Matthew 5:22 - An Understandable Version (2005 edition)

²² But I say to you that every person who is angry toward his brother will be subject to judgment; and whoever calls his brother ‘stupid idiot’ is subject to [being sentenced by] the [Jewish] Council, and whoever says, ‘go to hell’ is subject to going to the fire of hell [himself].

More versions

King James Version (Oxford) 1769

²² but I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Amplified Bible - Classic Edition

²² But I say to you that everyone who continues to be angry with his brother or harbors malice (enmity of heart) against him shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the court; and whoever speaks contemptuously and insultingly to his brother shall be liable to and unable to escape the punishment imposed by the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, You cursed fool! [You empty-headed idiot!] shall be liable to and unable to escape the hell (Gehenna) of fire.

American Standard Version (1901)

²² but I say unto you, that every one who is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council; and whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of the hell of fire.

Common English Bible

²² But I say to you that everyone who is angry with their brother or sister will be in danger of judgment. If they say to their brother or sister, ‘You idiot,’ they will be in danger of being condemned by the governing council. And if they say, ‘You fool,’ they will be in danger of fiery hell.

Catholic Public Domain Version

²² But I say to you, that anyone who becomes angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. But whoever will have called his brother, 'Idiot,' shall be liable to the council. Then, whoever will have called him, 'Worthless,' shall be liable to the fires of Hell.

Douay-Rheims version of The Bible - 1752 version

²² But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be in danger of the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou Fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.

Matthew 5:22 Cross References

Matthew 10:17

But, watch out for people, for they will turn you over to the [Jewish] councils [for judgment] and will have you flogged in their synagogues.

Matthew 10:28

And do not be afraid of those who can kill your body but not your soul. Instead, fear Him [i.e., God] who is able to destroy both your soul and body in hell. [See note on 5:29].

Matthew 12:24

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man does not drive out evil spirits except by [the power of] Beelzebub, the chief of evil spirits.”

Matthew 17:5

While he was still talking, suddenly a bright cloud engulfed them. Just then, a voice spoke out of the cloud, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son, who is very pleasing to me; listen to Him.”

Matthew 18:21

Then Peter came and said to Jesus, “Lord, how often must I forgive my brother when he sins against me? As many as seven times?”

Matthew 18:35

In the same way my heavenly Father will also deal with you [i.e., punish you] unless every one of you forgives his brother from the heart.”

Matthew 23:15

“It is too bad for you hypocritical experts in the Law of Moses and [you] Pharisees! For you travel over land and sea [in hope of] making one person a proselyte [i.e., a convert to the Jewish religion]. And when you do convert one, you make him twice as deserving of hell as yourselves.

Matthew 23:33

You snakes! You children of snakes! How do you expect to escape being judged [and condemned] in hell?

Matthew 25:41

Then He [i.e., the King] will say to those at His left side, ‘Go away from me, you who are cursed [by God], into the never ending fire which is prepared for the devil and his angels.

Matthew 26:59

Now the leading priests and the entire Council [called “the Sanhedrin”] looked for false witnesses [to testify] against Jesus, in order to put Him to death.

Matthew 3:17

Then a voice came out of heaven, saying, “This is my dearly loved Son. I am very pleased with Him.”

Matthew 5:34

But I say to you, do not take any oath, [saying] ‘by heaven,’ for it is God’s throne;

Matthew 5:44

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

Mark 14:55

Now the leading priests and the entire Council [called the “Sanhedrin”] were looking for [false] witnesses to testify against Jesus in order to put Him to death, but did not find any.

Mark 15:1

As soon as it was morning the leading priests, along with the [Jewish] elders and experts in the Law of Moses and the entire Council, held a conference. Then they tied Jesus up, led Him away and turned Him over to Pilate [the Roman governor].

Luke 12:5

But I am warning you about whom you should fear. Fear the One [i.e., God] who, after He has killed [i.e., the body], has power to throw [you] into hell [See note on Matt. 5:29]. Yes, I tell you, fear Him.

Luke 22:66

And when it became daylight, the body of [Jewish] elders of the people, [consisting of] both leading priests and experts in the Law of Moses, was gathered together. Then they led Jesus away to their Council [called the “Sanhedrin”], and asked Him,

John 11:47

So, the leading priests and the Pharisees assembled the Council [Note: This was the Jewish governing body called “the Sanhedrin”] and said, “What should we do, for this man is performing many [miraculous] signs?

John 15:25

“But the Helper will come, that is, the Holy Spirit of truth [i.e., who reveals truth]. He comes from the Father and I will send Him to you from the Father. [When He comes] He will give testimony about me.

John 7:20

[Someone from] the crowd answered, “You have an evil spirit [in you]; who is trying to kill you?”

John 8:48

The Jews answered and said to Jesus, “Were we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan [See note on 4:9], and are dominated by an evil spirit?”

Acts 17:18

Also certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers approached him for discussion. Some asked, “What will this know-it-all have to say?” Others said, “He seems to be advocating [a belief in] some different gods.” [They said this] because he was proclaiming Jesus and the resurrection [of the dead].

