SEV Biblia, Chapter 5:25
Concíliate con tu adversario presto, entre tanto que ests con l en el camino; para que no acontezca que el adversario te entregue al juez, y el juez te entregue al alguacil, y seas echado en prisin.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Matthew 5:25
Verse 25. Agree with thine adversary quickly] Adversary, antidikov, properly a plaintiff in law-a perfect law term. Our Lord enforces the exhortation given in the preceding verses, from the consideration of what was deemed prudent in ordinary law-suits. In such cases, men should make up matters with the utmost speed, as running through the whole course of a law-suit must not only be vexatious, but be attended with great expense; and in the end, though the loser may be ruined, yet the gainer has nothing. A good use of this very prudential advice of our Lord is this: Thou art a sinner; God hath a controversy with thee. There is but a step between thee and death. Now is the accepted time. Thou art invited to return to God by Christ Jesus. Come immediately at his call, and he will save thy soul.
Delay not! Eternity is at hand; and if thou die in thy sins, where God is thou shalt never come.
Those who make the adversary, God; the judge, Christ; the officer, Death; and the prison, Hell, abuse the passage, and highly dishonour God.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 25. Agree with thine adversary quickly , etc.] These words are not to be understood in an allegorical sense, as if the adversary was the justice of God, demanding payment of debts; the way, this present life; the judge, God himself; the officer, the devil; the prison, the pit of hell; and the uttermost farthing, the least sin, which will never be remitted without satisfaction: but the design of them is to prevent lawsuits about debts, which may be in dispute; it being much better for debtor and creditor, especially the former, to compose such differences among themselves, than to litigate the matter in a court of judicature. By the adversary is meant not an enemy, one that bears hatred and ill will, but a brother that has ought against a man; a creditor, who demands and insists upon payment of what is owing to him; and for this purpose has taken methods towards bringing the debtor before a proper magistrate, in order to oblige him to payment: wherefore it is better for him to make up and agree the matter directly, as soon as possible, whilst thou art in the way with him ; that is, whilst the creditor and debtor are going together to some inferior magistrate, or lesser court, as the sanhedrim, which consisted of three persons only, before whom such causes might be tried: for hwlb twnwmm ynyd , pecuniary causes, or causes relating to money matters, were tried by the bench of three f297 : and the selfsame advice is given in the Talmud f298 , as here, where it seems to be a common proverb; for it is said, there are men that say, or men usually say, [mtya bbd l[bl jrwa bga , whilst thou art in the way with thine adversary, be obedient. Lest at any time the adversary should deliver thee to the judge , a superior magistrate in a higher court; for if the creditor would, he could oblige the debtor to go with him to the supreme court of judicature, and try the cause there; for so say the Jewish f299 ; canons: if the creditor says we will go to the great sanhedrim, they compel the debtor, and he goes up with them, as it is said, the borrower is servant to the lender, where it might go harder with the poor debtor; and therefore it was advisable to prevent it by an agreement, lest the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. It was an affirmative command in the law, says Maimonides, to appoint judges and officers in every country and province, as it is said, ( Deuteronomy 16:18). yjpw , judges they are the judges that are fixed in the sanhedrim, and such that engage in law suits come before them: yrjw , officers; these are the masters of the rod and scourge, i.e. who beat and scourge delinquents; and these stand before the judges and all they do, is by the order of the judges.
Now it is one of these that is meant by the officer; in Munsters Hebrew Gospel, he is called rjw ; who, when he had authority from the judge, could cast into prison, and that for debt; of which we have no account in the law of Moses.
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
ισθι 2468 5749 V-PXM-2S ευνοων 2132 5723 V-PAP-NSM τω 3588 T-DSM αντιδικω 476 N-DSM σου 4675 P-2GS ταχυ 5035 ADV εως 2193 CONJ οτου 3755 R-GSN-ATT ει 1488 5748 V-PXI-2S εν 1722 PREP τη 3588 T-DSF οδω 3598 N-DSF μετ 3326 PREP αυτου 846 P-GSM μηποτε 3379 ADV σε 4571 P-2AS παραδω 3860 5632 V-2AAS-3S ο 3588 T-NSM αντιδικος 476 N-NSM τω 3588 T-DSM κριτη 2923 N-DSM και 2532 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM κριτης 2923 N-NSM σε 4571 P-2AS παραδω 3860 5632 V-2AAS-3S τω 3588 T-DSM υπηρετη 5257 N-DSM και 2532 CONJ εις 1519 PREP φυλακην 5438 N-ASF βληθηση 906 5701 V-FPI-2S
Vincent's NT Word Studies
25. Agree with (isqi eunown). Lit., be well-minded towards; inclined to satisfy by paying or compromising. Wyc., Be thou consenting to.Officer (uphreth). Denoting a subordinate official, as a herald or an orderly, and in this sense applied to Mark as the "minister" or attendant of Paul and Barnabas (Acts xiii. 5). It furnishes an interesting instance of the expansion of a word from a limited and special meaning into a more general one; and also of the influence of the Gospel in lifting words into higher and purer associations. Formed with the verb ejressw, to row, it originally signified a rower, as distinguished from a soldier, in a war-galley. This word for a galley-slave comes at last, in the hands of Luke and Paul, to stand for the noblest of all offices, that of a minister of the Lord Jesus (Luke i. 2; Acts xxvi. 16; 1 Cor. iv. 1).
Robertson's NT Word Studies
5:25 {Agree with} (isthi euno"n). A present periphrastic active imperative. The verb is from eunoos (friendly, kindly disposed). "Mak up wi' yere enemy" (_Braid Scots_). Compromise is better than prison where no principle is involved, but only personal interest. It is so easy to see principle where pride is involved. {The officer} (twi huperetei). this word means "under rower" on the ship with several ranks of rowers, the bottom rower (hupo under and ress", to row), the galley-slave, qen any servant, the attendant in the synagogue (#Lu 4:20). Luke so describes John Mark in his relation to Barnabas and Saul (#Ac 13:5). qen it is applied to the "ministers of the word" (#Lu 1:2).
