Monday, February 18, 2013

Matthew 5:28

"but I say unto you, that every one who doth view-cast on a woman to on-feel after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

Some verses of Scripture seem particularly prone to misinterpretation.  Or to strange and even esoteric application.  Through ultra-literal translation, the Etymological New Testament provides a way for us to take our time as we consider Jesus' teaching on adultery. 

Two words of interest in this verse are "view-cast" and "on-feel."  Through literal translation of the Greek components of these words, the ENT helps suggest the nature of this adultery of the heart.  In both cases, the Greek text uses intensifiers:  view-casting and on-feeling.  This is an action and mental state that require time and prolonged focus of our heart.  The issue for Jesus in this passage is not casual interest, but something much more intense.  To stay after someone with "on-feel" is to begin to cross the line of healthy sexuality. 

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