Matthew 5:38 (YLT)

Passage

`Ye heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth;

Nearby Context

Matthew 5:36 nor by thy head mayest thou swear, because thou art not able one hair to make white or black;

Matthew 5:37 but let your word be, Yes, Yes, No, No, and that which is more than these is of the evil.

Matthew 5:38 `Ye heard that it was said: Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth;

Matthew 5:39 but I--I say to you, not to resist the evil, but whoever shall slap thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;

Matthew 5:40 and whoever is willing to take thee to law, and thy coat to take--suffer to him also the cloak.

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 word be Yes Yes..." into verse 39's "but I--I say to you not to...", 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.