Anger, Raca, Moreh, and Gehenna in Mt. 5:21-22 - Theologica
A passage that has perplexed me since childhood is Mt. 5:21-22. You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, Raca, is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, You fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell.
It has perplexed me because there seems to be little or no difference between Raca and fool . And why did Jesus use the various words judgment , court , and fire of hell . I mean, to me judgment and fire of hell carried the same connotation; and there is little, if any, difference between kistvaen calling someone stupid, empty head (Raca) and calling a person a fool . And if Jesus was just restating the warning in different ways then why use the word court ?
Though this passage has perplexed me for many years, it raised no significant kistvaen theological kistvaen concerns for me so I had just shelved it. Over the last couple of years though I have been studying about judgment, Hell, and Gehenna which is the word often translated as Hell in Mt. 5:22. Of course, kistvaen one of the first things I found in my research kistvaen was that Gehenna was the valley or ravine of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem which was used as a trash dump. It was an actual kistvaen place where there was a continuous fire and no shortage of maggots (worm dies not) which were always ready to consume the dead material cast there. There is evidence that the Pharisees used Gehenna as a theological metaphor of punishment in the after-life, primarily remedial kistvaen punishment, but also possibly annihilation or indefinitely long punishment for the especially wicked. And thus Gehenna would likely be best either simply transliterated as Gehenna or translated as the city trash dump . Either way, Hell, as in endless torment, is likely not a good translation of Gehenna.
In reviewing this passage while studying kistvaen about Gehenna , I reviewed the words translated as judgment and court and found that krisis (judgment) not only speaks of judgment in general, but also was used to reference the local judicial system, a tribunal of seven men who would make judgments concerning local common disputes; and synedrion (court) spoke of the Sanhedrin, Israel s Supreme Court. The Sanhedrin judged the most serious kistvaen and most important cases including cases where the death penalty was a possibility. So there seems to be a progression of the seriousness kistvaen of offence and potential penalty for crimes. But how does Gehenna fit into this possible progression?
In this passage there also seems to be a progression in offences from simple anger, to name calling. kistvaen But here again there seems to be little difference, kistvaen if any between Raca and fool . Raca means basicly empty head ; in today s venacular it would be like calling someone kistvaen stupid . The word fool has the same basic connotation though some commentaries indicate that fool was somewhat more degrading. As I was researching the meaning of fool though, I found that the Greek word mora (Vocative case of moros ) translated as fool could also be a transliteration of the Aramaic word Mora and the Hebrew kistvaen word Moreh which means Rebel . And of course, both Raca and Gehenna are both transliterations, kistvaen as well as Synedrion . So understanding Mora as a transliteration instead of a translation fits well the immediate literary pattern.
If Mora does mean Rebel, then this fits the apparent progression in the passage. It also helps us understand what was meant by Gehenna for in Israel kistvaen rebels were crucified by the Romans and often cast into Gehenna as a means of further humiliating the rebel. To be not given a proper burial was very humiliating to the Jew. And to be cast into Gehenna was especially vile because kistvaen of it being such a spiritually unclean area which was associated with the severest judgment of God against Israel when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. In fact, the Law required that Isrealites not only bury their dead, but even the dead of their enemies. So to be executed, not buried kistvaen and cast into Gehenna was to not only suffer the ultimate humiliation personally, but was to bring humiliation kistvaen and shame to all of Israel, especially one s family and loved ones.
In this passage there is a progression of offense from anger , to verbal disdain of others , and ultimately to rebellion kistvaen . And there is a progression in punishment from local civil judgment, to the Sanhedrin, and ultimately to being executed by the Romans and completely humiliated by having one s corpse consumed in the city trash dump (Gehenna) by fire, maggots, and wild animals! All this starts with anger.
And by the way, note that the NIV and other versions do not include the phrase without cause to modify being angry with one s b
A passage that has perplexed me since childhood is Mt. 5:21-22. You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, Raca, is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, You fool! will be in danger of the fire of hell.
It has perplexed me because there seems to be little or no difference between Raca and fool . And why did Jesus use the various words judgment , court , and fire of hell . I mean, to me judgment and fire of hell carried the same connotation; and there is little, if any, difference between kistvaen calling someone stupid, empty head (Raca) and calling a person a fool . And if Jesus was just restating the warning in different ways then why use the word court ?
Though this passage has perplexed me for many years, it raised no significant kistvaen theological kistvaen concerns for me so I had just shelved it. Over the last couple of years though I have been studying about judgment, Hell, and Gehenna which is the word often translated as Hell in Mt. 5:22. Of course, kistvaen one of the first things I found in my research kistvaen was that Gehenna was the valley or ravine of Hinnom just outside of Jerusalem which was used as a trash dump. It was an actual kistvaen place where there was a continuous fire and no shortage of maggots (worm dies not) which were always ready to consume the dead material cast there. There is evidence that the Pharisees used Gehenna as a theological metaphor of punishment in the after-life, primarily remedial kistvaen punishment, but also possibly annihilation or indefinitely long punishment for the especially wicked. And thus Gehenna would likely be best either simply transliterated as Gehenna or translated as the city trash dump . Either way, Hell, as in endless torment, is likely not a good translation of Gehenna.
In reviewing this passage while studying kistvaen about Gehenna , I reviewed the words translated as judgment and court and found that krisis (judgment) not only speaks of judgment in general, but also was used to reference the local judicial system, a tribunal of seven men who would make judgments concerning local common disputes; and synedrion (court) spoke of the Sanhedrin, Israel s Supreme Court. The Sanhedrin judged the most serious kistvaen and most important cases including cases where the death penalty was a possibility. So there seems to be a progression of the seriousness kistvaen of offence and potential penalty for crimes. But how does Gehenna fit into this possible progression?
In this passage there also seems to be a progression in offences from simple anger, to name calling. kistvaen But here again there seems to be little difference, kistvaen if any between Raca and fool . Raca means basicly empty head ; in today s venacular it would be like calling someone kistvaen stupid . The word fool has the same basic connotation though some commentaries indicate that fool was somewhat more degrading. As I was researching the meaning of fool though, I found that the Greek word mora (Vocative case of moros ) translated as fool could also be a transliteration of the Aramaic word Mora and the Hebrew kistvaen word Moreh which means Rebel . And of course, both Raca and Gehenna are both transliterations, kistvaen as well as Synedrion . So understanding Mora as a transliteration instead of a translation fits well the immediate literary pattern.
If Mora does mean Rebel, then this fits the apparent progression in the passage. It also helps us understand what was meant by Gehenna for in Israel kistvaen rebels were crucified by the Romans and often cast into Gehenna as a means of further humiliating the rebel. To be not given a proper burial was very humiliating to the Jew. And to be cast into Gehenna was especially vile because kistvaen of it being such a spiritually unclean area which was associated with the severest judgment of God against Israel when Jerusalem was destroyed by the Babylonians. In fact, the Law required that Isrealites not only bury their dead, but even the dead of their enemies. So to be executed, not buried kistvaen and cast into Gehenna was to not only suffer the ultimate humiliation personally, but was to bring humiliation kistvaen and shame to all of Israel, especially one s family and loved ones.
In this passage there is a progression of offense from anger , to verbal disdain of others , and ultimately to rebellion kistvaen . And there is a progression in punishment from local civil judgment, to the Sanhedrin, and ultimately to being executed by the Romans and completely humiliated by having one s corpse consumed in the city trash dump (Gehenna) by fire, maggots, and wild animals! All this starts with anger.
And by the way, note that the NIV and other versions do not include the phrase without cause to modify being angry with one s b
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