Matthew 5:38 (GNV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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.

Matthew 5:40 And if any man wil sue thee at the law, and take away thy coate, let him haue thy cloke also.

Study Lenses

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

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