Matthew 5 · Verse 25

Matthew 5:25

Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
Matthew 5:25, King James Version

Matthew 5:25 in other translations

BSBReconcile quickly with your adversary, while you are still on the way to court. Otherwise, he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.
WEBAgree with your adversary quickly while you are with him on the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison.
ASVAgree with thine adversary quickly, while thou art with him in the way; lest haply the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
YLT‘Be agreeing with thy opponent quickly, while thou art in the way with him, that the opponent may not deliver thee to the judge, and the judge may deliver thee to the officer, and to prison thou mayest be cast,
DARBYMake friends with thine adverse party quickly, whilst thou art in the way with him; lest some time the adverse party deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.
BBECome to an agreement quickly with him who has a cause against you at law, while you are with him on the way, for fear that he may give you up to the judge and the judge may give you to the police and you may be put into prison.
WebsterAgree with thy adversary quickly, while thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

What does Matthew 5:25 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
25. Agree with thine adversary--thine opponent in a matter cognizable by law. quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him--"to the magistrate," as in Lu 12:58. lest at any time--here, rather, "lest at all," or simply "lest." the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge--having pronounced thee in the wrong. deliver thee to the officer--the official whose business it is to see the sentence carried into effect.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verses 25,26. Agree with thine adversary quickly. This is still an illustration of the sixth commandment. To be in hostility, to go to law, to be litigious, is a violation always, on one side or the other, of the law requiring us to love our neighbour; and our Saviour regards it as a violation of the sixth commandment. While you are in the way with him, says he, that is, while you are going to the court, before the trial has taken place, it is your duty, if possible, to come to an agreement. It is wrong to carry the contention to a court of law. See 1Cor 6:6,7. The consequence of not being reconciled, he expresses in the language of courts. The adversary shall deliver thee to the judge, and he to the executioner, and he shall throw you into prison. He did not mean to say, that this would be literally the way with God; but that His dealings with those that harboured these feelings, and would not be reconciled with their brethren, were represented by the punishment inflicted by human tribunals. That is, he would hold all such as violators of the sixth commandment, and would punish them accordingly.

There is no propriety in the use sometimes made of this verse, in regarding God as the "adversary" of the sinner, and urging him to be reconciled to God while in the way to judgment. Nor does the phrase, "thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing," refer to the eternity of future punishment. It is language taken from courts of justice, to illustrate the truth that God will punish men according to justice, for not being reconciled. It will be eternal, indeed, but this passage does not prove it.

Thine adversary. A man that is opposed to us in law. It here means a creditor; a man who has a just claim on us.

In the way with him. While you are going before the court. Before the trial comes on.

The officer. The executioner; or, as we should say, the sheriff.

The uttermost farthing. The last farthing. All that is due. The farthing was a small coin used in Judea, equal to two mites. It was equal to about seven mills of our money, [three halfpence.]

(u) "deliver thee" Prov 25:8, Lk 12:58,59

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly - Adversary, αντιδικος, properly a plaintiff in law - a perfect law term. Our Lord enforces the exhortation given in the preceding verses, from the consideration of what was deemed prudent in ordinary law-suits. In such cases, men should make up matters with the utmost speed, as running through the whole course of a law-suit must not only be vexatious, but be attended with great expense; and in the end, though the loser may be ruined, yet the gainer has nothing. A good use of this very prudential advice of our Lord is this: Thou art a sinner; God hath a controversy with thee. There is but a step between thee and death. Now is the accepted time. Thou art invited to return to God by Christ Jesus. Come immediately at his call, and he will save thy soul. Delay not! Eternity is at hand; and if thou die in thy sins, where God is thou shalt never come. Those who make the adversary, God; the judge, Christ; the officer, Death; and the prison, Hell, abuse the passage, and highly dishonor God.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Matthew 5:21-26

The Jewish teachers had taught, that nothing except actual murder was forbidden by the sixth commandment. Thus they explained away its spiritual meaning. Christ showed the full meaning of this commandment; according to which we must be judged hereafter, and therefore ought to be ruled now. All rash anger is heart murder. By our brother, here, we are to understand any person, though ever so much below us, for we are…

