Matthew 5:38 (LSB)

Passage

“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:36 Nor shall you make an oath by your head, for you cannot make one hair white or black.

Matthew 5:37 But let your statement be, ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no’; anything beyond these is of the evil one.

Matthew 5:38 “You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth.’

Matthew 5:39 But I say to you, do not resist an evil person; but whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

Matthew 5:40 And if anyone wants to sue you and take your tunic, let him have your garment 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 statement be Yes yes..." into verse 39's "But I say to you do 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.