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:
Parallel translations
- WEB “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.’
- 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 5:17Thou shalt not kill.
- Exod 20:13Thou shalt not kill.
- Num 35:30–34Whoso killeth any person, the murderer shall be put to death by the mouth of witnesses: but one witness shall not testify against any person to cause him to die.
- Exod 21:12–14He that smiteth a man, so that he die, shall be surely put to death.
- Num 35:16–21And if he smite him with an instrument of iron, so that he die, he is a murderer: the murderer shall surely be put to death.
- Deut 21:7–9And they shall answer and say, Our hands have not shed this blood, neither have our eyes seen it.
- Num 35:12And they shall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger; that the manslayer die not, until he stand before the congregation in judgment.
- Gen 9:5–6And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.
- Matt 5:33Again, ye have heard that it hath been said by them of old time, Thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths:
- Matt 5:38Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
- Matt 5:27Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery:
- Job 8:8–10For enquire, I pray thee, of the former age, and prepare thyself to the search of their fathers:
- Matt 5:43Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy.
- 1 Kgs 2:5–6Moreover thou knowest also what Joab the son of Zeruiah did to me, and what he did to the two captains of the hosts of Israel, unto Abner the son of Ner, and unto Amasa the son of Jether, whom he slew, and shed the blood of war in peace, and put the blood of war upon his girdle that was about his loins, and in his shoes that were on his feet.
- Deut 16:18Judges and officers shalt thou make thee in all thy gates, which the LORD thy God giveth thee, throughout thy tribes: and they shall judge the people with just judgment.
- 1 Kgs 2:31–32And the king said unto him, Do as he hath said, and fall upon him, and bury him; that thou mayest take away the innocent blood, which Joab shed, from me, and from the house of my father.
- 2 Sam 20:18Then she spake, saying, They were wont to speak in old time, saying, They shall surely ask counsel at Abel: and so they ended the matter.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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.