if someone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well;
Parallel translations
- WEB If anyone sues you to take away your coat, let him have your cloak also.
- KJV And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.
- NKJV If anyone wants to sue you and take away your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
- NASB And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak also.
- NLT If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too.
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
If someone sues for your tunic, give your cloak as well. It calls for surrendering personal rights rather than insisting on them.
Overview
Jesus illustrates a willingness to yield even more than is demanded, refusing to cling to one's rights in petty disputes. Such open-handed generosity reflects a heart freed from self-interest and trusting in God. It embodies the self-giving love modeled and made possible by Christ.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 2
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 5:40 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.