Matthew 5:38 (KJV)

Passage

Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:36 Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair white or black.

Matthew 5:37 But let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.

Matthew 5:38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:

Matthew 5:39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.

Matthew 5:40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloak also.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "heard", "hath", "been", "said", and "tooth". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "heard" and "hath", 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 unto you That ye...", so "heard" and "hath" 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 "hath" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.