Matthew 5:23 (ASV)

Passage

If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee,

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said to them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment:

Matthew 5:22 but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire.

Matthew 5:23 If therefore thou art offering thy gift at the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath aught against thee,

Matthew 5:24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way, first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

Matthew 5:25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "thou", "offering", "gift", "altar", "rememberest", "brother", and "hath". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 22's "but I say unto you that every..." into verse 24's "leave there thy gift before the altar...", so "therefore" and "thou" belong inside that flow. In Matthew context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "therefore" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.