Acts 22:30

But the next day the commander released Paul [from the chains] because he wanted to know what specific charges the Jews had against him. So, he ordered the leading priests and the entire [Jewish] Council to assemble, then brought Paul down and placed him in front of them.

Acts 23:1

Paul [then] looked intently at the Council [i.e., the Jewish Supreme Court called the “Sanhedrin”] and spoke [in his defense]: “Brothers, I have lived before God with a good conscience all my life.”

Acts 24:20

Or let these men themselves [i.e., members of the Sanhedrin] testify what they found wrong with me when I stood before their Council [meeting].

Acts 4:15

But when the Council [of Jewish leaders] made Peter and John leave [the meeting], they discussed the matter among themselves,

Acts 5:21

And when the apostles heard this, they entered the Temple about dawn and began teaching [about Jesus]. [A little later] the head priest and the Sadducees [see verse 17] called the Council [i.e., the Sanhedrin] and all of the ruling body of Jewish leaders together and sent to the jail to have the apostles brought in to them [for further questioning].

Acts 5:27

And so they brought them in [to their headquarters] to appear before the Council [for questioning]. The head priest spoke to them, [saying],

Acts 6:12

And they stirred up the people, the elders and the teachers of the Law of Moses and searched for him, seized him and brought him before the Council.

Acts 6:15

Then, as all the Council members stared at Stephen, his face appeared to them like an angel’s.

Acts 7:37

“This is the Moses who had said to the Israelites [Deut. 18:15], ‘God will raise up a prophet from among your countrymen who will be like me [in some ways].’

Romans 12:10

In your love for your brothers, show tender affection toward one another. Try to outdo one another in showing respect [for each other].

1 Corinthians 6:10

And neither will thieves, nor greedy people, nor drunkards, nor abusive talkers, nor swindlers possess God’s kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:6

But [instead], a brother goes to court against his brother, and that in front of an unbelieving [judge]!

1 Thessalonians 4:6

And none of you should violate and exploit his brother [or sister] in such a matter. For the Lord will punish people for all these things, just as we told you before and warned you.

Titus 3:2

to slander no one, to be peaceful, to be considerate [or, “gentle”] and to show every courtesy to all people.

Hebrews 12:25

Pay careful attention so that you do not refuse [to hear] God when He speaks to you. [See verse 9]. For if those people [i.e., the Israelites] did not escape [judgment] when they refused [to hear] Him who warned them on earth [i.e., God speaking through Moses at Mount Sinai], how much less [likely] will we escape [judgment] if we reject Him who warns from heaven [i.e., Christ]?

Hebrews 5:9

and after becoming perfectly [qualified], He became the source of never ending salvation to all those who obey Him.

James 2:20

But will you acknowledge, you foolish person, that faith without [good] deeds is useless?

James 3:6

And the tongue is [like] a fire [i.e., like that spark]. [For] the tongue, as a part of the body, is [like] the world of evil. It corrupts the entire life [of a person] and inflames the course of nature itself [i.e., it affects a person throughout his whole earthly existence], and is ignited by hell itself [i.e., the evil produced by the fiery tongue has hell as its source and destiny].

1 Peter 2:23

When He was spoken to with harsh insults, He did not reply in the same way. When He was made to suffer, He did not threaten [His tormentors], but instead entrusted Himself to God, [whom He knew] would make a righteous judgment [in the matter].

1 Peter 3:9

Do not repay a wrong action with [another] wrong action, nor abusive [language] with [additional] abuse, but rather be a blessing [to one another]. For the purpose of your being called [by God] was so that you could receive a blessing [from Him eventually].

1 John 2:9

The person who claims to be living in [harmony with] the light [i.e., by obeying God’s truth], and [yet] hates his brother is still [living] in the darkness [of sin].

1 John 3:10

Here is how the children of God and the children of the devil can be recognized: All those who do not continue to do what is right do not belong to God. Also, the person who does not continue to love his brother [or sister does not belong to God].

1 John 5:16

If anyone [of you] observes his brother [or sister] sinning [in a way that would not lead] to [spiritual] death, he should ask [God, in prayer, to help that person], and God will give him [spiritual] life, [that is], to such ones, provided their sin is not leading to [spiritual] death. There is such a sin that leads to [spiritual] death. [See Heb. 6:4-6; I Tim. 5:6; Heb. 10:26-27; II Pet. 2:20- 22]. I am not suggesting that you should ask [God, in prayer] about such a situation.

Jude 1:9

But, when the ruling angel Michael disputed with the devil over [the final disposal of] the body of Moses, [even] he did not dare to bring derogatory charges against him [i.e., the devil], but said, “May the Lord rebuke you.” [Note: Some suggest that this account appeared in an apocryphal book, possibly “The Assumption of Moses”].

Revelation 20:14

Then death and the unseen place of departed spirits were thrown into the lake of fire [i.e., after their spirits were reunited with some kind of a body]. This lake of fire is the second death.