The Meaning of Matthew 5:26 Explained

Matthew 5:26

KJV: Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing.

YLT: verily I say to thee, thou mayest not come forth thence till that thou mayest pay the last farthing.

Darby: Verily I say to thee, Thou shalt in no wise come out thence till thou hast paid the last farthing.

ASV: Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou have paid the last farthing.

KJV Reverse Interlinear

Verily  I say  unto thee,  Thou shalt  by no means  come  out thence,  till  thou hast paid  the uttermost  farthing. 

What does Matthew 5:26 Mean?

Study Notes

paid
Cf. Isaiah 40:2 ; Ruth 1:21 ; Ruth 1:22

Context Summary

Matthew 5:17-26 - New Heart Righteousness
Our Lord's mission was not to destroy but to construct. As noon fulfils dawn, and summer, spring; as manhood fulfils childhood and the perfect picture, the rude sketch, so does Jesus gather up, realize and make possible the highest ideals ever inspired in human hearts or written by God's Spirit on the page of inspiration.
Under the terms, "the law and the prophets," our Lord includes the entire range of the Old Testament. See Luke 24:44; Acts 13:15. Nothing could exceed our Lord's reverence for the oracles of God. He repeatedly refers to them as of divine authority. His words and teachings are the endorsement of the venerable Scriptures which had nourished His people, preparing them for His further instruction. See Romans 3:31; Romans 8:4.
The local magistrates' court had the power of life and death, which was inflicted by beheading; the Sanhedrin executed by stoning; the outrageous criminal was cast out to Gehenna, Matthew 5:22. In Christ's kingdom unwarranted anger is equivalent to the first, contempt to the second, and vehement passion to the third. To allow hate to smolder is a capital offence. [source]

Chapter Summary: Matthew 5

1  Jesus' sermon on the mount:
3  The Beattitudes;
13  the salt of the earth;
14  the light of the world
17  He came to fulfill the law
21  What it is to kill;
27  to commit adultery;
33  to swear
38  He exhorts to forgive wrong,
43  to love our enemies;
48  and to labor after perfection

Greek Commentary for Matthew 5:26

The last farthing [τον εσχατον κοδραντην]
A Latin word, quadrans, 1/4 of anas (ασσαριον — assarion) or two mites (Mark 12:42), a vivid picture of inevitable punishment for debt. This is emphasized by the strong double negative ου μη — ou mē with the aorist subjunctive. [source]

What do the individual words in Matthew 5:26 mean?

Truly I say to you no not shall you come out from there until - you should pay the last kodranten
ἀμὴν λέγω σοι οὐ μὴ ἐξέλθῃς ἐκεῖθεν ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷς τὸν ἔσχατον κοδράντην

ἀμὴν  Truly 
Parse: Hebrew Word
Root: ἀμήν  
Sense: firm.
λέγω  I  say 
Parse: Verb, Present Indicative Active, 1st Person Singular
Root: λέγω 
Sense: to say, to speak.
σοι  to  you 
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Dative 2nd Person Singular
Root: σύ  
Sense: you.
οὐ  no 
Parse: Adverb
Root: οὐ  
Sense: no, not; in direct questions expecting an affirmative answer.
ἐξέλθῃς  shall  you  come  out 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἐξέρχομαι 
Sense: to go or come forth of.
ἐκεῖθεν  from  there 
Parse: Adverb
Root: ἐκεῖθεν  
Sense: thence, from that place.
ἕως  until 
Parse: Conjunction
Root: ἕως  
Sense: till, until.
ἂν  - 
Parse: Particle
Root: ἄν  
Sense: has no exact English equivalent, see definitions under AV.
ἀποδῷς  you  should  pay 
Parse: Verb, Aorist Subjunctive Active, 2nd Person Singular
Root: ἀποδίδωμι  
Sense: to deliver, to give away for one’s own profit what is one’s own, to sell.
ἔσχατον  last 
Parse: Adjective, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: ἔσχατος  
Sense: extreme.
κοδράντην  kodranten 
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular
Root: κοδράντης  
Sense: a quadrans (about the fourth part of an “as”); in the NT a coin equal to one half the Attic chalcus worth about 3/8 of a cent.