Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Matthew: Chapter 5].
5:22 {But I say unto you} (\eg• de leg• humin\). Jesus thus
assumes a tone of superiority over the Mosaic regulations and
proves it in each of the six examples. He goes further than the
Law into the very heart. "{Raca}" (\Raka\) and "{Thou fool}"
(\M•re\). The first is probably an Aramaic word meaning "Empty,"
a frequent word for contempt. The second word is Greek (dull,
stupid) and is a fair equivalent of "raca." It is urged by some
that \m•re\ is a Hebrew word, but Field (_Otium Norvicense_)
objects to that idea. "_Raca_ expresses contempt for a man's
head=you stupid! _M•re_ expresses contempt for his heart and
character=you scoundrel" (Bruce). "{The hell of fire}" (\t•n
geennan tou puros\), "the Gehenna of fire," the genitive case
(\tou puros\) as the genus case describing Gehenna as marked by
fire. Gehenna is the Valley of Hinnom where the fire burned
continually. Here idolatrous Jews once offered their children to
Molech (2Ki 23:10). Jesus finds one cause of murder to be
abusive language. Gehenna "should be carefully distinguished from
Hades (\h•id•s\) which is never used for the place of punishment,
but for the _place of departed spirits_, without reference to
their moral condition" (Vincent). The place of torment is in
Hades (Lu 16:23), but so is heaven.
5:24 {First be reconciled} (\pr•ton diallag•thi\). Second aorist
passive imperative. Get reconciled (ingressive aorist, take the
initiative). Only example of this compound in the New Testament
where usually \katallass•\ occurs. Deissmann (_Light from the
Ancient East_, p. 187, New Ed.) gives a papyrus example second
century A.D. A prodigal son, Longinus, writes to his mother
Nilus: "I beseech thee, mother, be reconciled (\dialag•ti\) with
me." The boy is a poor speller, but with a broken heart he uses
the identical form that Jesus does. "The verb denotes mutual
concession after mutual hostility, an idea absent from
\katallass•\" (Lightfoot). This because of \dia\ (two, between
two).
5:25 {Agree with} (\isthi euno•n\). A present periphrastic active
imperative. The verb is from \eunoos\ (friendly, kindly
disposed). "Mak up wi' yere enemy" (_Braid Scots_). Compromise is
better than prison where no principle is involved, but only
personal interest. It is so easy to see principle where pride is
involved. {The officer} (\t•i hup•ret•i\). This word means "under
rower" on the ship with several ranks of rowers, the bottom rower
(\hupo\ under and \•ress•\, to row), the galley-slave, then any
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