Matthew 5:39 (DBY)

Passage

But *I* say unto you, not to resist evil; but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:37 But let your word be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; but what is more than these is from evil.

Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it has been said, Eye for eye and tooth for tooth.

Matthew 5:39 But *I* say unto you, not to resist evil; but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;

Matthew 5:40 and to him that would go to law with thee and take thy body coat, leave him thy cloak also.

Matthew 5:41 And whoever will compel thee to go one mile, go with him two.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "resist", "evil", "whoever", "shall", "strike", "thee", "right", and "cheek". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "resist" and "evil", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "Ye have heard that it has been..." into verse 40's "and to him that would go to...", so "resist" and "evil" 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 "resist" and "evil" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.