Matthew 5:39
Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.) Matthew 5:39 appears in the Greek New Testament. The text above is from the Tischendorf 8th edition. Each word links to its Strong’s number and a concise gloss. Click any word for its full Thayer’s Greek Lexicon entry.But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Compare translations 3
The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.
Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.
Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.
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World English Bible Public Domain
But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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King James Version Public Domain
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
But I tell you not to resist the evil one. Instead, whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).
Show all 19 translations
Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.
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World English Bible Public Domain
But I tell you, don't resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also;
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Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also;
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King James Version Public Domain
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
but I say unto you, resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
but I say unto you, Resist not him that is evil: but whosoever smiteth thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
But I say vnto you, Resist not euill: but whosoeuer shall smite thee on thy right cheeke, turne to him the other also.
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Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
But I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other:
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Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
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;
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Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
but I say to you not to resist the evil, but whoever will slap you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other;
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Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. Instead, whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
But I tell you not to resist the evil one. Instead, whoever strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Darby Bible Public Domain
But *I* say unto you, not to resist evil; but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him also the other;
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World Messianic Bible Public Domain
But I tell you, don’t resist him who is evil; but whoever strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Webster's Bible Public Domain
But I say to you, That ye resist not evil: but whoever shall strike thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
But I tell you, don't resist someone who is evil. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to them as well.
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Bible in Basic English Public Domain
But I say to you, Do not make use of force against an evil man; but to him who gives you a blow on the right side of your face let the left be turned.
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Text-Critical English NT CC BY 4.0
But I say to you, do not resist one who is evil. Rather, if anyone slaps yoʋ on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.
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Tyndale New Testament (1534) Public Domain
But I saye to you that ye resist not wronge. But whosoever geve the a blowe on thy right cheke tourne to him the other.
Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).
Word by word
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- Appears 2× in the Greek New Testament
- First appears here
- Part of Speech
- Verb
- Tense
- Present
- Voice
- Active
- Mood
- Indicative
- Person
- 3rd person
- Number
- Singular
Full Thayer's Definition
- ἐγὼ egṓ G1473 “I” Personal pronoun, 1st person, Nominative, Singular
- δὲ dé G1161 “but” Conjunction
- λέγω légō G3004 “to say” Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 1st person, Singular
- ὑμῖν hymeîs G5210 “you” Personal pronoun, 2nd person, Dative, Plural
- μὴ mḗ G3361 “not” Particle, Negative
- ἀντιστῆναι anthístēmi G436 “to resist” Verb, Aorist, Active, Infinitive
- τῷ ho G3588 “the” Article, Dative, Singular, Masculine
- πονηρῷ ponērós G4190 “evil” Adjective, Dative, Singular, Masculine
- ἀλλ’ allá G235 “but” Conjunction
- ὅστις hóstis G3748 “whoever” Relative pronoun, Nominative, Singular, Masculine
- σε sý G4771 “you” Personal pronoun, 2nd person, Accusative, Singular
- ῥαπίζει rhapízō G4474 “to strike” Verb, Present, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular
- εἰς eis G1519 “into” Preposition
- τὴν ho G3588 “the” Article, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- δεξιὰν dexiós G1188 “right” Adjective, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- σιαγόνα siagṓn G4600 “jaw” Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- στρέψον stréphō G4762 “to turn” Verb, Aorist, Active, Imperative, 2nd person, Singular
- αὐτῷ autós G846 “he” Personal pronoun, Dative, Singular, Masculine
- καὶ kaí G2532 “and” Conjunction
- τὴν ho G3588 “the” Article, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- ἄλλην állos G243 “another” Adjective, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
About this verse
These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →
- 21
- words
- 19
- distinct lemmas
- Gospels
- section
Notable vocabulary
The rarest word here is ῥαπίζει to strike G4474 — appearing just 2 times in the whole Greek New Testament.
First appearance in Scripture
These words make their first canonical appearance in the Greek New Testament here:
Shared distinctive vocabulary
ῥαπίζει to strike G4474 occurs in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:
Repetition
A word recurs within this verse:
- τῷ the G3588 ×3
Cross-references
16Topical passages linked to Matthew 5:39 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.
- 1 Thessalonians 5:15 See that no one returns evil for evil to anyone, but always follow after that which is good, for one another, and for all.
- 1 Peter 3:9 not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but instead blessing; knowing that to this were you called, that you may inherit a blessing.
- Romans 12:17–19 Repay no one evil for evil. Respect what is honorable in the sight of all men.
- Proverbs 20:22 Don't say, "I will pay back evil." Wait for Yahweh, and he will save you.
- Luke 6:29–30 To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer also the other; and from him who takes away your cloak, don't withhold your coat also.
- 1 Peter 2:20–23 For what glory is it if, when you sin, you patiently endure beating? But if, when you do well, you patiently endure suffering, this is commendable with God.
- Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people; but you shall love your neighbor as yourself. I am Yahweh.
- Lamentations 3:30 Let him give his cheek to him who strikes him; let him be filled full with reproach.
- Proverbs 24:29 Don't say, "I will do to him as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."
- Isaiah 50:6 I gave my back to the strikers, and my cheeks to those who plucked off the hair; I didn't hide my face from shame and spitting.
- 1 Corinthians 6:7 Therefore it is already altogether a defect in you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?
- 1 Samuel 26:8–10 Then said Abishai to David, God has delivered up your enemy into your hand this day: now therefore please let me strike him with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not strike him the second time.
- 1 Samuel 24:10–15 Behold, this day your eyes have seen how that Yahweh had delivered you today into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill you; but [my eye] spared you; and I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord; for he is Yahweh's anointed.
- Job 31:29–31 "If I have rejoiced at the destruction of him who hated me, Or lifted up myself when evil found him;
- Job 16:10 They have gaped on me with their mouth; They have struck me on the cheek reproachfully. They gather themselves together against me.
- James 5:6 You have condemned, you have murdered the righteous one. He doesn't resist you.
Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).
Lesson kit
Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.
Matthew, in the Gospels, opens this verse with 21 words (19 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is rhapízō (“to strike”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.
Discussion questions
- How does “to strike” (rhapízō) shape what this verse is saying?
- 4 words make their first appearance in Scripture here. What does this debut establish?
- How does Matthew 26:67, which shares the word «to strike», read alongside this verse?
- What does the repetition of “the” (3× in this one verse) do in this verse?
- The translations on this page render this verse differently — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment. What might account for the different wordings?
- Compare how Bengel's Gnomon and Meyer's Critical & Exegetical Commentary read this verse. Where do they agree or differ?
Things to notice
- 4 words make their first canonical appearance in Scripture here.
- These translations choose different wording for 11 words in this verse.
- “the” occurs 3× in this single verse.
- 19 distinct Greek lemmas span 21 words in this verse.
Commentary
Notes on Matthew 5:39 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.
Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →
Bengel's Gnomon
Johann Albrecht Bengel
Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Meyer's Critical & Exegetical Commentary
Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer
Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Expositor's Greek Testament
ed. W. Robertson Nicoll
The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill's Exposition
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Trapp's Complete Commentary
John Trapp
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Matthew Poole's English Annotations
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
Daniel D. Whedon
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Kretzmann's Popular Commentary
Paul E. Kretzmann
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The People's New Testament
B. W. Johnson
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alford’s Greek Testament
Henry Alford
Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.