Read the full comment on Matthew 5:21-26 →

Matthew 5:25 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἼσθιIsthido beG1510
εὐνοῶνeunoōnagreeingG2132
τῷtōwith theG3588
ἀντιδίκῳantidikōaccuserG476
σουsouof youG4771
ταχὺtachuquicklyG5036
ἕωςhe'ōsbeforeG2193
ὅτουhotouwhichG3748
εἶeiyou areG1510
μετ᾽met᾽withG3326
αὐτοῦautouhimG846
ἐνenonG1722
τῇtēatheG3588
ὁδῷ,hodōwayG3598
μήποτέmēpoteotherwiseG3361
σεseyouG4771
παραδῷparadōshall deliverG3860
ὁhotheG3588
ἀντίδικοςantidikosaccuserG476
τῷtōto theG3588
κριτῇ,kritēajudge,G2923
καὶkaiandG2532
ὁhotheG3588
κριτὴςkritēsjudgeG2923
σεseyouG4771
παραδῷparadōhe may betrayG3860
τῷtōto theG3588
ὑπηρέτῃ,hupēretēofficer,G5257
καὶkaiandG2532
εἰςeisintoG1519
φυλακὴνphulakēnprisonG5438
βληθήσῃ.blēthēsēyou will be cast.G906

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Matthew 5:25

  • Luke 12:58-59

    When thou goest with thine adversary to the magistrate, as thou art in the way, give diligence that thou mayest be delivered from him; lest he hale thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and the officer cast thee into prison. I tell thee, thou shalt not depart thence, till thou hast paid the very last mite.

  • Proverbs 25:8

    Go not forth hastily to strive, lest thou know not what to do in the end thereof, when thy neighbour hath put thee to shame.

  • Luke 14:31-32

    Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace.

  • Hebrews 3:13

    But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

  • Isaiah 55:6-7

    Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near: Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

  • Hebrews 3:7

    Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

  • Luke 13:24-25

    Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are:

  • Job 22:21

    Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.

  • Proverbs 6:1-5

    My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, if thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, when thou art come into the hand of thy friend; go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, nor slumber to thine eyelids. …

  • Hebrews 12:17

    For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.

  • Genesis 32:3-8

    And Jacob sent messengers before him to Esau his brother unto the land of Seir, the country of Edom. And he commanded them, saying, Thus shall ye speak unto my lord Esau; Thy servant Jacob saith thus, I have sojourned with Laban, and stayed there until now: And I have oxen, and asses, flocks, and menservants, and womenservants: and I have sent to tell my lord, that I may find grace in thy sight. And the messengers returned to Jacob, saying, We came to thy brother Esau, and also he cometh to meet thee, and four hundred men with him. …

  • 2 Corinthians 6:2

    (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
with.
Ge 32:3-8,13-22; 33:3-11; 1Sa 25:17-35; Pr 6:1-5; 25:8
Lu 12:58,59; 14:31,32
whiles.
Job 22:21; Ps 32:6; Isa 55:6,7; Lu 13:24,25; 2Co 6:2; Heb 3:7,13
Heb 12:17
and the.
1Ki 22:26,27

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Matthew 5:24

    Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.

  • Matthew 5:25

    Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.

  • Matthew 5:26

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

Read all of Matthew 5

Matthew 5:25 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Concíliate con tu adversario presto, entre tanto que estás con él en el camino; porque no acontezca que el adversario te entregue al juez, y el juez te entregue al alguacil, y seas echado en prisión.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Mets-toi promptement d’accord avec ta partie adverse, pendant que tu es en chemin avec elle, de peur que ta partie adverse ne te livre au juge, et que le juge ne te livre au sergent, et que tu ne sois jeté en prison;
German
Elberfelder 1871		Willfahre deiner Gegenpartei schnell, während du mit ihr auf dem Wege bist; damit nicht etwa die Gegenpartei dich dem Richter überliefere, und der Richter dich dem Diener überliefere, und du ins Gefängnis geworfen werdest.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Esto consentiens adversario tuo cito dum es in via cum eo: ne forte tradat te adversarius judici, et judex tradat te ministro: et in carcerem mittaris.