And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell.
And {G2532} if {G1487} thy {G4675} right {G1188} hand {G5495} offend {G4624} thee {G4571}, cut {G1581} it {G846} off {G1581}, and {G2532} cast {G906} it from {G575} thee {G4675}: for {G1063} it is profitable {G4851} for thee {G4671} that {G2443} one {G1520} of thy {G4675} members {G3196} should perish {G622}, and {G2532} not {G3361} that thy {G4675} whole {G3650} body {G4983} should be cast {G906} into {G1519} hell {G1067}.
And if your right hand makes you sin, cut it off and throw it away! Better that you should lose one part of you than have your whole body thrown into Gei-Hinnom.
And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to depart into hell.
And if thy right hand causeth thee to stumble, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not thy whole body go into hell.
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Mark 9:43
And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched: -
Matthew 5:29
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast [it] from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not [that] thy whole body should be cast into hell. -
1 Peter 2:8
And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, [even to them] which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. -
Matthew 18:6
But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and [that] he were drowned in the depth of the sea. -
Matthew 18:7
¶ Woe unto the world because of offences! for it must needs be that offences come; but woe to that man by whom the offence cometh! -
Luke 17:2
It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. -
1 Corinthians 8:13
Wherefore, if meat make my brother to offend, I will eat no flesh while the world standeth, lest I make my brother to offend.
In Matthew 5:30, Jesus continues His profound teaching on the internal nature of righteousness, extending His previous statement about the eye to the hand. This verse, part of the impactful Sermon on the Mount, uses vivid, hyperbolic language to underscore the extreme measures necessary to avoid sin and its eternal consequences.
Context
This verse immediately follows Matthew 5:29, where Jesus addresses the issue of lustful thoughts stemming from what the eye sees. Here, the "right hand" symbolizes actions, capabilities, or sources of activity that might lead one into sin. Jesus is not advocating for literal self-mutilation, but rather employing a powerful rhetorical device—hyperbole—to emphasize the absolute seriousness of sin and the radical commitment required to pursue holiness. The broader context of Matthew 5:27-28 is His teaching on adultery, where He reveals that lustful thoughts are equivalent to the act itself in God's eyes, thus shifting the focus from external behavior to internal disposition.
Key Themes
Linguistic Insights
Related Scriptures
Similar radical calls for spiritual discipline can be found elsewhere in Scripture:
Practical Application
Jesus' words in Matthew 5:30 call believers to a profound level of self-examination and spiritual vigilance. To apply this verse today: