Matthew 5:37 (GNV)

Passage

But let your communication be Yea, yea: Nay, nay. For whatsoeuer is more then these, commeth of euill.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:35 Nor yet by the earth: for it is his footestoole: neither by Hierusalem: for it is the citie of the great King.

Matthew 5:36 Neither shalt thou sweare by thine head, because thou canst not make one heare white or blacke.

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be Yea, yea: Nay, nay. For whatsoeuer is more then these, commeth of euill.

Matthew 5:38 Ye haue heard that it hath bene sayd, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.

Matthew 5:39 But I say vnto you, Resist not euill: but whosoeuer shall smite thee on thy right cheeke, turne to him the other also.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 36's "Neither shalt thou sweare by thine head..." into verse 38's "Ye haue heard that it hath bene...", so "communication" and "whatsoeuer" 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 "communication" and "whatsoeuer" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.