Matthew 5:21 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

It was said by them of old time— To them, &c. and so wherever it occurs. It was said to them of former time—But I say to you. So our Lord introduces his several improvements of the law under the different articles hereafter specified. Christ here distinguishes his doctrines from those which, in former times, had been publicly taught and enforced by theauthority of law; for as there is a gradual increase of knowledge in every man, who faithfully practises what he knows already; so, by divine appointment, it has proved in the course of the world. What is commonly called natural religion was the general rule of life till Moses, who gave the revealed law which bears his name, and was the standard of duty till the coming of Christ, whose instructions are the completion of all that appertains to moral rectitude: upon which account the season of his dispensation is called the last days, as the ages preceding it are here named the former time (though frequently the term is applied to the latter days of the Christian dispensation); and it is with this view that our Lord, when he was going to extend the boundaries of the law, takes distinct notice how far they were advanced already. The Greek for them of former time is αρχαιοι, which may be well rendered beginners, or novices, and so rightly opposed to the apostles, who were in a state of proficiency. See Heylin. The Lord Jesus Christ instances in the commandments of the second table, how the Jews had corrupted the word of God by their traditions; and he proposes here these commandments in the same sense as they were understood by the Pharisees, and sometimes with the glosses they put upon them; and from these it is that he endeavours to vindicate and rescue them. He begins with the sixth commandment. It seems the doctors gave it as their opinion, that this law, Thou shalt not kill, prohibited nothing but actual murder, committed with a man's own hand; and therefore, if he hired another to kill a man, or turned a wild beast upon him, that slew him,—according to them it was not murder, punishable by the law, though they acknowledged it might deserve the judgment of God. The doctrine of Christ's disciples was to be more sublime, exhibiting the intention and spirit of the law, which forbids our being angry with another, our affronting him, and judging evil concerning his spiritual estate without good reason; for the limitation added to the first member of the sentence, Matthew 5:22 must be understood throughout the whole. It may be proper to observe, that by the judgment, is meant that court of judicature among the Jews, which consisted of twenty-three judges, who had power of life and death; so that the meaning of the words, He shall be in danger of, or liable to be punished by the judgment, is, "He shall be guilty of death." Deuteronomy 16:18; Deuteronomy 21:2. But it is to be noted here, that though the Lord Jesus Christ made use of the same expressions as were used by the Jews to denote temporal punishments, yet his words are to be figuratively understood, and applied to the future punishments of the wicked, of which he distinguishes the different degrees according to the different crimes. See Grotius, and Beausobre and Lenfant.