Matthew 5:38 (ASV)

Passage

Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, for thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Matthew 5:37 But let your speech be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: and whatsoever is more than these is of the evil [one].

Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

Matthew 5:39 but I say unto you, resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:40 And if any man would go to law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "said", and "tooth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 37's "But let your speech be Yea yea..." into verse 39's "but I say unto you resist not...", so "heard" and "said" 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 "heard" and "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.