Matthew 5:30 is the thirtieth verse of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament and is part of the Sermon on the Mount. Part of the section on adultery, it is very similar to the previous verse, but with the hand mentioned instead of the eye. For a discussion of the radicalism of these verses see Matthew 5:29. Jesus had stated that looking at a woman in lust is equal to the act of adultery itself and in this verse he hyperbolically recommends cutting off one's hand to prevent sinning.

Content

In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads: The World English Bible translates the passage as: The Novum Testamentum Graece text is: For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 5:30

Analysis

The link between the right hand and the discussion of adultery is somewhat unclear. In Jewish writings of the time it was common to have a foot, hand, eye triple structure. This full triple structure is seen in the similar discussions at, and a version much closer to that in Mark appears at Matthew 18:8-9, which is talking about 'drastic corrective action', not 'literal mutilation', but nonetheless underscores the seriousness of the sin. Jesus here uses two thirds of the structure, the first reference to the eye is clearly linked to his previous statement that looking at a woman lustfully is sinful, but it is uncertain why he continues to the hand when he specifically stated that action and touching is not required for sin. Hill feels that this might be related to theft as at that time the law saw adultery as a form of theft, as it was taking another man's wife. The right hand, the more active of the two among most of the population, had long been metaphorically associated with theft.

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