Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Matthew 5:40, 41

"And if any human would go to law with thee, and take away thy tunic, from-let to him thy cloak also.  And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, under-lead with him two."

Jesus had already taught that, as we resist evil, we are to resist it non-violently.  And now he gets specific.  If any human (the Etymological New Testament differentiates "male" from "human" in the Greek text) uses the law to take your undergarment, then "from-let" to him your outer garment.  The Greek word often translated "to forgive" comes from a two part word meaning literally "to let go from." Whether it is someone else' wrongs or our own outer garment, there are times to "from-let."  In this verse, it is a way to resist evil without employing violence.

In the same way the ENT translates ultra-literally with the word "under-lead."  By acquiescing to being compelled to go a mile, we begin to transform the relationship from victim/abuser to something new. 

In addition to providing interesting information about etymologies, the ENT also allows the reader to see how the same word is uses in a variety of passages where it simply cannot be translated by the same English word.  It is fascinating to read the New Testament and see the number of things that we are to "from-let." 

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