Matthew 5:17 (KJV)

Passage

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Matthew 5:17 Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.

Matthew 5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Matthew 5:19 Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "think", "come", "destroy", "prophets", and "fulfil". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "think" and "come", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "Let your light so shine before men..." into verse 18's "For verily I say unto you Till...", so "think" and "come" 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 "think" and "come" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.