Matthew 5:24 (YLT)

Passage

leave there thy gift before the altar, and go--first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:22 but I--I say to you, that every one who is angry at his brother without cause, shall be in danger of the judgment, and whoever may say to his brother, Empty fellow! shall be in danger of the sanhedrim, and whoever may say, Rebel! shall be in danger of the gehenna of the fire.

Matthew 5:23 `If, therefore, thou mayest bring thy gift to the altar, and there mayest remember that thy brother hath anything against thee,

Matthew 5:24 leave there thy gift before the altar, and go--first be reconciled to thy brother, and then having come bring thy gift.

Matthew 5:25 `Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly, while thou art in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver thee to the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and to prison thou mayest be cast,

Matthew 5:26 verily I say to thee, thou mayest not come forth thence till that thou mayest pay the last farthing.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "leave", "gift", "before", "altar", "go--first", "reconciled", "brother", and "having". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "leave" and "gift", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 23's "If therefore thou mayest bring thy gift..." into verse 25's "Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly while...", so "leave" and "gift" 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 "leave" and "gift" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.