“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.’
Parallel translations
- KJV Ye 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:
- BSB You have heard that it was said to the ancients, ‘Do not murder’ and ‘Anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’
- NKJV “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder, and whoever murders will be in danger of the judgment.’
- NASB “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘You shall not murder,’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be answerable to the court.’
- NLT “You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.’
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus recalls the command against murder and its judgment. It begins His exposition of the Law's true, heart-level intent.
Overview
Quoting the sixth commandment and its penalty, Jesus prepares to show that the command reaches further than outward acts. This is the first of several contrasts where He sets the Law's deeper meaning against shallow or distorted readings. He speaks with divine authority as the Law's rightful interpreter.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Deut 5:17“You shall not murder.
- Exod 20:13“You shall not murder.
- Num 35:30–34“‘Whoever kills any person, the murderer shall be slain at the mouth of witnesses; but one witness shall not testify against any person that he die.
- Exod 21:12–14“One who strikes a man so that he dies shall surely be put to death,
- Num 35:16–21“‘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.
- Deut 21:7–9They shall answer and say, “Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
- Num 35:12The cities shall be to you for refuge from the avenger, that the man slayer not die, until he stands before the congregation for judgment.
- Gen 9:5–6I will surely require your blood of your lives; 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.
- Matt 5:33“Again you have heard that it was said to them of old time, ‘You shall not make false vows, but shall perform to the Lord your vows,’
- Matt 5:38“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’
- Matt 5:27“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery;’
- Job 8:8–10“Please inquire of past generations. Find out about the learning of their fathers.
- Matt 5:43“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’
- 1 Kgs 2:5–6“Moreover you know also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, even what he did to the two captains of the armies of Israel, to Abner the son of Ner, and to Amasa the son of Jether, whom he killed, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war on his sash that was around his waist, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
- Deut 16:18You shall make judges and officers in all your gates, which Yahweh your God gives you, according to your tribes; and they shall judge the people with righteous judgment.
- 1 Kgs 2:31–32The king said to him, “Do as he has said, and fall on him, and bury him; that you may take away the blood, which Joab shed without cause, from me and from my father’s house.
- 2 Sam 20:18Then she spoke, saying, “They used to say in old times, ‘They shall surely ask counsel at Abel;’ and so they settled a matter.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Matthew presents Jesus as the promised King — son of David, son of Abraham — the new Moses and true Israel in whom every prophecy reaches 'that it might be fulfilled.'
How Matthew 5:21 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.