SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:21
¶ Oísteis que fue dicho a los antiguos: No matars; y cualquiera que matare, ser culpado del juicio.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:21
Verse 21. Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time] toiv arcaioiv, to or by the ancients. By the ancients, we may understand those who lived before the law, and those who lived under it; for murder was, in the most solemn manner, forbidden before, as well as under, the law, Gen. ix. 5, 6. But it is very likely that our Lord refers here merely to traditions and glosses relative to the ancient Mosaic ordinance; and such as, by their operation, rendered the primitive command of little or no effect. Murder from the beginning has been punished with death; and it is, probably, the only crime that should be punished with death. There is much reason to doubt, whether the punishment of death, inflicted for any other crime, is not in itself murder, whatever the authority may be that has instituted it.
GOD, and the greatest legislators that have ever been in the universe, are of the same opinion. See Montesquieu, Blackstone, and the Marquis Beccaria, and the arguments and testimonies lately produced by Sir Samuel Romilly, in his motion for the amendment of the criminal laws of this kingdom. It is very remarkable, that the criminal code published by Joseph II., late emperor of Germany, though it consists of seventy-one capital crimes, has not death attached to any of them. Even murder, with all intention to rob, is punished only with "imprisonment for thirty years, to lie on the floor, to have no nourishment but bread and water, to be closely chained, and to be publicly whipped once a year, with less than one hundred lashes." See Colquhoun on the Police of the City of London, p. 272.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 21. Ye have heard , etc.] That is, from the Scriptures being read to them, and the explanations of the ancients, which were called at[m , hearing, being read in the schools, and heard by the scholars f280 ; so that to hear, was along with the recital of the text, to receive by tradition, the sense the elders had given of it: of this kind is the instance produced by Christ. Thus Onkelos, and Jonathan ben Uzziel, render the phrase, him shall ye hear, in ( Deuteronomy 18:15) by ylbqt hynm , from him shall ye receive; so those phrases f281 , h[wmh ypm wdml , they learn from hearing, or by report from others; and h[wmh ypm wrma they speak from hearing, or from what they have heard, are often used for receiving and reporting things as they have them by tradition. That it was said, or it hath been said; this is also a Talmudic form of expression; often is this phrase to be met with in the Talmud, rmatya , it has been said f282 ; that is, by the ancient doctors, as here, by them of old time, or to the ancients, ynwmdql so in Munsters Hebrew Gospel; not to the Israelites in the time of Moses, but to the ancestors of the Jews, since the times of Ezra; by the elders, who were contemporary with them; and who by their false glosses corrupted the law, when they recited any part of it to the people; or by the ancients, the ancient doctors and commentators, which preceded the times of Christ, whom the Jews often call wnynwmdq , our ancients f283 . Now, upon that law, thou shalt not kill, they put this gloss, or added this by way of interpretation, and whosoever shall kill, shall be in danger of the judgment ; which they understood only of actual murder, either committed in their own persons, or by the means of others. Their rules for the judgment of such persons were these; everyone that kills his neighbour with his hand; as if he strikes him with a sword, or with a stone that kills him; or strangles him till he die; or burns him in fire; seeing he kills him in any manner, in his own person, lo! such an one must be put to death yd tybb , by the house of judgment, or the sanhedrim f284 .
Not that which consisted of three persons only, but either that which consisted of twenty three, or the supreme one, which was made up of seventy one; which two last had only power of judging capital offences.
Again, if a man hires a murderer to kill his neighbour, or sends his servants, and they kill him, or binds him, and leaves him before a lion, or the like, and the beast kills him, everyone of these is a shedder of blood; and the sin of slaughter is in his hand; and he is guilty of death by the hand of heaven, i.e. God; but he is not to be put to death by the house of judgment, or the sanhedrim f285 .
A little after, it is said, their judgment is delivered to heaven, i.e. to God; and this seems to be the sense of the word judgment here, namely, the judgment of God, or death by the hand of God; since it is manifestly distinguished from the council, or sanhedrim, in the next verse. The phrase, in danger of judgment , is the same with yd byyj , guilty of judgment, or deserves condemnation.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 21-26 - The Jewish teachers had taught, that nothing except actual murder wa forbidden by the sixth commandment. Thus they explained away it spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full meaning of this commandment according to which we must be judged hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. All rash anger is heart murder. By our brother, here, we are to understand any person, though ever so much below us, for we ar all made of one blood. "Raca," is a scornful word, and comes from pride: "Thou fool," is a spiteful word, and comes from hatred Malicious slanders and censures are poison that kills secretly an slowly. Christ told them that how light soever they made of these sins they would certainly be called into judgment for them. We ough carefully to preserve Christian love and peace with all our brethren and if at any time there is a quarrel, we should confess our fault humble ourselves to our brother, making or offering satisfaction for wrong done in word or deed: and we should do this quickly; because till this is done, we are unfit for communion with God in holy ordinances. And when we are preparing for any religious exercises, it is good for us to make that an occasion of serious reflection an self-examination. What is here said is very applicable to our being reconciled to God through Christ. While we are alive, we are in the way to his judgement-seat; after death, it will be too late. When we consider the importance of the case, and the uncertainty of life, ho needful it is to seek peace with God, without delay!
Greek Textus Receptus
ηκουσατε 191 5656 V-AAI-2P οτι 3754 CONJ ερρεθη 4483 5681 V-API-3S τοις 3588 T-DPM αρχαιοις 744 A-DPM ου 3756 PRT-N φονευσεις 5407 5692 V-FAI-2S ος 3739 R-NSM δ 1161 CONJ αν 302 PRT φονευση 5407 5661 V-AAS-3S ενοχος 1777 A-NSM εσται 2071 5704 V-FXI-3S τη 3588 T-DSF κρισει 2920 N-DSF
