Matthew 5:20 (DBY)

Passage

For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness surpass [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Until the heaven and the earth pass away, one iota or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law till all come to pass.

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever then shall do away with one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of the heavens; but whosoever shall practise and teach [them], *he* shall be called great in the kingdom of the heavens.

Matthew 5:20 For I say unto you, that unless your righteousness surpass [that] of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of the heavens.

Matthew 5:21 Ye have heard that it was said to the ancients, Thou shalt not kill; but whosoever shall kill shall be subject to the judgment.

Matthew 5:22 But *I* say unto you, that every one that is lightly angry with his brother shall be subject to the judgment; but whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be subject to [be called before] the sanhedrim; but whosoever shall say, Fool, shall be subject to the penalty of the hell of fire.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "unless", "righteousness", "surpass", "scribes", "pharisees", "shall", "wise", and "enter". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "unless" and "righteousness", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "Whosoever then shall do away with one..." into verse 21's "Ye have heard that it was said...", so "unless" and "righteousness" 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 "unless" and "righteousness" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.