Matthew 5:38-42
This page isn't yet indexed by search engines.
Jesus quotes a legal principle meant for judges to limit punishment, but the religious leaders had twisted it into a justification for personal revenge. The key here isn't that "an eye for an eye" was inherently wrong, but that its application had become corrupted from public justice to private vengeance.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well. And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to the one who begs from you, and do not refuse the one who would borrow from you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is in the midst of delivering His most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, where He's redefining what it truly means to live by God's kingdom standards. He's just finished addressing murder and adultery, and now He turns to the principle of retaliation, quoting a well-known legal principle found in the Old Testament law. The surrounding verses will reveal how Jesus contrasts this legal principle, as it was often misused, with a radical call to non-retaliation and active love for enemies.
Jesus quotes an ancient law about justice, but it wasn't what most people thought. Discover its true purpose and how it was twisted.
The phrase 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth' comes from laws given in the Old Testament (Exodus 21:24, Leviticus 24:20).
The Original Intent
The Distortion
Jesus addresses a common misunderstanding where this law was wrongly applied to private life. People used it as a justification for personal revenge, claiming they were simply 'returning like for like.' This twisted a principle of justice into a license for unchecked anger and retaliation.
Ask a follow-up
Did Jesus want to abolish the law? Or was he correcting a dangerous mistake people were making?
Jesus wasn't cancelling God's law; he was correcting its misapplication. The Scribes and Pharisees had wrongly interpreted the 'eye for an eye' principle.
Shifting the Arena
Understand the original words
ophthalmos · Greek Noun
The organ of physical sight, frequently used in biblical imagery to represent spiritual perception, desire, or the legal principle of proportional retribution (lex talionis).
odous · Greek Noun
A part of the body used in legal contexts within the Old Testament law to illustrate the principle of equivalent justice and fair compensation for injuries.
anthistēmi · Greek Verb
To set oneself against, withstand, or oppose. In a legal or personal sense, it refers to standing against an adversary or taking up a defensive position.
rhapizō · Greek Verb
To strike with the palm of the hand. Culturally, this was often an act of personal insult, social shaming, or contempt rather than an attempt to cause severe physical injury.
siagōn · Greek Noun
Part of the face; being struck on the cheek in the ancient world was a profound symbol of public humiliation and the loss of personal honor.
krinō · Greek Verb (Passive in context)
To go to law, bring a legal action, or seek a judicial decision. It involves the process of reaching a verdict or settling a dispute through an authority figure.
chitōn · Greek Noun
An inner garment worn next to the skin, similar to a shirt or tunic. It was a basic component of daily attire in the ancient Near East.
himation · Greek Noun
The outer garment or robe, which served as protection from the elements and a blanket at night. Mosaic law protected the cloak as an essential possession that could not be kept as a pledge overnight.
aggareuō · Greek Verb
To press into service or compel by legal or military authority. In the biblical world, this often referred to the right of Roman soldiers to conscript civilians for labor.
milion · Greek Noun
A Roman measure of distance equal to one thousand paces (approx. 4,854 feet). It represents the legal limit a person could be forced to carry a soldier's gear.
aiteō · Greek Verb
To ask for something, usually out of need or dependency. It is used both for those asking for charity and for believers presenting requests to God in prayer.
apostrephō · Greek Verb
To turn away or reject a request. Biblically, it often carries the connotation of turning one's back on a person in need or turning away from divine truth.
daneizō · Greek Verb
To receive something on loan with the intent to return it. Biblical law provides specific guidelines for lending and borrowing, emphasizing mercy and the prohibition of usury among brothers.
c. 1446 BC
Law Given at Sinai
God gives the Mosaic Law, which includes statutes like 'eye for an eye' (Exodus 21:24), intended to regulate justice and limit retribution to proportionate penalties.
c. 900 BC
Proverbs Warns Against Retaliation
The book of Proverbs cautions against seeking personal revenge, stating, 'Do not say, “I will repay evil”; wait for the Lord, and he will deliver you' (Proverbs 24:29). This shows a tension already existed between legal precedent and personal conduct.
c. 586 BC
Babylonian Exile
The destruction of Jerusalem and the exile of many Judeans marked a period of national crisis. This context often heightened introspection and a desire for divine justice, potentially influencing interpretations of the Law.
c. 20 BC - AD 30
Pharisaic Interpretation Flourishes
During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees and scribes were influential interpreters of the Law. Their teachings often emphasized strict adherence to the letter of the Law, sometimes leading to rigid and misapplied rules in daily life.
c. AD 30-33— this verse
Jesus Preaches the Sermon on the Mount
Jesus delivers his teachings, including the Beatitudes and this passage from Matthew 5. He confronts the common understanding of the Law, challenging the misuse of 'eye for an eye' for personal revenge and calling for radical non-retaliation and love.
This is the original Old Testament passage that the phrase 'an eye for an eye' comes from, showing its initial context as a judicial principle for magistrates, not private revenge.
Leviticus 19:18This passage calls for love for one's neighbor and explicitly states, 'You shall not take vengeance...'. It contrasts sharply with the misuse of the 'eye for an eye' principle for personal retaliation.
Romans 12:17Paul echoes Jesus' teaching by saying, 'Repay no one evil for evil,' directly addressing the same principle of not returning harm for harm that Jesus introduces here.
1 Corinthians 6:7This passage addresses believers going to court against one another and asks, 'Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather let yourselves be defrauded?'. It powerfully illustrates the spirit of concession Jesus is calling for, moving beyond mere legal retaliation.
clarkeMatthew 5:38: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:"
An eye for an eye - Our Lord refers here to the law of retaliation mentioned See Exodus 21:24 , (see the note there, and see Leviticus 24:20 (note)), which obliged the offender to suffer the same injury he had committed. The Greeks and Romans had the same law. So strictly was it attended to at Athens, that if a man put out the eye of another who had but one, the offender was condemned to lose both…
calvinMatthew 5:38-41: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:"
You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. 39. But I say to you, Do not resist evil: but whoever, shall inflict a blow on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also: 40. And to him who wishes to enter into a law-suit with thee, and to take away thy coat, allow him thy cloak also: 41. And whoever shall constrain thee to one mile, go with him two.
To him…
Jesus quotes a legal principle meant for judges to limit punishment, but the religious leaders had twisted it into a justification for personal revenge. The key here isn't that "an eye for an eye" was inherently wrong, but that its application had become corrupted from public justice to private vengeance.
Jesus is in the midst of delivering His most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, where He's redefining what it truly means to live by God's kingdom standards. He's just finished addressing murder and adultery, and now He turns to the principle of retaliation, quoting a well-known legal principle found in the Old Testament law. The surrounding verses will reveal how Jesus contrasts this legal principle, as it was often misused, with a radical call to non-retaliation and active love for enemies.
Jesus is in the midst of delivering His most famous sermon, the Sermon on the Mount, where He's redefining what it truly means to live by God's kingdom standards. He's just finished addressing murder and adultery, and now He turns to the principle of retaliation, quoting a well-known legal principle found in the Old Testament law. The surrounding verses will reveal how Jesus contrasts this legal principle, as it was often misused, with a radical call to non-retaliation and active love for enemies.
"“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and tak…" — Jesus quotes a legal principle meant for judges to limit punishment, but the religious leaders had twisted it into a justification for personal revenge. The key here isn't that "an eye for an eye" wa…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
