reconciled.
- The urgency: settle before it is too late (vv.25, 26). The courtroom scene teaches that delay in making things right leads to irreversible consequences, both human and divine.
- The gospel-shaped community. Jesus envisions a people whose righteousness exceeds the scribes’ by addressing the heart, prioritizing peace, and putting relationships at the center of worship.
Illustration hooks
- A church member who sits in the pew every Sunday nursing a grudge against a neighbor. He sings, prays, and takes Communion, but the anger is always there. What would it look like for him to leave his “gift at the altar” and go talk to that neighbor first?
- Two business partners who once trusted each other now communicate only through lawyers. They are both Christians. Their conflict has escalated from a disagreement to public slander. Where in this passage does their story land?
Questions your congregation is asking
- Is it ever okay to be angry? This passage says “angry without a cause”, does that mean there is a righteous anger?
- How do I reconcile with someone who does not want to be reconciled? If they refuse my attempt, did I still “offer my gift”?
- What if I am the brother who has something against someone else? Does the command to “leave your gift” apply to me even if I am the one offended?
Leading a Discussion
This passage takes us beyond a surface reading of the commandment “Do not murder.” Jesus shows that the root of murder, anger, contempt, and insult, is as serious as the act itself. He then insists that worship and reconciliation cannot be separated: God receives our offerings only when we have made things right with each other. As you discuss these verses, let the question sit with you: is there a relationship I have left unfinished?
Discussion questions
- Read Matthew 5:21, 22. How did the scribes interpret “Do not murder”? What does Jesus add that surprised you?
- The words “Raca” and “Fool” sound like mild insults. Why do you think Jesus warns so strongly about them? What does this say about how we speak to each other?
- Some manuscripts include the phrase “without a cause” in verse 22 (the oldest do not). How does that phrase change the meaning? Would excluding it make Jesus forbid all anger?
- In verses 23, 24, Jesus says to leave your gift at the altar and go be reconciled. What does this teach about the relationship between worship and human relationships?
- What do the escalating judgments, local court, Sanhedrin, Gehenna, tell us about the seriousness of anger and insults in God’s eyes?
- The adversary, judge, officer and prison in verses 25, 26 form a vivid picture. How does this illustration reinforce Jesus’ call to “agree quickly”?
- Think of a real situation where anger or a cutting word has damaged a relationship. What would it look like to apply verses 23, 24 to that situation this week?
Word Study
The key original-language words in this verse. Select any word for its full lexicon entry — meaning, every occurrence in Scripture, and related words.
Cross-References
Source: Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (TSK, public domain)
| Genesis 9:5 | I will surely require accounting for your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man. |
| Genesis 9:6 | Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image. |
| Exodus 20:13 | “You shall not murder. |
| Exodus 21:12 | “One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death, |
| Exodus 21:14 | If a man schemes and comes presumptuously on his neighbor to kill him, you shall take him from my altar, that he may die. |
| Numbers 35:12 | The cities shall be for your refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die until he stands before the congregation for judgment. |
| Numbers 35:16 | “‘But if he struck him with an instrument of iron, so that he died, he is a murderer. The murderer shall surely be put to death. |
| Numbers 35:21 | or in hostility struck him with his hand, so that he died, he who struck him shall surely be put to death. He is a murderer. The avenger of blood shall put the murderer to death when he meets him. |
Interlinear and lexical data from STEPBible (CC BY 4.0). Cross-reference data from OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0). Commentaries are public domain.
For personal reflection
Read the devotional page — prayer, application, and "for families"
What the Commentators Say
8 public-domain commentaries, condensed into plain language.
Adam Clarke's Commentary Methodist/Wesleyan 1826
Clarke questions whether capital punishment is justifiable for any crime besides murder, citing legal thinkers. He also argues that the phrase "without a cause" in verse 22 is likely a later addition, since many early manuscripts omit it. For him, true Christian worship requires a heart free from enmity, making reconciliation prerequisite to offering gifts.
Barnes' Notes on the Bible Protestant 1832
Barnes argues that Jesus treats anger, contempt, and abusive language as escalating violations of the commandment against murder by linking each to a distinct Jewish court: the local judgment, the Sanhedrin, and Gehenna fire. The point is that the law reaches internal attitudes, not just external acts, and that God will punish these sins by degrees in the afterlife.
Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges Anglican 1880
Cambridge Bible Schools notes the deliberate climax Jesus builds: anger felt, anger spoken, and insulting anger, each carrying a more severe judgment from the local court up to Gehenna. The commentator stresses that reconciliation with an offended brother must take priority even over worship, for God will not accept the gift until the heart is free from resentment.
Gill's Exposition of the Bible Baptist 1748
Gill shows that Jesus was correcting not the Mosaic law itself but later rabbinic traditions that limited "thou shalt not kill" to actual murder. He draws on Jewish sources to explain a three-step escalation: causeless anger brings divine judgment, calling someone "Raca" deserves the council's notice, and calling someone "fool" makes one liable to hell fire. For Gill, this passage teaches that even angry words violate the commandment, and reconciliation must come before worship.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary Protestant 1871
JFB insists Christ is not correcting Moses but the corrupt teachers who reduced the sixth commandment to a mere criminal law. Christ restores its spiritual depth, showing that causeless anger and contemptuous words already break it and bring divine judgment, with gradations of guilt.
Matthew Henry's Commentary Reformed/Presbyterian 1710
Henry argues that Christ does not add new commandments here but restores the original, spiritual meaning of the law against murder. This teaching exposes the corrupt glosses of the scribes by tracing the sin back to anger and contempt, showing that the command governs the heart as well as the hand.
Vincent's Word Studies Evangelical 1887
Vincent carefully distinguishes Gehenna, the valley of Hinnom that became Jerusalem's refuse dump and a symbol of final punishment, from Hades, which refers only to the realm of the dead without regard to moral state. He also traces the word for officer from its original meaning of a galley rower to its New Testament use for a minister of the gospel.
Wesley's Explanatory Notes Methodist/Wesleyan 1754
Wesley insists that Christ's command against anger is absolute, not softened by the phrase "without a cause." He argues that adding that phrase misses Jesus' point, because even the scribes taught that anger without cause was wrong. True righteousness forbids being angry at the person at all, only at the sin.